Fishing is the one Valheim system the game never explains. You buy a rod, cast it, and then nothing bites, the line snaps, or a fish drains your whole stamina bar and swims off. Once you know the rules, though, it turns into a reliable food source, a quiet skill grind and the only way to craft the Fishing Hat.
This guide covers all 12 fish in the game, the 9 baits and how to craft them, where each fish lives, and the stamina numbers behind every catch. It also explains how to level the Fishing skill and how to reach both fishing achievements. Everything is checked against the live build, patch 1.0.20 (released October 15, 2026), with Valheim out of Early Access and the Deep North biome live.
Quick answer: Buy the Fishing Rod (350 coins) and Fishing Bait (10 coins per 20) from Haldor in the Black Forest. Hold attack to cast, wait for the bobber to dip, then press block within 0.5 seconds to hook and hold block to reel. Basic bait only catches Perch and Pike. Every other fish needs a special bait (Mossy, Sticky, Stingy, Heavy, Misty, Hot, Frosty or Cold Fishing Bait), crafted at a Food Preparation Table from 20 Fishing Bait + 1 creature trophy, and you have to fish in that bait's biome. There are 12 fish in total, from Perch in the Meadows to Northern Salmon in the Deep North. You need one of each to craft the Fishing Hat (+20 Fishing, +20 Swim).
How do you start fishing in Valheim?
You need two things, and both come from the same trader.
- Fishing Rod — 350 coins from Haldor. It cannot be crafted. Very rarely, a rod also spawns at the edge of a large frozen lake inside a Mountain Frost Cave, together with 2 to 4 Fishing Bait.
- Fishing Bait — 10 coins for 20 from Haldor. The basic bait cannot be crafted either.
Haldor spawns in one of 10 possible Black Forest camps, all at least 1,500 metres from the world centre. His bag icon appears on the map once you get within roughly 320 to 450 metres of his camp. Coins come from chests, troll caves and burial chambers, so most players can afford the rod after the Black Forest.
To fish, equip the rod with bait in your inventory. Hold attack to charge the cast (up to about 30 metres) and release. When a fish bites and pulls the bobber under, press block within 0.5 seconds to hook it. Then hold block to reel it in. Once it is within 1 to 2 metres, look at it and press Use to grab it.
Two rules catch out almost every new angler:
- Stamina is your fishing line. Holding a fish on the hook drains stamina slowly. Reeling drains more, and reeling a fish that is struggling drains far more. Hit zero stamina and the fish escapes.
- Stay within about 30 metres of the bobber. Walk farther away and the line breaks.
The good news: since patch 0.213.4, bait is returned if you reel in without a catch or recast. Missing a bite costs you time, not bait.
How does fishing actually work? (the hidden mechanics)
The Valheim Wiki's fishing page lists the numbers the game never shows you:
- Every fish checks for bobbers every 5 to 15 seconds. Each bobber within 50 metres has a 10% chance to attract it.
- An attracted fish swims toward the bobber for 5 to 15 seconds and bites if it reaches it.
- Fish are afraid of player noise and flee if they hear you. Crouch, cast and wait. Do not sprint up and down the beach.
- Fish cannot be damaged. Arrows, spears and bombs do nothing. A rod or your hands are the only way to catch them.
- The fish you see are the fish you catch. Once a shoreline looks empty, move on and let it repopulate.
Once hooked, a fish alternates between struggling (it shakes and rotates, and reeling costs a lot of stamina) and idling (cheap to reel). The simplest technique in the game is to only reel while the fish is idling. When it starts shaking, let go of block and wait it out.
