Red Dead Redemption 2: How to Unlock Fishing Gameplay

Game Rant

By Jasmine Henry

Published Oct 31, 2018

In this Red Dead Redemption 2 guide, players can find out how to unlock the fishing rod and fishing gameplay, letting them fish for supplies for camp and crafting.

In addition to hunting animals in the wild using a bow and arrow, Red Dead Redemption 2 will also allow players to go fishing. This provides players with another way to provide food for the camp, and Arthur Morgan can cook, season, and consume fish in order to restore his core stats.

However, Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn't make fishing gameplay available by default. In order to taste what the game's rivers have to offer, players will have to unlock it by completing a specific story mission.

In Chapter 2 of the game's story, after the mission Pouring Fourth Oil - III, players will be able to take on a main mission from Abigail. Abigail asks you to take her son, Jack Marston, fishing and this kicks off the A Fisher of Men quest. During this quest, Arthur teaches Jack how to fish but it also serves as the tutorial for fishing gameplay.

Equip the fishing rod from the inventory (accessible by pressing L1/LB), cycle to the items tab, look at the hunting section and cycle until seeing the fishing rod. With the rod equipped, players can then go back into their inventory where they will have the option of selecting different types of bait and bobbers.

Red Dead Redemption 2 fishing gameplay screenshot

As explained in the mission, different types of bait will catch different types of fish. Pieces of cheese, which can be looted from enemies or burgled from houses serve as bait for small fish, but bigger catches will require better or even specific bait. With bait selected, players must draw the fishing rod back (using a combination of the left and right trigger buttons), cast it into the water, and wait until they a fish begins nibbling.

When the fish has gone in for a full bite it's time to catch, moving the rod as the fish thrashes about and reeling it in by rotating the right thumbstick when the fish is tired as has stopped moving. Trying to reel it in when it is still moving will break the line. The process is a little more complicated than just hunting with a bow and arrow, but players will quickly get the hang of it.

With the mission successfully completed, players will be able to go fishing in any body of water that they find in the game. The Red Dead Redemption 2 map is pretty large, so players are rarely more than a stone's throw away from a river.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PS4 and Xbox One.