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Sea of Thieves fishing guide: How to catch fish, sell fish and find trophy and rare fish locations explained

Everything you need to know about reeling 'em in.

Fishing in Sea of Thieves was a feature introduced as part of April 2019's Anniversary Update.

The ability to fish lets pirates take a serene break from plunder and booty to enjoy catching, cooking, and selling fish.

This guide explains everything you need to know about fishing, from where to find different fish types and trophy fish, to where to find fish locations and where to sell fish and their prices.

On this page:

If you're looking to learn the essentials of Sea of Thieves, first take part in the Maiden Voyage, and read more about ship battles, and how to survive fights with skeletons and the kraken.

Fishing in Sea of Thieves explained

Fishing in Sea of Thieves is the primary way to boost your reputation with the Hunter's Call, a faction of fisherman found across the island.

Although they also buy chicken, pork, shark, and even Kraken, fishing is normally the safest way and fastest way of boosting your reputation.

Although fishing itself is simple enough, there are lot of types of fish varieties and rarities to consider before you head up to find some bait and fish.

Before you launch your first fishing expedition its worth noting that fishing in Sea of Thieves makes you and your ship extremely vulnerable when fishing alone. Catching and cooking fish take a few minutes each, and during this time you won't be able to steer, repair and fight if the need arises.

The threat of other players, Megaldons and even the Kraken is constant, but some of the rarer fish require you to go into dangerous areas to catch them. It is highly recommended that you try and fish with a friend or two.

How to fish in Sea of Thieves

To fish in Sea of Thieves you'll need your fishing rod and some open water. You don't always need bait, but it necessary to catch certain fish.

You can find and equip your fishing pole in at 6 o'clock in second inventory wheel. Simply open the inventory wheel by holding Q (or left bumper on controller), then pressing F (X on controller) to swap to the second wheel.

And don't worry, you don't have to buy the fishing rod, it'll be in your inventory. You can buy different rods at any outpost, but they are purely cosmetic and won't affect the fish you catch.

Once you've got your rod, you'll probably want some bait for your hook. There are three types of bait in Sea of Thieves, earthworms, grubs, and leeches, and each one can attract a different type of fish.

Bait can be found in barrels across the Sea of Thieves, and can also be dug up with a shovel as well. Earthworms can be found from digging up dirt (or earth), grubs are found underneath sand, and leeches can be under shallow water, like the coast.

To equip the bait, open the inventory wheel and you should see a new prompt to hold R (or B on controller) to attach bait, then simply select the bait you'd like to use. Be careful not to eat the bait, it doesn't taste very nice, and is much more suited to the fish than the pirates.

Once your line is ready, its time to get into position. You can cast out into any body of water, and it doesn't matter if you're on solid ground, or a moving ship (although your crew might not be pleased if you're fishing in the middle of battle).

Your line will break if it touches any solid object though, so make sure no rocks or rigging are nearby before casting off. Once you're happy, cast the line out with the left click, or right trigger on controller. After that all you have to do is wait for a fish to bite.

A good trick when waiting for a bite is to look away from the line. As soon as a fish takes interest the game will snap the camera back to the rod so you know to start paying attention.

How to catch fish in Sea of Thieves

Once the fish has taken the bait (or the empty hook), you need to tire it out. Do this by pulling in the line in the opposite direction to the way the fish is moving with WASD or the left thumbstick.

Thankfully the fish will only ever pull left, right or straight away, but in large waves it can sometimes be tricky to tell which way the fish is pulling.

If you're using a controller it will vibrate if the line is about to snap, giving you a chance to correct your mistake. If you're on keyboard and mouse, look out for the tell-tale shaky screen to see if you're pulling the line the wrong way.

Once the fish has stopped pulling, you're free to reel in as quickly as possible. Most fish won't go without a fight so you'll have to repeat this process a few times before you land your catch. Be sure to stop reeling in once the fish starts thrashing again or the line could break.

After you've caught your fish you're free to admire it dangling from the end of your line. Make sure you're not carrying around five other food stuffs or you won't be able to add it to your inventory. And be careful not to cast your line before you take the fish off, or you'll lose it entirely.

Cover image for YouTube videoLet's Play Sea of Thieves - LOAD THE CANNONS WE'RE GOING FISHING

Where to sell fish and fish prices in Sea of Thieves

Unlike most of the other factions in Sea of Thieves, cooked fish cannot be turned in at any of the outposts. Instead you have to turn in the fish at the seaposts, tiny piers on rocks, that are dotted around the map.

There are eight seaposts in total:

At each of these seaposts you can find a representative of the Hunter's Call, the faction that you can sell your fish to. They're normally standing near the end of the pier, not in the shop.