What fish are in Valheim? Every biome, bait and stamina cost
Patch 1.0.20 has 12 fish. The stamina columns are the drain per second for a quality-1 fish. Higher-quality fish multiply that drain by their level, which is why a high-quality Northern Salmon can empty a full bar.
| Fish | Where | Bait | Stamina/s (struggling) | Stamina/s (idling) | Bonus loot when fully reeled in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perch | Meadows, Black Forest | Fishing Bait | 10 | 3 | 1–2 Stone (16.67%), 1 Amber (3.33%) |
| Pike | Meadows, Black Forest (semi-deep) | Fishing or Cold Bait | 15 | 5 | 1–2 Flint, 1 Amber Pearl |
| Trollfish | Black Forest shores | Mossy | 25 | 9 | 1–2 Troll Hide, 1 Copper Ore |
| Giant Herring | Swamp shores | Sticky | 30 | 10 | 1–2 Iron Ore, 1–2 Chain |
| Tetra | Frost Cave lakes (Mountain) | Cold | 28 | 11 | 1–2 Obsidian, 1–15 Coins |
| Grouper | Plains shores | Stingy | 32 | 12 | 1–2 Black Metal Scrap, 1–2 Barley |
| Tuna | Deep ocean | Heavy | 20 | 7 | 1–2 Tin Ore, 1–2 Ruby |
| Coral Cod | Deep ocean | Heavy | 34 | 12 | 1–2 Chitin, 1–2 Onion Seeds |
| Pufferfish | Ocean, Mistlands shores (very deep) | Misty | 40 | 14 | 1–2 Sap, 1–2 Ooze |
| Anglerfish | Mistlands shores | Misty | 38 | 14 | 1–2 Soft Tissue, 1–2 Blue Jute |
| Magmafish | Ashlands shores | Hot | 50 | 18 | 1–2 Flametal Ore, 1 Surtling Core, 1 Grausten |
| Northern Salmon | Deep North shores | Frosty | 60 | 20 | 1–2 Carrot Seeds, 1 Silver |
Source: Valheim Wiki, Fish, checked against patch 1.0.20. Bonus-loot odds vary by fish, from 3.33% to 16.67% per item.
That bonus-loot column is the most underrated part of fishing. Bonus items only drop when you fully reel the fish in, not when you grab it early. A Grouper can hand you Black Metal Scrap, and a Magmafish can drop Flametal Ore. Late-game fishing is a small but real side income of those metals.
How do you get every fishing bait?
Every special bait uses the same recipe at a Food Preparation Table: 20 Fishing Bait + 1 trophy = 20 special bait. One trophy is enough for twenty casts. All baits weigh 0.1 and stack to 100.
| Bait | Trophy needed | Trophy drop chance | Catches | Biome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Bait | — (Haldor, 10 coins per 20) | — | Perch, Pike | Meadows, Black Forest |
| Mossy | Troll | 50% | Trollfish | Black Forest |
| Sticky | Abomination | 50% | Giant Herring | Swamp |
| Cold | Fenring | 10% | Tetra (and Pike) | Frost Caves, Meadows, Black Forest |
| Frosty | Drake | 10% | Northern Salmon | Deep North |
| Stingy | Fuling | 10% | Grouper | Plains |
| Heavy | Serpent | 33% | Tuna, Coral Cod | Ocean |
| Misty | Lox | 10% | Pufferfish, Anglerfish | Mistlands |
| Hot | Charred Warrior | 5% | Magmafish | Ashlands |
Two traps in that table:
- Frosty Bait comes from a Drake Trophy, not a Deep North creature. Drakes are the Mountain's flying lizards, so stock up on Drake trophies before you sail north. One trophy covers twenty casts.
- Serpent trophies sink. The wiki notes that a Serpent killed at sea drops its trophy to the ocean floor. Kill it close to shore, or drag it in with an Abyssal Harpoon first.
The current patch makes all of this easier. Iron Gate's patch 1.0.20 notes changed trophy drops directly:
"Trophy drop chance is now increased by star level of monsters" — Iron Gate, Patch 1.0.20 notes (Steam, October 15, 2026)
The percentages above are the base rates. Creatures that spawn with stars now drop their trophy more often, so starred Fulings in the Plains are worth hunting when you need Stingy Bait. Not every creature spawns starred, though, so for most bait trophies the base rate is still what you get.
Where do you find each fish?
