What makes Sea of Thieves so great is that it truly is a good mix of players all surviving the seas together. When you pass another ship, there is hardly any way to decipher what their intentions are, usually until it is too late. But with all the different activities, objectives, world events and ways to make money/reputation in game, there is quite a plethora of missions any pirate could undertake. Fishing and the Hunter’s Call Trading Company have recently been given a boost, with the added commendations and challenges for Season 2’s Festival of Fishing, giving players more incentive to stop off at sea posts to unload their catches!
Now before you rush off and throw your line in the nearest part of the sea you can find, be sure to know what fish you’re looking for! Pirates who dig and collect the correct bait can find themselves more than prepared for the RNG-fueled trials and tribulations that are in game fishing. It takes a little more than luck to catch the rarer fish, you also have to have a sense of bait, location and timing!
Players who are experienced enough to the game should know the three types of bait (Grubs, Leeches, Earthworms) and what fish each one attracts. If that isn’t you, it might be beneficial to start familiarizing yourself with them! There is nothing worse than wasting a bunch of hard-to-find leeches only to realize you are in the wrong part of the map for the fish they catch, luckily one online pirate named Abbie took to Twitter to help us out:
10. Mermaid’s Hideaway
If you sail to Mermaid’s Hideaway, right away you may not see what makes this particular island a great spot. But what is so special about this place is simply the safety it affords you to catch fish. The Pondie pond on the island is protected by a large rock formation in the middle, making it impossible for enemies to spawn on top of you and ruin your relaxing fishing time. Plus, with Islehoppers spawning off-shore, a pond and being located in the Shores of Plenty, this island actually has 4 different fish for you to catch! (5 if there’s a storm!) With Plentifins, Splashtails, Pondies and Islehoppers all being native to the spot, you’ll never know what you’re gonna hook!
A great place to catch multitudes of different fish, plenty of room to dig for bait and if you’re pond-fishing it’s got decent protection against the PVE enemies that Rare loves to spawn in, Mermaid’s Hideaway is a perfect spot to start leveling up your Hunter’s Call!
9. Rowboat
A trusty addition to your ship, you should never leave home without one!
Found washed ashore on many different islands, the rowboat can be used for a variety of purposes from bringing loads of treasure to and fro, sneaky combat maneuvers and also fishing! One thing about fishing is that it does take a lot of time, so should any enemies spawn on the beach you may be at, you might have a tough decision to make. But, take a rowboat out to sea right outside their range yet close enough to the island to catch fish safely!
While it’s no different than standing anywhere else, what also adds the rowboat into this list other than safety is it’s storage chest found right at the back. Players can only hold 5 food items at once, fishing gives them the chance to add one by keeping a caught fish on their line, but at an absolute max you can only carry 6 fish at once. This may be ok for the casual fishers, but for the true blue Festival of Fishing die-hards, you may want something with some storage space. Plus, the added room gives you more room for bait and food (should you need it if you decide to go shark fishing at least!)
Now you can catch and store fish in any location, and simply store, then row the haul back onto your ship or back to the sea post for an easy sea-to-merchant path that gets you your rep and rewards in no time!
8. Outposts
One thing that’s always the same, after you load the game you spawn in an outpost tavern with nothing but a basic ship. It’s then you and your crew’s duty to set up and load out, as pirates who venture the seas unprepared can often find themselves soon in a losing fight. What’s great about outposts is in addition to food, wood and cannonballs there are plenty of spots to dig for all kinds of bait! Meaning that in whatever region you spawn in, you will have the chance to dig for bait in the outpost you spawn in at. Beaches, grass and dirt will give you the bait you need for any species you want to hunt, meaning you can just spawn in, dig and cast right off for your prey! Plus, the game is pretty good about spawning you far from the action, meaning even on the busiest of servers, you should have ample time to reel in a few catches before thinking about moving on.
7. Sea Posts
One strategy which certainly emphasizes convenience, the sea posts are a great place to fish from. Gather enough of the right bait and cut your journey down significantly by catching fish right at the sea post, jumping real quick on your ship to cook, and then sell it right back at the sea post! Pull up a chair, take a seat right next to the other fisherman and cast right off the dock with ease. A few benefits are not only are sea posts found in every region, but will also be affected by storms and nightfall in order to spawn in rarer fish. Plus, no PVE enemies will spawn on the island and sea posts are usually not a hotspot for PVP, making the risk for combat almost 0. But be sure to take a look every now and again! Just like anywhere else, some stealthy pirates could be lurking for an easy score while you have your back turned casting off.
6. The Crow’s Nest Fortress Pond
Forts are usually reserved for stocking up on supplies and gunpowder, or for fighting waves of skeletons while another ship approaches the chaos to take you out. However, there are some fishing advantages to many of the forts around the map. Find yourself at an active fort with some time on your hands? Cast your line baited with grubs into the water and you’ll have a chance to catch a Battlegill! (which only spawn on active forts or skeleton ships/fleets) Make it to the Crow’s Nest Fortress and not only will you be able to fish for Battlegills when active, but the pond in the center of the island is a perfect spot for spawning Bright Pondies, the rarest form of a Pondie.
