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Fishing is a completely new mechanic in Skyrim Anniversary Edition that adds a Fishing mini-game, dozens of new quests, and even places to display your prized catches in player homes. It's easy to start Fishing, and there's a surprisingly high number of new fish and unique items that can only be acquired through this new minigame.

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In addition to being included in Skyrim Anniversary Edition, the Fishing creation can be downloaded for free for Skyrim Special Edition players who haven't bought the upgrade. Whether you plan to become a master angler or not, one thing is for certain: it's a whole lot better than catching fish with one's bare hands. This Skyrim Fishing Guide will help get started with this fun new feature.

Updated April 28, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: It's been a while since Fishing was added to Skyrim, and as players have experienced more of the Creation as part of Anniversary Edition, more things are being discovered. When the Creation was originally released few realized that there are hidden bosses tied to quests in the addon, which makes progressing the Riften Fishery questline very rewarding. Fishing in Skyrim is a neat system that shines particularly in Survival Mode, but to make the most of the minigame it's good to keep a Skyrim fishing guide handy to locate quest objectives.

How To Fish in Skyrim

Skyrim Anniversary Edition How To Fish Fishing Guide

When it comes to how to fish in Skyrim there are a few things to keep an eye out for. At the very start of the game, after leaving Helgen Keep, players arrive in Riverwood to warn the village of the Dragon attack. The first Fishing Rod can be found here, just on the outskirts of town before crossing the bridge that leads to Bleak Falls Barrow and Whiterun. Pick up this Fishing Rod and look around for an interactable object called Fishing Supplies.

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Pressing the Action button (E on PC, A on Xbox, X on PlayStation) on Fishing Supplies begins the Fishing minigame after a short fade to black. Keep in mind, though, that players cannot cast their line out in any body of water – the Fishing minigame can only be started at designated Fishing Spots by interacting with nearby Fishing Supplies with a Rod equipped (not just in the inventory). In Riften, players can engage with the Riften Fishery and begin quests related to the new feature, like "Catch Of The Day" and "Juvenile Mudcrab".

Catchable Fish and Treasures

Skyrim Anniversary Edition Catchable Fish Unique Items Rings Fishing Guide

There are a huge number of new fish, aquatic creatures, and even treasures to dredge up from Skyrim's many lakes, rivers, and oceanic shorelines. Some fish are tied to specific Fishing locations, and some can only be caught during certain times of the day or during specific weather patterns.

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With enough luck (or gear that enhances Skyrim Fishing) players may fish up unique treasures, all completely new to Skyrim. Rings, Amulets, Weapons, and other items have been introduced to the game with the Fishing update, many of which grant completely unique abilities or even grant players new spells to cast without learning them from a book.

List of Catchable Fish

In addition to the fish present in the base game (aside from Slaughterfish, which must be slain), there are more than 20 new fish that were added to Skyrim with the inclusion of Fishing.

The following are all of the new fish that can be caught and cooked or used in Alchemy, some of which grant unique effects used in new Potions.

FISH NAME

LOCATION

SPECIAL METHOD?

Angelfish

Temperate Lakes, and Ancestor Glade

Alik'ri Fishing Rod

Angler Fish

Freezing water, and Pilgrim's Trench

Argonian Fishing Rod

Angler Fish Larvae

Any freezing water, like around College of Winterhold

Arctic Char

Freezing water Hela's Folly, Pilgrim's Trench

Arctic Grayling

Pilgrim's Trench

Brook Bass

Mixwater Mill

Carp

East Empire Company Warehouse, Dragonsreach

Catfish

Geirmund's Hall

Cod

Anga's Mill, Bronze Water Cave

Direfish

Broken Oar Grotto, Embershard Mine

Glass Catfish

Blackreach, Lost Knife Hideout, Reachwater Rock

Glassfish

Half-Moon Mill during Rain

Goldfish

Clearpine Pond, Clearspring Tarn, Mara's Eye Pond, Stony Creek Cave

Juvenile Mudcrab

Broken Fang Cave during "In A Punch" quest, Caught by fishing or picked up by hand near Mudcrab areas

Lyretail Anthias

Various streams around Skyrim

Alik'ri Fishing Rod

Pearlfish

Streams around Riverwood, and Orphan's Tear

Pogfish

Multiple locations, including Rivers, Lakes, and Ponds throughout Skyrim

Salmon

Multiple locations, including Rivers, Lakes, and Ponds. Also found in Riften Fishery.

Pygmy Sunfish

Ancestor Glade, Steamcrag Camp Lake

Scorpion Fish

Darkfall Cave

Argonian Fishing Rod

Spadefish

Most streams in Skyrim

Alik'ri Fishing Rod

Tripod Spiderfish

Blackreach, Broken Oar Grotto, Embershard Mine, Reachwater Rock

Vampire Fish

Castle Volkihar, Lost Knife Hideout, Reachwater Rock

List of Rare Treasures

In addition to the numerous new fish added to Skyrim, Fishing also adds a huge number of unique items that can be dredged up from lakebeds and riverbeds. These new items are mostly Rings and Amulets, items that unaware travelers might have dropped into the water long ago.

