Online:Fishing
—A Guide to Fishing Tamriel
Fishing is one of several activities available in Elder Scrolls Online. It requires bait and a fishing hole. Bait can be gathered from various creatures around the world, such as beetles, rats, and butterflies as well as obtained via fishing or gathering plants. Fishing holes are numerous and close to shore. They are characterized by sparkling water and leaping fish. Different fish can be caught in different locales and respond to appropriate types of bait.
Once at a fishing hole, the next step is to choose the type of bait. Using the correct type of bait for that water type will yield more success and prevent the appearance of Used Bait. If you get one, it means you are using the incorrect bait type for that fishing hole. While fishing, you also have a chance to reel in a Wet Gunny Sack instead of a fish, which contains miscellaneous crafting materials such as trait materials, tempers, style materials, or enchanting runes. When a fish is on the line, the float will sink into the water and your character will pull on the fishing rod. Activating it in time will bring in a fish.
Every fishing hole has 15 catches, except ones in the Imperial City, which have 30. It is possible to come across fishing holes with fewer catches, because players can abandon a fishing hole before it is emptied, leaving the rest of the catches for later players. On rare occasions, a fishing hole can respawn shortly after having been emptied, or even sometimes while you are currently fishing out of it.
When you catch a common fish, you are able to fillet it if you use it from your inventory or bring it to a Cooking Fire. Doing so gives you a guaranteed Fish provisioning ingredient, and also has a very small chance (1%) of yielding a Perfect Roe, one of the provisioning ingredients used to brew Psijic Ambrosia (as well as Orzorga's Smoked Bear Haunch).
Types of Water[edit]
There are four main types of water sources that you can fish from. As detailed in A Guide to Fishing Tamriel, certain types of bait work better in certain types of water, and different common fish are caught depending on the water type. A fifth type of water, "Spawning", is quest-related and isn't usually encountered. Oily, Mystic, and Foul Abyssal are zone-specific water types not found elsewhere.
Foul[edit]
Foul water fishing holes can be found in fetid, murky pools of water such as sewers, swamps, and near decomposing corpses.
River[edit]
River fishing holes can be found in moving bodies of fresh flowing water that drain into a lake or ocean.
Lake[edit]
Lake fishing holes can be found in still bodies of water with deep holes or overgrowth.
Saltwater[edit]
Saltwater fishing holes are found almost anywhere on the coast. Coastal cities, such as Ebonheart and Skywatch, have docks with fishing holes.
Mystic[edit]
Mystic fishing holes are only found on Artaeum, and they function identically to Saltwater fishing holes.
Oily[edit]
Oily fishing holes are only found in the Clockwork City, and they function identically to Foul fishing holes.
Foul Abyssal[edit]
Foul Abyssal fishing holes are only found in Apocrypha. They function identically to Foul fishing holes, although with different types of fish. You might also rarely fish up a hostile Lurker.
Spawning[edit]
Spawning fishing holes are related to specific quests, as detailed below.
Types of Bait[edit]
Bait can be obtained by various methods, as detailed below. Bait items can be stored in Craft Bags and are categorized as Provisioning materials, even though most bait isn't used in any Provisioning recipes.
In Clockwork City, instead of the usual foul water fish you will catch either Clockerfish or Typical Barb.
