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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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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 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
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.
- L.V.X Magick's Fish Anywhere: Allows players to fish wherever they want, not just Fishing Spots, by using a Lesser Power
- The Skillful Fisherman: Adds Alchemy and One Handed XP while fishing
- Fishing Map Markers: Adds map markers for all Fishing Supplies locations in Skyrim
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