Fishing is the process of catching wildlife in the water and is one way to collect food for sustenance. There are two ways to catch a fish in DayZ Standalone: by using a fishing rod, or by using some sort of trap.
Note: Fishing traps are not implemented as at Patch 1.08)
Tools of the Trade
- Rods
- Traps
- Hooks & Bait
Using a Rod
- This method is used to catch Carp in fresh water (Inland Ponds) and Mackerel in salt water. (Coastal Sea)
In order to use this method - you need to be in possession of :
- Fishing Rod or Simple Fishing Rod.
- Fishing Hook or a Bone Fishing Hook to attach bait to.
- A knife, shovel or a pickaxe to dig up Earthworms for use as bait. (Look at your feet whilst wielding either tool and use the "Dig For Worms" option.)
- (Recommended Tip!) A Knife is needed to clean and fillet your fish for Cooking afterwards so ensure your tool has enough durability to prepare your catch afterwards!
To begin fishing:
- Locate a body of water, either an inland pond or the coastal sea waters. Some inland rivers and bodies of water will allow you to fish in them if they are deep enough!
- Attach your Earthworm to your Hook by taking either item into your hands and combining it with the other to create your Bait.
- Place the Fishing Rod of choice in your hands and place the Baited Hook into the Hook slot on the Rod.
- Stand by the shore and left click to cast your line. Hold left click until the crafting circle has completed.
- A distinct tugging animation will alert when something is caught and the player will reach out and take the item off the line with a clicking confirmation sound.
- The caught item will spawn under the player; whether it be junk (There is a chance of pulling out a pair of Wellies when fishing!) or a fish.
- Every "successful" catch will consume an Earthworm. Remove the Hook from the Fishing Rod and attach another Earthworm before casting your line again.
Fishing Rod Notes:
- Every catch will degrade the quality of your Hook slowly. Ruined Hooks are unusable and can be discarded.
- Bone Fishing Hook is significantly easier to acquire-craft versus Fishing Hook and as such: has a lower durability and will catch less fish overall.
- The Wellies pulled up with the Fishing Rod will be of a random quality, from Pristine to Ruined and can be equipped normally if the player requires replacement footwear.
Using a Trap (This method is not available in-game as at Patch 1.08)
Entirely different to the process of using a fishing rod: using a trap to capture fish is a much more passive approach.
There are two very different traps available for use but both are craftable items and cannot be found as loot.
- Small Fish Trap, constructed from a plastic bottle, used for catching smaller fish (as its name implies).
- The much larger Fish Net Trap which can be used to catch fish of a more "normal" size. Once you have crafted a trap, you will need to add worms as bait -- a consumable that must be replaced with every catch, the same as using a rod.
Fishing with Traps:
- Place the trap in salt water (the sea). As of right now, these traps will only work in the sea (not ponds, marshes, or rivers).
- Wait 10 to 15 minutes for the trap to do its work.
- Check the trap by re-adding it to your inventory. There should be fish inside. If not, return the trap to the water and allow it more time. You may need to re-add worms.
The smaller of the traps is used to catch Sardines, and the larger variety is capable of snaring Mackerel for its user.