How fishing works in Minecraft

Fishing in Minecraft is an activity where players use a fishing rod in order to obtain fish and other items.

In the real world, fishing has been an incredibly popular activity for thousands of years. Fish are an essential source of protein and nutrition that millions of individuals across the world consume each and every day. Fishing's popularity is still relatively high, and people engage in the activity for survival, as a profession, or for sport.

Minecraft is home to plenty of different fish that aspiring anglers can try to get their hands on. All it really takes is a fishing pole and a little bit of patience for players to get their hands on some rewards.

This article will break down how fishing works in Minecraft and reveal some of the potential rewards that the activity offers.

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How does fishing work in Minecraft?

In order for Minecraft players to begin fishing, they will need to first get their hands on a fishing rod. Fishing rods can be crafted by players by combining three sticks and two pieces of string at a crafting table.

Sticks are easy to obtain and can be converted from wood planks gathered by any everyday tree. Meanwhile, string can be obtained by breaking cobwebs, killing spiders, and from chests across many types of hostile structures.

The recipe to craft a fishing rod in Minecraft (Image via Cubey/YouTube)

Fishing rods are primarily made through crafting, but enchanted fishing rods can actually be obtained through a few other means. Enchanted fishing rods can be purchased from journeyman-level fisherman villagers for about six emeralds or can be found in chests located inside of Underwater Ruins.

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How to Fish

With a fishing rod in their possession, Minecraft players are now ready to begin fishing. Aspiring anglers should make their way to any body of water. There, players are able to cast out their line in any position. They can stand on land nearby the water, in the water or sit in a boat.

After players use their fishing rod, a bobber will be cast out into the water. Minecraft players should pay attention to the bobber as it takes a random amount of time between 5 and 30 seconds in order to catch something. There will be small splashes around the bobber when it is ready to be pulled up by the player.

The time it takes for a player to collect their catch is determined the instant that the bobber initially hits the water. This wait time can be reduced with a lure enchantment that will subtract five seconds per level of the enchant.

Bobbers that are not directly exposed to sun or moonlight have a doubled wait time, and bobbers that are being rained on have around a 20% total reduction in wait time. This means that it is in a player's best interest to fish when it is raining and not do so while underground. Minecraft players are, of course, welcome to do as they wish, but information is power.

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Fish, Junk, & Treasure

When fishing, Minecraft players have an 85% chance to catch a fish, 10% chance to collect junk, and a 5% chance to score some treasure.

Minecraft players who have the luck of sea enchantment on their rod have an increased chance at catching treasure, reducing the chance of collecting fish and junk.

The loot table for fishing while Minecraft players are not within a jungle biome. (Image via minecraft-gamepedia.com)

The most common type of item that players will get from fishing are, of course, fish. These fish can be a quick food source, but some of them actually have some additional uses. Pufferfish can be used to make potions of water breathing while salmon and cod can be used to tame and breed cats.

When fishing in a jungle biome, players have the opportunity to catch additional junk items such as bamboo and cocoa beans.

Minecraft players should note that in order to be eligible to catch treasure, they will need to fish in an open body of water. The perimeters for this are pretty lenient; players can just make a 5x5 grid of water that is at least one block deep in order to qualify.

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