The price of each fish is dependant one their rarity and the state of the fish when you sell it. Half eaten fish cannot be sold so be careful if your inventory is full of fish.

Cooked fish is the most valuable, so its a good idea to cook all your fish in the pan onboard your ship before selling them to the Hunter's Call. But be careful though, burnt fish is the least valuable kind of fish, even less valuable then selling the fish raw.

While cooking the fish, keep an eye on its eyes. As soon as they go white, the fish is fully cooked and should be removed from the pan. Any longer and the fish will burn, any sooner, and the fish will be undercooked.

Sea of Thieves fish types, fish chart and where to find rare fish in Sea of Thieves

There are ten types of fish in Sea of Thieves, and each type has five varieties. Here are all of them at a glance:

One variety can only be caught at night, while others are sometimes based on chance, or need specific conditions to catch.

Below we have listed the different types of fish, where to find them, their selling prices, and if you need to do anything special to catch the rarer varieties:

Ancientscale locations and Ancientscale fish prices

Ancientscales are a common, regional type of fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Almond, Starshine (Night), Sapphire, Smoke, and Bone varieties.

  • Requires leeches as bait to catch
  • Can be found in the open waters (away from the islands) of The Ancient Isles
  • Nothing special is needed to catch the rarer varieties of Anicentscales
Ancientscale pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Almond50225305340
Starshine70300405450
Sapphire70300405450
Smoke85375505565
Bone675300040504500

Battlegill locations and Battlegill fish prices

Battlegills are uncommon fish in Sea of Thieves, and come in Jade, Bittersweet (Night), Sky, Rum, Sand, varieties.

  • Requires Grubs to catch
  • Can only be found in around active skeleton forts or skeleton ships
  • Cannot be found around the waters of the Fort of the Damned
  • Nothing special is needed to catch the rarer varieties of Battlegills
Battlegill pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Jade85375505565
Bittersweet100450610675
Sky100450610675
Rum120525710790
Sand845375050655625

Devilfish locations and Devilfish fish prices

Devilfish are a common, regional type of fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Ashen, Firelight (Night), Seashell, Lava, and Forsaken varieties.

  • Requires grubs as bait to catch
  • Can be found in the open waters (away from the islands) of The Devil's Roar
  • Nothing special is needed to catch the rarer varieties of Devilfish
Devilfish pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Ashen50225305340
Firelight70300405450
Seashell70300405450
Lava85375505565
Forsaken675300040504500

Islehopper locations and Islehopper fish prices

Islehoppers can only be found around specific islands in Sea of Thieves, and come in Stone, Moss, Honey, Raven, and Amethyst (Night) varieties.

  • Stone Islehoppers can be found around the shores of Cannon Cove, Crook's Hollow, Fetcher's Rest, Sailors Bounty, Sharkbait Cove, and Shipwreck Bay
  • Moss Islehoppers can be found around the shores of Ashen Reaches, Thieves' Haven, Lone Cove, Marauder's Arch, Ruby's Fall, and Wanderer's Refuge
  • Honey Islehoppers can be found around the shores of Crescent Isle, Discovery Ridge, Kraken's Fall, Plunder Valley, and Sunken Grove
  • Raven Islehoppers can be found in the day around the shores of Crooked Masts, Devil's Ridge, Flintlock Peninsula, Mermaid's Hideaway, Old Faithful Isle, Smuggler's Bay, and Snake Island
  • Amethyst Islehoppers can be found at night around the sames the shores as the Raven Islehopper
Islehopper pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Stone25105140160
Moss25105140160
Honey25105140160
Amethyst25105140160
Raven235105014201575

Plentifin locations and Plentifin fish prices

Plentifins are a common, regional type of fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Olive, Watery (Night), Amber, Cloudy, and Bonedust varieties.

  • Requires earthworms as bait to catch
  • Can be found in the open waters (away from the islands) of The Shores of Plenty
  • Nothing special is needed to catch the rarer varieties of Plentifins
Plentifin pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Olive50225305340
Watery70300405450
Amber70300405450
Cloudy85375505565
Bonedust67530040504500

Pondie locations and Pondie fish prices

Pondies are a common fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Charcoal, Moonsky (Night), Orchid, Bronze, and Bright varieties.

  • Does not require any specific bait to catch
  • Can be found in any pond
  • Cannot be found anywhere at sea
  • Nothing special is needed to catch the rarer varieties of Pondie
Pondie pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Charcoal1575100115
Moonsky35150205225
Orchid35150205225
Bronze50255305340
Bright85375505565

Splashtail locations and Splashtail fish prices

Splashtails are the most common type of fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Ruby, Seafoam (Night), Sunny, Indigo, and Umber varieties.

