Fishing is one of Genshin's most underrated free-resource systems — it hands you The Catch, still a top 4-star polearm for Xiangling and Raiden Shogun, in exchange for a few casual fishing rounds. This guide covers the unlock chain, bait-to-fish matching, the 72-hour respawn rule, and an efficient route to R5.
Fishing arrived in update 2.1. The unlock chain: reach the Adventure Rank requirement, finish Archon Quest Chapter I Act III "A New Star Approaches", complete the world quest "A Teapot to Call Home" for the Serenitea Pot, then the fishing world quest "Catch and Cook" triggers automatically. Follow Katherine and Nantuck's guidance and complete your first catch at Cider Lake in Mondstadt — fishing is now open.
Your first rod, the Wilderness Rod, comes from that very quest, along with the Fruit Paste bait recipe. Bait recipes for Fake Fly Bait, False Worm Bait and Redrot Bait can be bought from the Mondstadt Fishing Association for 3 Medaka each.
Pro tip: bring Thoma to your party — fishing in Inazuma has a 20% chance of double yield. You cannot switch bait mid-cast; reel in first.
| Bait | Target fish | Crafting (10) | Recipe source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit Paste | Medaka family | Sunsettia×1, Wheat×1 | Unlock quest reward |
| Redrot Bait | Stickleback family | Redcrest×1, Fowl×1 | Mondstadt Assoc. (3 Medaka) |
| False Worm Bait | Butterflyfish family (Raimei...) | Slime Condensate×1, Berry×1 | Mondstadt Assoc. (3 Medaka) |
| Fake Fly Bait | Pufferfish, Koi, Ray families | Dendrobium×1, Horsetail×1 | Mondstadt Assoc. (3 Medaka) |
| Sugardew Bait | Angelfish, Axe Marlin families | Harra Fruit×1, Sumeru Rose×1 | Sumeru Assoc. |
Matching matters: Raimei Angelfish only takes False Worm Bait; koi and pufferfish only take Fake Fly Bait. Wrong bait, no bites. Before grinding The Catch, craft roughly 20 False Worm and 130 Fake Fly bait to avoid repeated crafting trips.
The Catch is the star reward of fishing — a free 4-star polearm with ER substat plus burst DMG and CRIT Rate bonuses, a top F2P pick for Xiangling and Raiden Shogun. Trade with Kujirai Momiji at the Inazuma Fishing Association.
| Item | Fish needed | Total for R5 |
|---|---|---|
| The Catch | Raimei×6, Golden Koi×20, Rusty Koi×20 | Raimei×18, Golden Koi×20, Rusty Koi×20, Pufferfish×40, Bitter Pufferfish×40 |
| Refinement "Ako's Sake Vessel" ×4 | each: Raimei×3, Pufferfish×10, Bitter Pufferfish×10 |
Route: hit Raimei first each reset (night-only, few spots), then rotate koi and pufferfish Liyue → Mondstadt → Inazuma. Want R5 faster? Chain friends' worlds.
Regional rods only work in their region but boost tension gain to roughly 200% inside the optimal zone. Associations also sell the Line Stabilizer (3 Medaka; one per account) to reduce line-breaking losses.
| Rod | Region | How to get |
|---|---|---|
| Wilderness Rod | Universal (basic) | Unlock world quest |
| Windtangler | Mondstadt | Mondstadt Assoc. |
| Wishmaker | Liyue | Liyue Assoc. |
| Narukawa Ukai | Inazuma | Inazuma Assoc. |
| Moonstringer (regional) | Sumeru: "Pancake" rod | Sumeru Assoc. |
| Wavepiercer | Fontaine | Fontaine Assoc. |
Bonus: Fontaine's "Maintenance Mek" fish convert into gear upgrade materials at the crafting bench, and the Sumeru association trades the free 4-star bow "End of the Line".
Fishing is a hidden free-weapon goldmine. Fish a quick loop every few days, hit Raimei at night and rotate koi/pufferfish spots across the 3-day reset, and R5 The Catch in two or three cycles for free. Bring Thoma, use the right bait, and raid friends' worlds.
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