Catching fish is an easy way to get money, feed yourself, and level up in Palia. Aside from that, NPCs will either want to eat these aquatic creatures or request items related to them for their Weekly Wants, which you’ll want to cater to to be friends or romance them. Regardless of the reason you go angling, It’s not as simple as just casting a line and waiting for a bite. Here’s how to fish in Palia.
How to Fish in Palia
To begin fishing in Palia, you’ll need to progress the main quests until you start getting mail from Auni. You’ll receive a letter from Einar, the head of the fishing guild. He gives you a basic fishing rod.
You can start fishing immediately — without having to leave your property. Equip your rod using “R” and head to Mirror Pond, which is near the entrance to the plot on the left side, before exiting the area. However, the mechanic here is slightly different than in other similar games like Disney Dreamlight Valley and Stardew Valley.
- Cast your rod with LMB.
- Wait until a fish nibbles three times.
- Press LMB when it bites.
- When you start to pull in the line, two green lines will appear around the fish.
- As you reel it in, move your mouse to keep the fish inside the space.
More difficult fish can jump out of the water, causing them to leave the sweet spot. If it moves out of the area, the bar below the fishing line will start to deplete. Once empty, the fish is lost.
The bar can recharge, however. Getting the slippery thing back inside the two lines will cause the meter to refill slowly. If you catch one when the bar is full, you’ll get a Perfect Catch bonus, which sometimes rewards Renown. You’ll also get Renown for each new species you catch.
How to Fish: General Tips
When looking for a place to fish, focus on the areas with rippling water. Snagging one from rippling water will almost 100% guarantee a star-quality catch. The only time I’ve seen it not give a star-quality fish is when I didn’t have the proper bait. In this case, the ripples remained in the water. Other times, it gave me a treasure chest or recipe in a bottle instead of a fish.
Even when the creature is inside the green lines, consistently try to keep it in the middle of the area. This will make it easier when the fish moves and is great practice for fish that are harder to catch.
You can catch other items once you know how to fish, including:
- Waterlogged Chests (gold, rare items, and food)
- Ship Fragments
- Wagon Wheel
- Cooking Recipes
- Waterlogged Boot
Fishing Bonus Explained
Another mechanic unique to Palia appears in multiplayer. Standing near other players grants a buff to fish catching for all players in the radius. The buff may not show up until you start reeling in your line, but as long as you’re close to someone else, it will take effect.
How to Change Bait
As time goes on and your skill grows, you’ll get access to better rods and bait. Bait allows you to catch different, more difficult fish.
- To change bait, have your rod equipped.
- Click the RMB to open the bait menu, which will show all available options from your inventory.
- Select the bait you want by clicking on it and then clicking the RMB to close the menu.
Types of Bait
- Worm
- Glow Worm
Worms can be purchased from Einar, but they can be harvested from a Worm Farm or Glowing Worm Farm. The plans for the crafters are also available from Einar. Sometimes you’ll be given worms or find them inside treasure chests you pull from the water.
Fishing Accessories
Along with getting access to bait as your skill level increases, you can make fishing accessories to make catching fish easier. The recipes can be bought from Einar and crafted at your worktable. The first accessory crafted will automatically be equipped. After that, you’ll need to open the character panel (C) to equip a different accessory.
These are the fishing accessories you can find:
- Minor Rod Health Booster
- Major Hook Time Booster
- Major Rod Recovery Booster
- Major Safe Zone Size Booster
- Major Safe Zone Speed Booster
How to Upgrade Your Fishing Rod in Palia
You don’t have to worry about using the same fishing rod for the whole game. Starting at Level 3, Einar will be able to offer you plans for a Standard Rod. As you further increase your skill, he’ll unlock more rod plans for you to purchase. These rods are crafted at the workbench.
List of Rods
- Basic Rod (Given by Einar)
- Standard Rod
- Fine Rod
- Exquisite Rod
How to Repair Rods
Once you get a Standard Rod, you’ll see a yellow circle appear around it in the Tool Wheel. This is its durability. You want to have the circle as full as possible. If it’s getting low, either head to a Repair Station with some Repair Kits in your inventory or have Sifuu fix them for you. Instead of breaking, rods will degrade to their previous version. When that happens, you can’t repair them. Instead, you’ll need to upgrade them again.