Bait Guide | Fishing Guide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Provisioning[edit]
Some fishing bait items are also used in various Provisioning recipes:
- Crunchy Spider Skewer (page) - Spider Egg, Crawlers, Acai Berry, Seasoning
- Ghastly Eye Bowl (page) - Worms, Fleshfly Larva, Bananas, Rose
- Orzorga's Blood Price Pie (page) - Red Meat, Potato, Violet Coprinus, Guts
- Orzorga's Tripe Trifle Pocket (page) - Guts, Columbine, Beets, White Meat
- Dubious Camoran Throne (page) - White Meat, Beetle Scuttle (3), Insect Parts, Guts
Furnishing[edit]
A few Furnishing plans also use bait as ingredients:
- Cauldron of Soup (page): Diagram: Cauldron of Soup
- Cauldron of Stew (page): Diagram: Cauldron of Stew
Rare Fish[edit]
Aldmeri Dominion[edit]
Khenarthi's Roost | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
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None | None | Pyandonean Ray | None | |
Auridon | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
None | Ilyadifish | Blue Monkfish | Shimmerpike | |
Grahtwood | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Bilious Catfish | Stickleback | Magrove Shark | Greater Fangfin | |
Greenshade | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Viperfish | Jungle Bass | Zebra Pompano | Xylo Piranha | |
Malabal Tor | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Ouze Toadfish | Z'en's Whitefish | Abecean Halibut | Strident Leechfin | |
Reaper's March | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Slimeslither | Forest Bream | None | Strid Shad |
Daggerfall Covenant[edit]
Stros M'Kai | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
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None | None | Eltheric Grouper | None | |
Glenumbra | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Hag Fen Hagfish | Cambray Perch | Azurain Flounder | Brook Trout | |
Stormhaven | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Gray Loach | Silver Walleye | Alcaire Pike | Dreugh Shrimp | |
Rivenspire | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
None | Ichory Chub | Northpoint Cod | Ruby Tench | |
Alik'r Desert | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Midget Salmon | Desert Pupfish | Bonefish | None | |
Bangkorai | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
None | Lake Snapper | Bjoulsae Hake | Prickleback |
Ebonheart Pact[edit]
Bleakrock Isle | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
---|---|---|---|---|
None | None | Inner Sea Scalyfin | None | |
Stonefalls | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Scum Carp | Rainbow Zander | Akaviri Wrasse | Ash Shad | |
Deshaan | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
None | Mud Lamprey | Pikeblenny | Toadstool Tilapia | |
Shadowfen | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Coelacanth | Histcarp | None | Shark Tadpole | |
Eastmarch | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Ice Remora | King Sturgeon | Ghost Haddock | White River Pickerel | |
The Rift | Foul | Lake | Saltwater | River |
Sulfursucker | Ilinalta Trout | None | Muskellunge |
Neutral and Disputed[edit]
Quest-Related Fish[edit]
These fish can only be caught at specific fishing holes as part of the related quest. Aside from Used Bait, nothing else can be caught at these fishing holes.
New Life Fishing Hole | Fish | Water Type | Zone |
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Black Marsh Cucumber | Spawning | Shadowfen |
Other Items[edit]
In addition to fish, there are several other types of items you can earn by fishing:
Antiquity Leads[edit]
- Beetleback Pigment lead for Spore Savant Body Marks (any fishing hole in Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha)
- Buoyant Steel lead for Thrassian Stranglers (any fishing hole in Stros M'Kai)
- Coral Plating lead for Thrassian Stranglers (any fishing hole in Artaeum)
- Iridescent Pearlwater Wash lead for Syrabane's Ward (fishing holes in Galen and High Isle)
- Mnemonic Star-Sphere lead for Mnemonic Star-Sphere furniture (any fishing hole in Clockwork City)
- Wolf-Tail Sash lead for Harpooner's Wading Kilt (Foul fishing holes in Murkmire)
Containers[edit]
- Wet Gunny Sack — most commonly contain trait stones or runestones, but may also contain a weapon or piece of armor
- Pyandonean Bottle — a container found only in Summerset that may contain a page from the Crafting Motif 64: Pyandonean Style book, units of Sea Serpent Hide, Clam Gall or Powdered Mother of Pearl
- Waterlogged Psijic Satchel — a container found only in Artaeum that may contain the following rare recipes:
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- Recipe: Artaeum Picked Fish Bowl — creates the Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl unique dish
- Recipe: Artaeum Takeaway Broth — creates the Artaeum Takeaway Broth drink
- Abyss-Drenched Folio Volume — found only in Apocrypha, may contain furnishing recipes or style materials
Furniture[edit]
You may find the following furnishing items for your home:
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Additionally, certain zones have their own furniture drops:
Summerset[edit]
- Plants, Ruby Glasswort Patch (page)
- Plant, Sea Grapes (page)
- Coral Formation, Ancient Pillar Polyps (page)
- Coral Formation, Bulwark (page)
- Coral Formation, Fan Cluster (page)
- Coral Formation, Pillar Polyps (page)
Murkmire[edit]
Trueflame[edit]
During early access, it was possible to very rarely obtain Trueflame while fishing in Stonefalls. This was a Veteran Rank sword that was part of the Arms of Infernace item set. It was quickly removed before the game's official release with Patch 1.0.1, but existing copies of the sword can still be found in-game and can be traded to other players.
As part of ESO's tenth anniversary celebrations, a Trueflame Sword Replica was made available as a weapon style. During the Anniversary Jubilee 2024 event, all fishing nodes had a rare chance to drop a Bound Style Page: Trueflame Sword Replica in reference to the original bug from 2014.
Fishing Buffs[edit]
Champion Point Perks[edit]
There are two Champion perks associated with fishing. Both are in the Craft tree, and both are active (i.e. must be slotted to take effect). These are Reel Technique and Angler's Instincts. The former reduces the time needed for a fish to bite by 25%; the latter increases the chance to snag a rare fish and stacks with other bonuses such as the one from Lure Allure detailed below.
