Valheim fishing guide: Use the fishing pole to catch bass, tuna, and more

You've played Valheim. You've seen those fish taunting you from the shoreline, in the rivers, and throughout the ocean. You're sick of eating Neck tails and you've grown plenty of veggies, so now it's time to turn to the waters. There's no way to craft a fishing pole in Valheim, so where do you get it, and how do you use it? We've got the answers you crave.

How to find the fishing pole in Valheim

The fishing pole in Valheim can only be obtained by buying one from Haldor the Merchant —that's him in the image above. You can find Haldor in the Black Forest. You cannot craft a fishing pole, and you cannot upgrade it. On the bright side, it never breaks, so you won't need to repair it like other tools in the game.

1. Find Haldor in the Black Forest
2. Buy a fishing pole from Haldor for 350 coins
3. Make sure to buy plenty of bait to catch fish with. 50 bait only costs 10 coins.

How to use the fishing pole in Valheim

Now that you've got the fishing pole and plenty of bait, you'll need to equip it and find a body of water to fish in. Fishing is simplest on the shore of a river or the ocean, but you could also build a dock or use a boat to get a bit further out.

1. Find a fish. You'll see them easiest in shallow water such as in a river or the shoreline.
2. Equip the fishing pole by assigning it to one of your quickbar slots, or right-click it to equip.
3. Aim your reticule in the direction of the fish you found.
4. Press and hold the left mouse button or the right trigger on your controller to pull back the rod.
5. A shrinking circle will appear around your reticule and get smaller the longer you hold the button. The smaller the circle, the further you'll throw the reel.

6. Pay attention to how far the game tells you the reel was thrown. Reeling in the line reduces stamina (as does using any tool), so be sure not to throw it too far out, or you'll run out of stamina before you can grab the fish.
7. Once your bait lands in the water, click the right mouse button or the left trigger on your controller every so often to pull the line in a little bit and get the fish's attention.

8. Watch the red and white bobber floating on top of the water. Once something pulls it underwater, quickly click the right mouse button or the left trigger on your controller repeatedly to reel the line back in.
9. Reeling the line in will drain stamina, so be sure to keep a supply of food handy and keep your stamina up before fishing.
10. Once the fish gets close enough, click e on the keyboard or the A button on a controller to grab the fish.

Fish to catch, fish to eat in Valheim

Valheim currently sports three different types of fish. Each fish is worth a different amount of raw fish, which is used in Valheim recipes.

1. Smallmouth bass — gives 1 raw fish
2. Medium pike — gives 2 raw fish
3. Large tuna — gives 4 raw fish

Once you catch enough fish, you'll be able to create two delicious meals to eat:

1. Cooked fish — cooked over a fire on a regular cooking station
2. Fish wraps — cooked in a cauldron by combining 2x cooked fish and 4x barley flour

As with anything cooked in a cauldron in Valheim, the Fish Wraps will give you much more health and stamina than consuming a cooked fish alone will.

Unfortunately, there are no bagels in Viking times for you to put that Lox on. You'll just have to settle for a lovely Lox rug in your hearth instead. Regardless of what you choose to hunt, fish, or kill in Valheim, its multi-faceted gameplay has quickly made it one of the best survival games on PC in the short time it's been around. Best yet, it's still an Early Access game on Steam, meaning there's plenty of new content coming down the pike in 2021.