All Fish Locations in Palia
With almost 100 different fish in Palia, it can be hard to keep track of where to find a specific type and what bait is needed to catch it. Throw in the time of day it spawns, and the result is a math meme. We’ve compiled the information for you below to reference whenever you’re hunting down the one fish you need.
Fish Caught Without Bait
- Bahari Bass (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Any
- Calico Koi (Common)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Eyeless Minnow (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Gillyfin (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Mudminnow (Common)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Rosy Bitterling (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Sardine (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Any
- Silver Salmon (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Dusk, Night
- Silvery Minnow (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: All
- Spotted Bullhead (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Striped Dace (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Yellow Perch (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay River
- Time: Any
- Barracuda (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Dusk, Night
- Cantankerous Koi (Uncommon)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Day, Night
- Channel Catfish (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Dawnray (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Dawn
- Duskray (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Dusk
- Rainbow Trout (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Umbran Carp (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
Fish Caught with Worms
- Albino Eel (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Bahari Bream (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Any
- Bluefin Tuna (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Any
- Golden Salmon (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Dawn, Day
- Kilima Catfish (Common)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Kilima Redfin (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Largemouth Bass (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Oily Anchovy (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Orange Bluegill (Common)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Painted Perch (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Red-Bellied Piranha (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Smallmouth Bass (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Bat Ray (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Cutthroat Trout (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Freshwater Eel (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Dawn, Night
- Mirror Carp (Uncommon)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Paddlefish (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Dawn, Day, Dusk
- Prism Trout (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Dawn, Day
- Ribbontail Ray (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Dawn, Dusk
- Stickleback (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Dawn, Day
- Striped Sturgeon (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Dusk, Night
- Blue Marlin (Rare)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Any
- Energized Piranha (Rare)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Fairy Carp (Rare)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Dawn, Dusk
- Mutated Angler (Rare)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Radiant Sunfish (Rare)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Shimmerfin (Rare)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Thundering Eel (Rare)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Willow Lamprey (Rare)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Night
Fish Caught With Glow Worms
- Alligator Gar (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Bahari Pike (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Beluga Sturgeon (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Black Sea Bass (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Any
- Blobfish (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Crucian Carp (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Fathead Minnow (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Mottled Gobi (Common)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Platinum Chad (Common)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Scarlet Koi (Common)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Stonefish (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Yellowfin Tuna (Common)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Any
- Cactus Moray (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Day, Night
- Chub (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Crimson Fangtooth (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Enchanted Pupfish (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Any
- Honey Loach (Uncommon)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Day, Night
- Indigo Lamprey (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Dusk, Night
- Kilima Greyling (Uncommon)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Any
- Stalking Catfish (Uncommon)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Dusk, Night
- Blue Spotted Ray (Rare)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Dawn, Day, Dusk
- Cloudfish (Rare)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Dawn, Day
- Hypnotic Moray (Rare)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
- Kenli’s Carp (Rare)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: All
- Midnight Paddlefish (Rare)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Night
- Stormray (Rare)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Dawn, Dusk
- Ancient Fish (Epic)
- Found in: Kilima Lake after completing the 1st Vault of the Waves bundle
- Time: Any
- Flametongue Ray (Epic)
- Found in: Kilima Valley Rivers
- Time: Dawn, Day
- Giant Goldfish (Epic)
- Found in: Ponds
- Time: Any
- Giant Kilima Stingray (Epic)
- Found in: Kilima Lake
- Time: Dawn, Day, Dusk
- Long Nosed Unicorn Fish (Epic)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Coast
- Time: Day
- Swordfin Eel (Epic)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Rivers
- Time: Any
- Void Ray (Epic)
- Found in: Bahari Bay Caves
- Time: Any
That’s how to fish in Palia. From the mechanics to bait, fishing accessories and general tips, you’ll be extra prepared to reel in the most difficult scaled specimens. For other Palia how-to guides, take a look through our growing guides library.