Meadows and Black Forest (Perch, Pike, Trollfish). Lakes, rivers and shallow coasts. Perch stay close to their spawn point. Pike roam a wider range in slightly deeper water. Trollfish only show up along Black Forest shores, and the Troll Trophy that unlocks them has a generous 50% drop rate.
Swamp (Giant Herring). Swamp shorelines, which are often half-flooded. Fish from a boat or a raised platform so Draugr and Leeches are not on top of you. See our Valheim Swamp guide for surviving the biome itself.
Mountain (Tetra). The hardest fish to find in the game. Tetra live only in lakes that generate in certain rooms inside Frost Caves, and those rooms are very rare. Once you find one, Tetra spawn there reliably, so mark it on your map. Our Valheim Mountain guide covers Frost Cave preparation.
Plains (Grouper). "Where is the Plains fish?" is a recurring r/valheim question, and it came up again in an October 19, 2026 thread. The community answer holds up: sail the Plains coastline instead of walking it. Many Grouper schools sit too far from shore to reach from the beach. Players also report good luck on the borders where the Plains meet the Swamp or the Mistlands.
Ocean (Tuna, Coral Cod, Pufferfish). Deep, open water, so fish from a boat. Tuna wander widely and reel in very quickly. Coral Cod drain much more stamina.
Mistlands (Anglerfish, Pufferfish). Mistlands shores. Anglerfish is also the fish used in Uncooked Fish 'n' Bread.
Ashlands (Magmafish). Ashlands shores, under constant pressure from Charred and Morgen. Fish with a shield-wall or a boat at your back. Our Valheim Ashlands guide covers the landing.
Deep North (Northern Salmon). The coldest coast in the game, and the most stamina-hungry catch: 60 stamina per second while struggling at quality 1. Bring your best stamina food and a stamina mead. The Valheim Deep North guide covers the cold, the new enemies and the route north.
How do fish quality and Raw Fish yields work?
Every fish spawns at quality 1 to 5. Higher quality means a bigger fish, a heavier item and more food. Most fish have a 20% chance to level up as they spawn. In the Ashlands and Deep North that chance drops to 15%.
| Quality | Normal biomes | Ashlands / Deep North | Raw Fish (Perch, Pike, Tetra, Trollfish) | Raw Fish (Northern Salmon, Magmafish, Anglerfish, Pufferfish) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80.00% | 85.00% | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 16.00% | 12.75% | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | 3.20% | 1.91% | 7 | 9 |
| 4 | 0.64% | 0.29% | 10 | 12 |
| 5 | 0.16% | 0.05% | 13 | 15 |
Tuna, Coral Cod, Giant Herring and Grouper sit in the middle and give one extra Raw Fish at every quality (2, 5, 8, 11, 14). You turn any fish into Raw Fish at the Food Preparation Table.
Raw Fish then feeds a whole food line: Cooked Fish (45 health, 15 stamina, 20 minutes, from a Cooking Station), Smoked Fish, Fish Soup, Fish Wraps and Sailor's Bounty. For where those fit in your three food slots, see our Valheim food tier list.
Three fish are also mead ingredients, so keep a few whole fish instead of chopping everything:
- Perch goes into Mead Base: Vananidir.
- Trollfish goes into Mead Base: Troll Endurance.
- Grouper goes into Mead Base: Anti-Sting.
How do you level the Fishing skill fast?
The Fishing skill does two things, per the wiki's skill page:
- Reeling speed +2% per level. You reel at 2 m/s at level 0 and 6 m/s at level 100.
- Stamina cost −0.8% per level, down to 20% of the base cost at level 100.
So a level-100 angler reels three times faster and pays a fifth of the stamina. That is what makes Northern Salmon and Magmafish comfortable.
The XP rules are unusual:
- You gain 0.25 XP per second while reeling an empty line with bait equipped.
- That doubles to 0.5 XP per second while reeling a hooked fish.
- Landing the fish gives no XP at all. Only time spent reeling counts, and the type of fish does not matter.
