Fishing Guide — Catching Fish in TotK

Fishing in Tears of the Kingdom doesn't use a fishing rod — Link catches fish through environment interaction, weapon use, and creative Zonai builds. Fish are critical cooking ingredients (especially Hearty and Chillfin varieties) and required for several NPC quests. This guide covers every method and fish type.

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How to Catch Fish (Methods)

Method 1 — Bomb Fishing (Fastest)

The most efficient method. Throw a Bomb Flower into water containing fish:

1. Spot a school of fish near the surface
2. Throw a Bomb Flower (or use a bomb-fused arrow shot into the water)
3. Fish are stunned and float to the surface
4. Wade in or use Ultrahand to collect them

Bomb Flower locations: Depths ore deposits, sky island bomb flower trees, some caves.

Notes:

• Works on all fish types
• Large schools can yield 5-8 fish per bomb
• Deep water requires a stronger bomb or multiple throws

Method 2 — Hand Catching (Stealth)

Wade into shallow water and approach fish slowly. When close enough, press A to grab them manually.

• Requires Stealth Armor or Sneaky Elixir for best results
• Only works in shallow water (ankle to waist depth)
• Slow but efficient for single rare fish without wasting bombs

Method 3 — Arrow Shot

Shoot fish with any arrow type while they're near the surface:

• Standard arrows work but may not kill in one shot for large fish
• Shock Arrows stun a school (similar to bombs, smaller radius)
• Works from above on bridge crossings or cliff edges

Method 4 — Scoop with Ultrahand + Container

Build a water-scoop device:

1. Find or create a large container (bowl, trough shape)
2. Use Ultrahand to move it through a fish school rapidly
3. Fish get scooped into the container and collected when set on land

This works best for collecting many fish at once in lake environments. Slower setup but good for bulk collection.

Method 5 — Drain the Water

In contained ponds or small lake sections:

• Use a Zonai Pump device to drain water
• Fish get stranded as water level drops
• Collect all stranded fish at once

Only works in enclosed water bodies — not effective for rivers or open lakes.

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All Fish Types in TotK

| Fish | Location | Cooking Effect | Value | |------|----------|---------------|-------| | Hyrule Bass | All regions, common | Hearty (1 heart) | 10R | | Hearty Bass | Deep lakes, Zora's Domain | Hearty (extra heart bonus) | 30R | | Chillfin Trout | Cold lakes (Hebra, Lanayru) | Spicy effect | 20R | | Sizzlefin Trout | Hot lakes (Eldin region) | Fireproof effect | 20R | | Voltfin Trout | Lightning lakes (Faron, Lanayru) | Electro effect | 20R | | Staminoka Bass | High-altitude lakes (Satori Mtn) | Energizing effect | 30R | | Mighty Carp | Moving rivers | Mighty effect | 20R | | Armored Carp | Rocky river areas | Tough effect | 20R | | Sneaky River Snail | River banks | Sneaky effect | 15R | | Bright-Eyed Crab | Coastal shallow water | Energizing effect | 15R |

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Best Fish for Cooking

Hearty Bass

• Found in Lake Hylia, Zora's Domain, East Reservoir Lake
• Cook 5 Hearty Bass for Hearty Fried Bass — fully restores HP + adds 5 Yellow Hearts
• The single best survival meal in the game for emergencies

Chillfin Trout

• Found in Hebra lakes and Lanayru cold bodies of water
• Cook with Spicy Pepper for enhanced Spicy Sauté — Level 2 cold resist
• 5 Chillfin Trout = Level 3 cold resist for 15+ minutes (best cold food)

Sizzlefin Trout

• Found in Eldin hot springs and lava-adjacent pools
• Cook 5 for Sizzlefin Trout Skewer — Level 2 Fireproof for 10+ minutes
• Excellent Fireproof Elixir substitute when mining Death Mountain

Staminoka Bass

• Found in Satori Mountain Lake and high-altitude sky island ponds
• Cook with Endura Carrot for Energizing meals with massive stamina restoration
• Best fish for endurance-focused cooking

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Key Fishing Locations

| Location | Best Fish | |----------|----------| | Lake Hylia (central) | Hearty Bass (high density) | | Zora's Domain reservoirs | Hearty Bass, Armored Carp | | Hebra lakes (north) | Chillfin Trout | | Eldin hot springs | Sizzlefin Trout | | Faron lakes | Voltfin Trout | | Satori Mountain lake | Staminoka Bass | | East Necluda coast | Sneaky River Snail, Bright-Eyed Crab |

Tip: Fish schools respawn with the Blood Moon — bomb fish, rest to Blood Moon, bomb again.

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Fish for NPC Quests

Several side quests require specific fish:

| Quest | Required Fish | Location | |-------|---------------|----------| | Lurelin Village Restoration | Hyrule Bass × 5 | Any lake | | Goron City NPC fish request | Sizzlefin Trout × 3 | Eldin hot springs | | Zora's Domain delicacy | Hearty Bass × 2 | Lake Hylia | | Rito Village cooking quest | Chillfin Trout × 3 | Hebra lakes |

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Tips

• Stasis effect: Standing absolutely still before wading in causes fish to ignore you for ~3 seconds — enough to grab one with the hand-catch method.
• Fishing at night: Fish are more active (larger schools visible) between 20:00-04:00 in most lake environments.
• Bomb Flowers in Depths: If short on bombs, the Depths has abundant Bomb Flower deposits on ore-adjacent terrain. Stock up before surface fishing runs.
• Zora Armor swimming bonus: Wearing the Zora Armor (from Zora's Domain) while swimming allows a speed boost that helps chase individual fish in open water before hand-catching.
• Sell surplus fish: Beedle at any stable buys fish at full market price. Sell any fish you have 10+ of that you don't need for cooking.