With a short distance to reel in and a high spawn rate, have your crew deal with the skeletons while you relax, cast off into the water and add some rare fish to your collection! Remember you always have a chance of catching some Treacherous Plunder while fishing without bait, so if you pull some old boots or some fishbones out of the water be sure to hang on to them and sell them for rep and doubloons!
5. Crook’s Hollow
While you won’t be in need of any kind of bait, Islehoppers are still not an easy catch! Spawning in the waters around islands, what makes these hard to find and track down is the fact that different variants of them spawn in different places. This is except for the rarest variant, the Raven Islehopper, which has a small chance to spawn around any of the large islands you visit, making it very hard to catch by mistake. However, should you know your spawns, you can sail to Crook’s Hollow (where only the raven and the nighttime variant of the Islehopper spawns) and simply fish during the day. Now, this will not guarantee you a Raven off the first cast as Splashtails are alway ready to jump on your line, but what this spot will do is guarantee that every Islehopper that spawns will be a Raven variant (so long as it’s still daytime). With so much of the in-game fishing depending on spawns and RNG, Crook’s Hollow can be used to cheat the system a bit and load your barrells with Ravens!
4. East Cursewater Shores
Any true hunter of Devilfish will know two things: That they are only found in the Devil’s Roar, and that when the volcanoes start to erupt it’s best time to let that catch on the line go rather than take a flaming rock to the ship and watch your newly acquired fish sink down to the bottom of the ocean. Luckily, if you’re looking for Devilfish without the hassle of massive volcanic rocks being hurled at your general direction, head all the way East to Cursewater Shores and then head a tad more East!
The island spawns Devilfish right off the coast and is also tucked away enough that you and your ship will be safe when the rumbling starts. This makes it by far the safest spot to go Devilfishing, at least where active volcanoes are concerned. Also, it is a big enough island where you can always hop ashore and dig for more grubs should you run out of bait, making it a safe and reliable one stop shop for Devilfish a plenty! Fish with ease as rocks fly all around the region, luckily not at you!
3. Shores of Gold
Did you know the best spot for Treacherous Plunder is actually not found on the regular map? If you have a need for old boots and old skulls, or you’re chasing down a particular commendation, then head on out into the red sea! Start the quest for the Shores of Gold, reach the island and then look for the pond! While fish will spawn in, they will quickly spawn out and the in-game RNG will re-roll the options for you to catch. Meaning, while spawns are constantly happening and stopping, the only available catch for you to make will be the rare plunder, or an Ashen Key, which does not count as Treacherous Plunder, but still can be sold or used to open Ashen Chests. Not the easiest spot to get to, as players will have to have the other Tall Tales completed in order to unlock the Shores of Gold quest, it is still a great spot to use as it is so rare to catchTreacherous Plunder without a Splashtail, Pondie or Islehopper jumping on your bait-less hook.
2. Sea Dog’s Arena
Tired of fighting through hard rain, crashing waves, lightning and no sense of direction for little profit? This can happen when you go Stormfishing! While not only dangerous due to having your ship in a storm, but if you don’t catch a rare one then it might have not even been worth the trip. However, if you see a storm brewing around the Sea Dog’s Tavern in the middle of the map, then lower the sails and head there steadfast!
In this area, you are almost guaranteed that any Stormfish you catch will be the rarest kind, a Shadow Stormfish! This is huge not only for RNG sakes as normally it takes a ton of spawns to get to a Shadow variant, but also for safety’s sake as the island provides (at least some) cover from the storms. While you’ll still have to watch your ship, you can hop on to the dock of the island or stay right where you’re comfortable in order to rack up plenty of Shadows, just don’t forget the leeches!
1. Your Ship!
One bad thing about islands, they don’t move around so well!
Catching rare fish relies heavily on game luck and timing (RNG), with active forts, skeleton ships, nightfall and storms bringing out the rarer catches . In order to keep up with the changing elements, you should raise anchor and bring the boat on the waters in order to chase down the rarer prey! Bring your ship right next to a shipwreck and cast off for Wreckers, follow the storm and hunt for Stormfish or chase down a skeleton ship in order to snag a Battlegill. While there are areas and spots that are more beneficial for certain kinds of fish, your ship is an all important fishing dock that is good for anything.
Also, for the more adventurous sailors, since you won’t be on land, you may just have a Megalodon or a Kraken spawn on top of you, giving you a chance of taking down a monster and selling it’s rare meat for rep and gold to the same sea posts! With all the different species of fish out there, your boat is the best option as you can keep on the move and on the hunt!
