How to Fish in Don’t Starve

Last Updated: September 30, 2015

Sometimes, when wandering in the harsh world of Don’t Starve, you’ll come across a small pond. And what do you do when you find ponds? You fish, of course! Fishing is excellent if you need an instant source of meat to dry or consume without waiting for trapped rabbits. It’s also a good, reliable way to stock food until winter. If you want to try fishing out, just create a fishing rod and have fun fishing! Action buttons provided are for Don’t Starve PC (Windows, OSX, Linux) and console (PS4/Vita).

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Fishing Rod

1
Make a science machine. You will need this to make the fishing rod itself, so if you don’t have one yet, make one. It requires a Gold Nugget, 4 Logs, and 4 Stones, and it’s made in the Science tab (atom icon), which is located in your crafting hotbar (right-hand section of your screen on PC and L2 on the PS4).
- You can gather Gold Nuggets by trading meats with the Pig King (if he’s available in the current world); mining yellow-streaked boulders, which are dominantly available in Rockylands; or finding them scattered around Graveyards.
- Once you make your science machine, it will immediately prompt you to place it down (press X or left-click). Choose the area to place the machine wisely since, after placing it, you won’t be able to pick it up again.
2
Gather Twigs and Flint. You’ll need these two items to create a pickaxe and axe (if you don’t have it yet) and for the fishing rod. Twigs can be gathered from dried-out bushes scattered in the world, and Flint (sharp-looking rock) are scattered everywhere in the game, so you can readily pick it up.

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3
Have a pickaxe and an axe. You’ll be needing at least a pickaxe and an axe to gather some of the required materials. They’re both available through the Tool tab, represented by a crossed axe and pickaxe icon. Axes cost 1 each of Twig and Flint. It is used to chop down trees. Pickaxes cost 2 each of the same materials as axes and are used to mine down large boulders.
- To use these tools, select them by right-clicking on the tool (PC) or scrolling to it with the right analog stick and pressing the right button of the D-pad (PS4). Go up to the tree (axe) or boulder (pickaxe) and hold down the left mouse button (PC) or X button (PS4) to wear them down to states you can gather with.
4
Gather the Silk. You can now gather Silk by killing spiders. Spider dens, which resemble cobweb-covered mounds, can be found almost everywhere in the world, and you can attract a spider by walking close to it. If you hit it while near the den, a few spiders also pop up to defend their friend, so be careful when killing spiders, since you might just attract more if you don’t lead it away from the den!
5
Make the fishing rod. To make your rod, you’ll be needing 2 Twigs, and 2 Silk. Once you have all the items necessary for the fishing rod, go near your science machine, then pull up the Tools tab in the crafting hotbar. Scroll down near the bottom, and you’ll see your fishing rod highlighted and ready to be created. Just click or press X to get it!

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Fishing

1
Find a pond. Ponds are fairly uncommon in Don’t Starve, but they’re usually found in Grasslands, Forests, and Swamps. In Grasslands, they’re even found near roads, clustered together. Swamp ponds are found scattered everywhere there, though be careful not to agitate the many enemies that spawn in the place.
2
Wait for the best time to fish. For Grassland and Forest ponds, the best time to fish is dusk and night, since frogs spawn in the daytime. Just remember to make a campfire before settling in to fish!
- For Swamp ponds, the best time to fish is at day, since only Tentacles spawn in the daytime, and at dusk, the ponds spawn mosquitos. Just make sure you can get away from the swamp quickly enough when it starts getting darker, since it’s a very hazardous place to be in!
3
Equip your rod. You do this the same way you did to equip your other tools (pickaxe and axe).
4
Start fishing! Move to your chosen pond, then use the fishing rod by pressing X or clicking. It takes a few seconds for fish to bite.
5
Reel the fish in. Once the command “Hook” appears, click or press X, then do it again as quickly as you can when the command changes to “Reel In!” Your character will then pull up a nice fresh fish!