Some of these Fishing Treasures have a small chance to be found anywhere, made more likely with a Dwarven Fishing Rod, but others require players to use specific methods to find them. The following are all of these new unique items and what they do – some grant spells, some grant passive effects, and some alter the weather itself.

Treasure

Effect

Method

Lynea's Amulet of Dibella

+15 to Speech, +40 to Max Stamina

Dwarven Fishing Rod

Denstagmer's Ring

Fire, Frost, and Shock Resistance increased by 20%

Dwarven Fishing Rod

Fang of Haynekhtnamet

A Dagger with an enchantment to deal 25 Shock Damage

Reward for "Fishing Legend" Quest

Lucky Fishing Hat

Changes the weather to Rainy while fishing

Part of "Caught In The Rain" Quest

Mentor's Ring

All Spell costs reduced by 10%

Dwarven Fishing Rod

Ring of Khajiit

Increases movement speed by 10%, grants the Hide spell

Reward for "Spirits Away" Quest

Ring of Kynareth

Changes Sunny and Warm weather to Rainy while fishing

Dwarven Fishing Rod

Ring of Phynaster

Magic, Shock, and Poison Resistance increased by 20%

Dwarven Fishing Rod

Ring of Surroundings

Improves Sneak by 20%

Reward for "Clear-Headed" Quest

Ring of the Wind

Increases movement speed by 15%

Dwarven Fishing Rod

Vampiric Ring

Grant the Drain Life spell

Reward for "Tusked Terror" Quest

Viriya's Charm

Grants Water Breathing, +22 to Light and Heavy Armor

Dwarven Fishing Rod

Warlock's Ring

Blocking creates a weak Ward spell for 25 Magic damage. Increases Health regeneration by 30% and movement speed by 5%

Part of "No Contest" Quest

New Creatures In Skyrim Fishing

Skyrim Horker By The Water

There are three new creatures included in this addon, and though they aren't the main focus of the Fishing creation they are certainly fun to encounter. The mudcrab Snippy is a pet of Virya's, who is attempting to start a mudcrab farm. Snippy can be seen wandering around the Riften docks, usually following Viriya - it even gets older as the game goes on.

The horker Fangtusk is one of two new boss enemies tied to new questlines. As part of the quest "Tusked Terror" players are tasked with killing Fangtusk and receive the Vampiric Ring as a reward. The Emperor Crab Guardian Spirit is a monstrosity that is arguably harder to defeat than Alduin. It's nearly impossible to do damage to it normally, players instead have to resort to using special items spread around the environment.

Skyrim Fishing Tips

Skyrim Anniversary Edition How To Fish Fishing Guide Tips Advice

Skyrim Fishing is pretty simple, all things considered. It's unfortunate that players cannot cast out a Fishing line anywhere in the world, but the minigame itself is fun and useful, particularly when playing with Survival Mode enabled or for use in Alchemy. Having said that, though, there are a few things every aspiring Angler should keep in mind when casting out for the first time.

  • When first casting out, the intensity of ripples on the water's surface indicates about how many fish are available at this spot. If there are no ripples, wait one day for fish to respawn.
  • The Fishing line will tug gently a few times before it really starts tugging. Don't fall for the false start – be patient and only press the Action button when you're certain a fish has bitten.
  • Some items improve the ability of the player to catch fish and rare items, including improved Fishing Rods and the Lucky Fishing Hat
  • Some fish only appear at specific spots throughout Skyrim. Some fish only appear in Rainy weather, which can be triggered by wearing the Lucky Fishing Hat or the Ring of Kynareth

After successfully catching a fish for the first time, players are automatically given the quest Angler Acquaintances, which guides them to a fishery in Riften. As players continue through the many Fishing-centric questlines given by Swims-In-Deep-Water they gain new gear, improve their fishing skills, and are given everything they need to truly master the rivers and lakes of Skyrim.

Useful Skyrim Fishing Mods

Skyrim - The Dragonborn fishing in the river

The Fishing minigame in Skyrim Anniversary Edition is a bit barebones - you can't fish anywhere except Fishing Supplies locations, and the minigame itself can get a bit tedious. Luckily, the Skyrim modding community has come in to save the day with several useful Skyrim Fishing mods.

The Fish Anywhere mod in particular is nice because it only makes sense that the Dragonborn should be able to cast out their line into any body of water, not just places where another fisherman left their things. Skillful Fisherman is minor but handy for making the minigame feel more rewarding. Finally, the Fishing Map Markers mod adds markers for Fishing Spots upon discovering them, reducing one's reliance on Fishing Maps.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S

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