How to Catch Fish in DayZ

Call us optimists all you want, but we hope the new additions to DayZ cut down on the player-vs-player interaction and turn this game into a real zombie survival experience. With the additions of Hunting and Building Campfires, the latest game update also allows players to hit up their local ponds to try and catch fish. With any luck, this will mean that more of the map gets used, and there are fewer slaughters in towns like Berezino.

That said, here is the best way to catch fish in DayZ.

Gather Supplies

In order to go fishing, you’ll need several things that can be found through looting. The first is an Ashwood Stick, which is often located in areas where you might find a Shovel. An even easier method, however, is to chop down a tree. The one you’re looking for is round and green, with branches that will almost touch the ground.

Once you have your Ashwood Stick, you need to find some Rope. This is an uncommon looting item, and unfortunately it’s not something you can craft. For this one, you have to embrace the grind and keep looking until you find some.

With your Ashwood Stick and Rope in hand, you can combine those items to craft an Improvised Fishing Rod, but you still need something to use as bait, and something to attach it to. Use either a Shovel or Farming Hoe to dig up an Earthworm, then locate the final piece of the looting puzzle, a Fishing Hook. Just like the Rope, you’re going to have to search until you find this, since it cannot be crafted. When you do locate one, however, you can combine the Fishing Hook and Earthworm to craft Fishing Bait. The final step involves combining the Improvised Fishing Rod and Fishing Bait.

Gone Fishing!

Now that you have everything you need, find yourself a Pond. Approach the water with your Improvised Fishing Rod and select the option to Fish. You can periodically check the bait, and will either receive a message saying I sense no movement near the bait or there is some movement near the bait. If it’s the latter, you’re waiting for a message that something just bit the bait, at which point you want to pull your bait out of the water to reel in the fish.

Congratulations, you don’t have to eat beans for the 400th time!