In Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, players can fish in various locations once they acquire a fishing rod to obtain an assortment of fish such as Juvenile Mudcrab, Pogfish, GlassFish, and River Betty. Fishing is available in the Skyrim Anniversary Edition or downloadable as a mod for the standard version.
Early in the game, just after players complete the Unbound Mission, they will come across the town of Riverwood. Near the river Northeast of Riverwood, plays can find a bucket hanging on a rack of drying fish. Inside the bucket, players will find their first fishing rod in Skyrim. Alternatively, players can purchase a fishing rod and other fishing supplies from various shopkeepers throughout the game.
Players can cast their line and begin fishing in Skryim at any body of water with a bucket of fish marked "fishing supplies." To determine if fish are available for catching, players should look for splashes of water on the water's surface. After casting the fishing rod, Skyrim players should wait for their rods to twitch. Next, wait until the bobber rises slightly out of the water and twitches more violently, then press A and catch the fish.
Once all Skyrim's fish have been caught in a water source for the day, they will not replenish for 24 hours.
Skyrim Fish Map Locations
Players can purchase fishing maps from shopkeepers to find the most plentiful fishing spots. The fishing maps purchased from Belethor in Whiterun will lead the player to fishing locations just outside Riverwood, South of Riverwood, and the far west of Skyrim's Bleak Falls Barrow. Another map will point players to two fishing spots East and West of Winterhold, with the city directly between them. The first of five fishing spots at 'The Rift' is off the Riften docks, and the next two are along the river to the west. The remaining two are further upstream and found near the mountains. Check out the YouTube video below from Endless rage gaming for a visual walkthrough of these locations:
To continue the Skyrim fishing journey, the general store in Solitude will allow players to purchase fishing maps that will lead them to the four fishing locations in the Haafingar Hold, three of which are along the river to the South and one on the coast in the Northwest of Solitude. Next, the general store in Falkreath will grant players access to the fishing map revealing locations in Falkreath, all of which are in the large lake to the North. Finally, players can find the four fishing spots in The Reach by purchasing the map from the general store in Markarth. Two of these spots are in the river outside Markarth, with the final two Southeast of Markarth and along the main river.
Best Skyrim Fishing Rods
Players can significantly increase their chance of catching items while fishing using the Dwarven Fishing Rod. Alternatively, Skyrim's Argonian Fishing Rod substantially increases the player's chances of catching large fish and is required to catch the Angler and Scorpion Fish. This fishing rod type can be obtained by completing the quest for Swims in Deep Water. Finally, Alik'ri fishing rods in Skyrim are necessary to catch the small and rare Angelfish and Lyretail Anthias. This rod can be obtained after completing the Fishing Bounty Quests from Viriya to finish the Angler Acquaintances questline. To see just how exactly to obtain a Dwarven Fishing Rod in Skyrim, check out the video above from Jabada418.
Skyrim's Rare Fish
The Angler, Scorpion Fish, Angelfish, and Lyretail Anthias are among the rarest fish in Skyrim, and whether players are using the best fishing rod types or not they may still be challenging to catch. For example, the Angelfish is only in temperate lakes, the Scorpion Fish is only in Darkfall Cave, and the Angler is in Pilgrim's Trench. The Lyretail Anthias can be caught by hand at Evergreen Cover or in streams using an Alik'ri fishing rod. To see what catching rare fish in Skyrim looks like firsthand, watch the above clip from Professor Smooth on YouTube.
Fishing was added in Skyrim Anniversary Edition to offer a more immersive experience for players. While players could catch fish in the base game previously, it required players to swim in the water and catch them one by one. Now, players can use the new mechanics to catch fish with an actual fishing rod in Skyrim, and it offers a significant improvement in roleplaying.
-
Skyrim
- Publishers:
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platforms:
- Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
- Release Date :
- November 11, 2011
- Mode:
- Single player
- Rating:
- 9/10 Steam; 4.3/5 Gog.com