Fish Eye[edit]
- Increases Magicka and Stamina Recovery by x and grants keen eyes toward fish.
Fish Eye is a status effect gained by drinking Hissmir Fish-Eye Rye. In addition to a level-scaled buff to Magicka Recovery and Stamina Recovery, the drink grants "keen eyes" similar to the Keen Eye perks available for crafting material nodes. With this status effect, fishing holes will appear to glow, and the water type will be displayed when you approach (e.g. "River Fish", "Spawning Fish", etc). While the glow effect may be useful in highlighting fishing holes, the secondary effect is largely obsolete since water types are now automatically displayed even without this drink active.
Lure Allure[edit]
- Increases Max Health and Max Magicka. Additionally, fish may be drawn to you.
Lure Allure is a buff gained by eating Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl. In addition to a level-scaled increase to your maximum Health and Magicka, the food causes fish to be attracted to you. This shortens the time needed for fish to bite, increasing the rate at which you can reel in fish and other items.
Sharp's Patience
[edit]
- Fish bite at an increased rate and have a higher chance of being trophy fish.
Sharp's Patience is the Companion Perk granted by Sharp-as-Night, a Companion added by the Necrom Chapter. When he is with you, his perk causes fish to bite at an increased rate, and also increases your chances of catching a trophy fish. Trophy fish obtained due to this perk will have the Companion icon displayed next to them on the UI when caught. Note that the perk does not reduce your chance to hook special items, nor does it affect the rate at which you catch non-trophy fish that can be fileted for Perfect Roe; it only reduces your chance to catch bait.
Summoning Sharp at max rapport after he reaches level 20 will grant you Sharp's Handmade Fishing Lure, a Keepsake which permanently unlocks the Sharp's Patience perk without the need to have him as your active Companion.
Fishing Achievements[edit]
There are many achievements associated with fishing. Every zone except the starter islands has 12 rare fish you can catch. Catching all of the rare fish in a zone will give you that zone's achievement. If you get all of the major zone achievements in one alliance, you'll receive another achievement for that alliance. Get all three of those, along with the starter island achievements and the separate ones for Cyrodiil and Coldharbour, and you'll receive the rare Master Fisher achievement. Note that the fish on the starter islands are not necessary for the alliance fishing achievements, but they are necessary for the Master Fisher achievement. Completing the Master Fisher achievement grants the title "Master Angler".
Craglorn Angler and the DLC achievements are not needed to earn the Master Fisher achievement. Fish Boon Angler is a quest-related holiday event achievement.
Auridon Angler (5 points) | Khenarthi's Roost Angler (5 points) | ||||||||||||||
Grahtwood Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Greenshade Angler (5 points) | Dominion Fisherman (10 points)![]() |
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Malabal Tor Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Reaper's March Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Alik'r Desert Angler (5 points) | Stros Angler (5 points) | ||||||||||||||
Bangkorai Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Glenumbra Angler (5 points) | Covenant Fisherman (10 points)![]() |
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Rivenspire Angler (5 points) | Master Fisher (50 points)![]() |
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Stormhaven Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Deshaan Angler (5 points) | Bleakrock Angler (5 points) | ||||||||||||||
Eastmarch Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Rift Angler (5 points) | Pact Fisherman (10 points)![]() |
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Shadowfen Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Stonefalls Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Cyrodiil Angler (10 points)![]() |
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Coldharbour Angler (5 points) | |||||||||||||||
Craglorn Angler (5 points)![]() |
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Imperial City Angler (5 points) | |||||
Wrothgar Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Hooking Wrothgar's Biggest Catch (10 points) | |||||
Hew's Bane Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Gold Coast Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Fish Boon Angler (5 points) | |||||
Morrowind Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Clockwork City Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Summerset Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Artaeum Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Murkmire Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Northern Elsweyr Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Pellitine Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Western Skyrim Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
The Reach Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Blackwood Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Deadlands Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
High Isle Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Galen Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Necrom Master Angler (5 points) | |||||
Pulled from the Depths (10 points) | |||||
Bugs[edit]
- Occasionally you will receive the message "You cannot fish in Werewolf form" while attempting to fish.
- This can be fixed by relogging.
- Sometimes while fishing at a lake in Auridon, you will catch both a Barbel and a Zebra Oto, the latter of which is a rare fish from the Rift, and will get credit for both.
- Some very few fishing holes will only give Used Bait.
- Sometimes while fishing in the fishing hole under the bridge to the closed Green Emperor Way District in the Arboretum District, you will catch a Sewer Eel, a Cyrodiil foul water fish. ?
Notes[edit]
- Guts are a quest item in The Witchmother's Bargain.
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