Fishing in Rust isn’t just “quiet time by the water.” It’s a full-fledged resource system — food, scrap, components, and even a shot at rare loot. Here’s your step-by-step guide to making the most of it.
What You Need
- Fishing Rod – Craftable with 200 wood and 2 rope, or purchasable from vendors at the Fishing Village.
- Bait – Anything from worms and grubs to raw fish and meat. The higher your bait level, the better your chances of hooking rare fish
Where to Fish
- Swamps and Rivers – Yellow perch, catfish.
- Ocean and Underwater Moon Pools – Small sharks, salmon, trout, orange roughy.
- Underwater Lab’s Moon Pool – Confined space makes it easier to land valuable catches.
🧠 Tip: Fish in waters at least 4.5 m deep — that’s where the big fish live.
How to Fish — Step by Step
- Attach bait to your rod.
- Aim your cast — hold right-click (long casts aren’t always best).
- Left-click to cast your line.
- Wait for a bite.
- Once the mini-game starts: use A/D to keep the fish centered, press S to reel in, pause reeling when tension gets too high.
- Switch rods after each catch to skip animation and save tim
What to Catch & Why
Not all fish in Rust are created equal. Here's what you should know before filling up your inventory:
- Small Sharks and Salmon – The real trophies. Highly valuable at the Fishing Village and can bring in a ton of scrap. Two sharks = up to 70 scrap, two salmon = about 40. Best to sell, not gut.
- Orange Roughy and Catfish – Also sellable, but less profitable. Good fallback options if you're not landing top-tier fish.
- Trout – Versatile. Works well as bait or a quick food source.
- Small Fish – Like perch and flounder — not valuable for trade but great as food or for breaking down into components. If you’re fishing just for bait, gut them on the spot.
💡General Strategy: sell the big fish, gut the small ones, and keep trout for bait. That way, you're optimizing every catch for the next one.
Advanced Tricks
- Double up on rods — swap between them to avoid animation downtime.
- Use fish traps — place bait in water to boost chances by up to 50%, but success is never guaranteed.
- Process your catch wisely — gut small fish for bait, sell large ones for max scrap.
- Combine with hunting — bear or wolf meat is great for bait and worth the prep.
Real Example: Efficient Fishing
- Gather 60+ meat (bear/wolf works best).
- Head to a deep Moon Pool with 2 rods = up to 35 big fish per session, totaling around 1,000 scrap/hour.
- Gut salted fish = bait for your next session — full cycle.
💡 Want to add a little thrill to your fishing trip?
Before casting your line, visit Cobalt Lab. You can open cases, land a rare skin, and set the perfect tone for a productive fishing session. It’s a great way to warm up before you start reeling in.
Fishing in Rust isn’t just relaxing — it’s a logical, efficient system for gathering food, scrap, and loot. With the right rod, bait, and fishing spot, it can be both rewarding and profitable.
🎯 Now you know the Where, How, What, and Why of Rust fishing. All that’s left is to grab your rod — and go reel in some scrap!
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