The practical takeaway: reel every fish all the way in instead of grabbing it from the water. You earn more skill, you qualify for the bonus loot drop, and the catch counts toward achievements. When nothing is biting, a cast-and-reel loop still trains the skill at half speed.
How do you craft the Fishing Hat?
The Fishing Hat is crafted at a Workbench and gives +20 Fishing and +20 Swim. It is the completionist reward for fishing, because the recipe needs one of every fish in the game: all 12, from Perch to Northern Salmon. Any quality counts.
| Hat quality | Workbench level | Fish needed (each species) | Armor | Durability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1,200 |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 1,400 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 1,600 |
A fully upgraded hat costs 8 of every fish, which is 96 fish in total. The hat can also be upgraded at the Forge of Potential with a Bronze Protection Idol. That saves a lot of fishing, but it risks destroying the hat.
Because the recipe needs a Northern Salmon and a Magmafish, the Fishing Hat is effectively an end-game item. You cannot finish it until you have reached the Deep North.
What are the fishing achievements in Valheim 1.0?
Valheim 1.0 added 53 achievements, and two of them are about fishing:
- A Catch Worthy of Njord — catch a four-star fish.
- The Fisherman — catch every kind of fish (all 12).
Both have the same trap. The fish must be fully reeled in with the Fishing Rod. Grabbing a fish off the hook early, or picking up one that washed ashore, does not count. If you already have a fish in your inventory, you can toss it back into the water (it comes back to life) and catch it again properly.
A four-star fish is the top quality roll (quality 5), at 0.16% in most biomes and 0.05% in the Ashlands and Deep North. Fish where schools are dense and recast often. For all 53 achievements, see our Valheim achievements guide.
How do you make fishing easier?
- Cast short. Stamina drain is the real enemy, and every metre between you and the bobber is a metre you have to reel. Land the bobber right next to a visible school.
- Eat stamina food before you fish. Yellow (stamina) food buys you seconds on the reel. A stamina mead refills the bar on a 2-minute cooldown.
- Walk backwards. With a fish hooked, the line length stays locked. Backing up toward the shore costs almost no stamina and can drag a fish onto land, where you pick it up.
- Let the sea do the work. Fish wash ashore in high waves and sometimes jump into boats. Some players build a small walled box in the shallows and stand in it, waiting for fish to jump in, no rod needed.
- Fish from a boat for ocean and Plains species. Many schools never come within casting range of the beach.
FAQ
Where do you get a fishing rod in Valheim? Buy it from Haldor, the trader in the Black Forest, for 350 coins. It cannot be crafted. A rare second source is the edge of a large frozen lake inside a Mountain Frost Cave, where a rod spawns with 2 to 4 Fishing Bait.
Why can't I catch any fish in Valheim? Usually it is the wrong bait for the biome. Basic Fishing Bait only attracts Perch and Pike. Every other fish needs its own special bait, and you have to fish in that fish's biome. Also check that you press block within half a second of the bite, and that you are not making noise near the water.
How do you make Frosty Fishing Bait for Northern Salmon? Combine 20 Fishing Bait with 1 Drake Trophy at a Food Preparation Table to get 20 Frosty Fishing Bait. Drakes live in the Mountains and drop their trophy 10% of the time, so plan on hunting several.
Does fishing give XP if I grab the fish early? You keep the XP you earned while reeling, but grabbing the fish gives no extra XP. Fishing XP only comes from time spent reeling: 0.25 XP per second on an empty line and 0.5 XP per second with a fish hooked. Grabbing early also skips the bonus loot roll and does not count toward achievements.
How many fish are in Valheim 1.0? Twelve: Perch, Pike, Trollfish, Giant Herring, Tetra, Grouper, Tuna, Coral Cod, Pufferfish, Anglerfish, Magmafish and Northern Salmon. The Fishing Hat and The Fisherman achievement both require all twelve.
Can you catch fish without a rod? Yes, occasionally. Fish wash up on shore during high waves and can land in boats. You cannot hit them with weapons, because fish are immune to damage. Caught this way, they do not count toward fishing achievements.
More Valheim guides
Keep going with our other Valheim guides:
