Palia fishing guide: How to find, catch, and bait fish

September 2024 · 6 minute read

The beautiful landscapes of Palia’s World of Wonders aren’t just something to behold from afar. You can also experience its mysteries from up close through a host of activities, one of which is fishing. You’ll have to learn fishing early on, as soon as you receive your first rod, and improve it over time with upgrades. 

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Fishing is key to surviving in Palia’s cozy world, which nurtures over 80 types of fish, each with unique spawn rules. You can sell them to earn Gold, keep them as pets in an aquarium, cook delicious recipes, or offer them to villagers as gifts.

While angling in real life requires quite a bit of patience, experience, and knowledge, it isn’t as difficult to master in Palia. Still, if you don’t know where to start, don’t worry—I’m here to simplify all the quirks of Palia’s fishing business for you.

How to catch fish in Palia?

To learn the fishing skill in Palia, first, you’ll need to earn the base fishing rod—the Makeshift Rod. Einar, the fishing skill master, will send you the Makeshift Rod via mail once you complete a few introductory quests and meet Auni, the mail delivery boy. 

After you receive the rod, visit Einar, who is almost always stationed in Fisherman’s Lagoon, and he’ll teach you the basics of fishing. Upon completing the tutorial, you’ll earn the Fishing skill, after which you can start visiting the water bodies to catch fish.

To catch a fish in Palia, you’ll have to know its preferences. Fish can be Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Epic and may or may not have a specific spawn time. Some fish require bait, while others don’t.

Depending on the type of fish you want to catch, head to the spot where they’re said to appear and cast the rod into a valid fishing spot by clicking the left mouse button. Hold the left mouse button, move around to select the target spot, and release to cast the rod. Make sure to throw it as deep into the pond, lake, river, or ocean as possible for a greater chance of catching a fish. 

When a fish takes interest in the bobber, you’ll hear a couple of light splashes. But don’t reel it in yet. You’ll have to let the fish bite the bobber first, indicated by a louder splash. Once the fish bites the bobber, hold the left mouse button to set the hook and start reeling in.

You’ll see two green curved markers appear around the fish and the bobber. This is a mini-game: you’ll need to keep the fish and the bobber in the area between the markers. If the bobber moves out of the marked area, your rod’s health will deplete, and if its health reaches zero, the fish will escape. 

The fish will obviously do its best to escape, so make sure to keep positioning the bobber within the marked area. Don’t reel in when the bobber moves out of the green area; release the left mouse button to stop reeling and reposition the fish to contain it in the safe area.

Once the fish reaches near you, release the left mouse button to catch it successfully.

Types of fish: How to find fish in Palia?

Here’s a list of fish you can catch in Palia and their characteristics. 

NameTimeLocationBait
Albino EelAny timeBahari Bay CavesWorms
Alligator GarAny timeKilima LakeGlow Worms
Ancient FishAny timeKilima LakeGlow Worms
Bahari BassAny timeBahari Bay CoastNo Bait
Bahari BreamAny timeBahari Bay CoastWorms
Bahari PikeAny timeBahari Bay RiversGlow Worms
BarracudaEvening, NightBahari Bay CoastNo Bait
Bat RayAny timeBahari Bay CavesWorms
Beluga SturgeonAny timeKilima LakeGlow Worms
Black Sea BassAny timeBahari Bay CoastGlow Worms
BlobfishAny timeBahari Bay CavesGlow Worms
Blue MarlinAny time Bahari Bay CoastWorms
Blue Spotted RayAny timeBahari Bay CoastGlow Worms
Bluefin TunaAny timeBahari Bay CoastWorms
Cactus MorayDay, NightBahari Bay CoastGlow Worms
Calico KoiAny timePondsNo Bait
Cantankerous KoiDay, NightPondsNo Bait
Channel CatfishAny timeKilima Village RiversNo Bait
CloudfishMorning, DayPondsGlow Worms
Crimson FangtoothAny timeBahari Bay CavesGlow Worms
Crucian CarpAny timeKilima Village RiversGlow Worms
Cutthroat TroutAny timeBahari Bay RiversWorms
DawnrayMorningBahari Bay RiversNo Bait
DuskrayEveningBahari Bay RiversNo Bait
Enchanted PupfishAny timeKilima LakeGlow Worms
Energized PiranhaAny timeKilima Village RiversWorms
Eyeless MinnowAny timeBahari Bay CavesNo Bait
Fairy CarpMorning, EveningPondsWorms
Fathead MinnowAny timeBahari Bay RiversGlow Worms
Flametongue RayMorning, DayKilima Village RiversGlow Worms
Freshwater EelEvening, NightKilima Village RiversWorms
Giant GoldfishAny timePondsGlow Worms
Giant Kilima StingrayMorning, Day, EveningKilima Village LakesGlow Worms
GillyfinAny timeKilima LakeNo Bait
Golden SalmonMorning, DayKilima Village RiversWorms
Honey LoachDay, NightBahari Bay RiversGlow Worms
Hypnotic MorayAny timeBahari Bay CavesGlow Worms
Indigo LampreyEvening, NightKilima Village RiversGlow Worms
Kenli’s CarpAny timeKilima Village RiversGlow Worms
Kilima CatfishAny timePondsWorms
Kilima GraylingAny timeKilima Village RiversGlow Worms
Kilima RedfinAny timeBahari Bay RiversWorms
Largemouth BassAny timeKilima LakeWorms
Long-Nosed Unicorn FishDayBahari Bay CoastGlow Worms
Midnight PaddlefishNightKilima LakeGlow Worms
Mirror CarpAny timePondsWorms
Mottled GobiAny timePondsGlow Worms
MudminnowAny timePondsNo Bait
Mutated AnglerAny timeBahari Bay CavesWorms
Oily AnchovyAny timeBahari Bay RiversWorms
Orange BluegilAny timePondsWorms
PaddlefishMorning, Day, EveningBahari Bay RiversWorms
Painted PerchAny timeKilima LakeWorms
Platinum ChadAny timeKilima Village RiversGlow Worms
Prism TroutMorning, DayKilima LakeWorms
Radiant SunfishAny timeKilima Village RiversWorms
Rainbow TroutAny timeKilima Village RiversNo Bait
Red-Bellied PiranhaAny timeKilima Village RiversWorms
Ribbontail RayMorning, EveningBahari Bay CoastWorms
Rosy BitterlingAny timeBahari Bay RiversNo Bait
SardineAny timeBahari Bay CoastNo Bait
Scarlet KoiAny timePondsGlow Worms
ShimmerfinAny timeKilima LakeWorms
Silver SalmonEvening, NightKilima Village RiversNo Bait
Silvery MinnowAny timeBahari Bay RiversNo Bait
Smallmouth BassAny timeKilima LakeWorms
Spotted BullheadAny timeKilima Village RiverNo Bait
Stalking CatfishEvening, NightPondsGlow Worms
SticklebackMorning, DayKilima Village RiversWorms
StonefishAny timeBahari Bay CavesGlow Worms
StormrayMorning, EveningBahari Bay RiversGlow Worms
Striped DaceAny timeKilima Village RiversNo Bait
Striped SturgeonEvening, NightKilima LakeWorms
Swordfin EelAny timeBahari Bay RiversGlow Worms
Thundering EelAny timeBahari Bay RiversWorms
Umbran CarpAny timeBahari Bay CavesNo Bait
Void RayAny timeBahari Bay cavesGlow Worms
Willow LampreyNightBahari Bay RiversWorms
Yellow PerchAny timeBahari Bay RiversNo Bait
Yellowfin TunaAny timeBahari Bay CoastGlow Worms

Make note of the time, location, and bait type needed before you head out to catch a fish. You can also catch ‘Star’ quality fish which can be exchanged for more Gold when sold. Look for ripples in the water and cast the rod in those spots for a chance to catch a premium fish.  

Types of baits, fishing rods, and upgrades in Palia

Besides the fishing rod, bait is an essential accessory for fishing in Palia. 

There are two kinds of baits in the game: Worms and Glow Worms. You can buy worms from Einar when you visit him in Fisherman’s Lagoon. All Rare and Epic fishes will require some kind of bait, so make sure to use the right kind. Some Common and Uncommon fishes, like the Dawnray, Cantankerous Koi, and more, don’t require any bait.

Most fish can be caught with the base fishing rod you receive from Einar. But fish for a while in Palia, and you’ll realize how limited the Makeshift Rod is. Luckily, there are better fishing rods.

You can upgrade to the Standard Rod, the Fine Rod, and the Exquisite Rod with higher health and speed as you level up your Fishing skill. These rods can be crafted by the Worktable using recipes bought from Einar’s Fishing Guild Store using Gold. 

Related: How to find and catch a Fire Breathing Dragonfly in Palia

Besides upgrading the rod itself, you can slap on accessories to boost the rod’s stats and efficacy. You’ll need Fishing Medals to purchase such speed, health, and safe area boosters—you’ll earn medals as you advance your Fishing skill. 

Here are some important items and recipes you’ll need in your fishing ventures in Palia.

ItemPrice
Standard Rod recipe250 Gold
Fine Rod recipe1500 Gold
Exquisite Rod recipe3000 Gold
20 Glow Worms10 Fishing Medals
Worm Farm recipe500 Gold
Standard Bobber75 Fishing Medals
Fine Bobber175 Fishing Medals
Exquisite Bobber275 Fishing Medals
Major Boosters (Safe Zone, Hook Time, Speed)5 Fishing Medals

All baits, fishing rod recipes, and partial rod upgrades can be bought from the Fishing Guild Store.

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