  • Does not require any specific bait to catch
  • Can be found in anywhere at sea
  • Cannot be found in ponds
  • Nothing special is needed to catch the rarer varieties of Splashtails, its pure chance
Splashtail pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Ruby1575100115
Seaform35150205225
Sunny35150205225
Indigo50255305340
Umber85375505565

Stormfish locations and Stormfish fish prices

Stormfish are a rare type of fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Ancient, Shores, Wild, Twilight (Night), and Shadow varieties.

  • Requires Leeches to catch
  • Can only be found in the storm
  • The Ancient Stormfish can only be found in a storm in the Ancient Isles region
  • The Shores Stormfish can only be found in a storm in The Shores of Plenty region
  • The Wild Stormfish can only be found in a storm in The Wilds Region
Stormfish pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Anicent100450610675
Shores100450610675
Wild100450610675
Twilight100450610675
Shadow1015450060756750

Wildsplash locations and Wildsplash fish prices

Wildsplashes are a common, regional type of fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Russet, Coral (Night), Sandy, Ocean, and Muddy varieties.

  • Requires earthworms as bait to catch
  • Can be found in the open waters (away from the islands) of The Wilds
  • Nothing special is needed to catch the rarer varieties of Wildsplashes
Wildsplash pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Russet50225305340
Coral70300405450
Sandy70300405450
Ocean85375505565
Muddy675300040504500

Wrecker locations and Wrecker fish prices

Wreckers are an uncommon fish in Sea of Thieves and come in Rose, Moon (Night), Sun, Blackcloud, and Snow varieties.

  • Requires earthworms as bait to catch
  • Can only be found around shipwrecks
  • The Blackcloud Wrecker variant can only be found near shipwrecks during a storm
Wrecker pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Rose85375505565
Moon100450610675
Sun100450610675
Blackcloud120525710790
Snow845375050655625

The first season has arrived! Learn about all Season 1 Battle Pass rewards and everything else added in the Sea of Thieves patch notes. New to the game? Learn what to do in Sea of Thieves and take take part in the Maiden Voyage tutorial, which teaches you the essentials of sailing and ship battles. It's also useful for beginners to know how to survive fights with skeletons and the kraken. Elsewhere we have advice on how to get easy gold and doubloons, complete skeleton forts and The Shroudbreaker, take part in fishing in Sea of Thieves and Sea of Thieves island maps.


How to get large trophy fish in Sea of Thieves

On top of all the different types and variety of fish, they also come in different sizes.

Regular fish are the most common, but occasionally you might spot a larger fish nibbling at your bait. Reel in one of these beasts and you can expect an even bigger pay out from the Hunter's Call when you turn them in.

Unfortunately there isn't a secret trick to attract more trophy fish then usual. But once you've become familiar with the size and shape of the fish you're chasing, you can normally tell a regular fish from a trophy fish before they take the bait.

If you're holding out for one of the big fish, you can retract your hook and save your bait by right clicking (or B on controller). This will cause the interest fish to swim away embarrassed and rejected, but gives you another chance to source that trophy fish you're after.

Ancientscale Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Almond130565765850
Starshine17075010151125
Sapphire17075010151125
Smoke21094012701410
Bone16907500101251125
Battlegill Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Jade21094012701410
Bittersweet225112515201690
Sky225112515201690
Rum295131517751975
Sand211093751265514065
Devilfish Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Ashen130565765850
Firelight17075010151125
Seashell17075010151125
Lava21094012701410
Forsaken169075001012511250
Islehopper Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Stone60265360400
Moss60265360400
Honey60265360400
Amethyst60265360400
Raven590262535453940
Plentifin Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Olive130465765850
Watery17075010151125
Amber17075010151125
Cloudy21094012701410
Bonedust16907500101251125
Pondie Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Charcoal45190255285
Moonsky85375505565
Orchid85375505565
Bronze130565765850
Bright21094012701410
Splashtail Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Ruby45190255285
Seaform85375505565
Sunny85375505565
Indigo130565765850
Umber21094012701410
Stormfish Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Anicent225112515201690
Shores225112515201690
Wild225112515201690
Twilight225112515201690
Shadow140011251519016875
Wildsplash Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Russet130565765850
Coral17075010151125
Sandy17075010151125
Ocean21094012701410
Muddy16907500101251125
Wrecker Trophy pricesBurntRawUndercookedCooked
Rose21094012701410
Moon225112515201690
Sun225112515201690
Blackcloud295131517751975
Snow211093751265514065