Tire the Fish Before Forcing the Retrieve
To land a fish in DREADMOOR, cast suitable bait onto visible fish activity, move your rod against the hooked fish's direction, and reel it closer as it tires. Ease off reeling when the red Line Tension meter becomes dangerous, then resume retrieving during the fish's exhausted periods and use the landing interaction when it is close enough.
Get the Simple Rod and Reach the Snapper School
- After reaching Betsy & Sons, move your personal chest into the flophouse. This is part of the opening sequence leading to your fishing equipment.
- Repair the opening in the flophouse wall and complete the overnight objective before collecting the rod from the room.
- Collect the free Simple Rod from the flophouse room. You will select this rod in the tackle menu when you interact with a fishing location.
- Meet Gill and Bozur on the fishing platform behind the Dry Dock. The opening Snapper school there can be fished with Earthworms.
Cast, Fight and Land Your Catch
- Interact with the fishing location to open its tackle selection, giving you access to the rod you will use for the cast.
- Select the Simple Rod in the tackle menu so you are using the equipment collected during the opening objectives.
- Choose Earthworms for the opening Snapper school. This matches your bait to the fish available at the platform behind the Dry Dock.
- Hold the cast input to aim and set your casting distance, lining the bait up with the visible fish activity.
- Cast onto the visible fish activity rather than treating every part of the wider fishing circle as an equally useful target.
- Leave Earthworms relatively still while waiting for a bite. Predator lures use a moving retrieve, so keep that distinction in mind when changing bait later.
- Move the rod opposite the fish's direction once it is hooked. Countering its movement exhausts its Stamina and creates opportunities to bring it closer.
- Reel as the fish tires, reducing reeling pressure whenever Line Tension becomes dangerous. This lets you retrieve while managing the risk of a snapped line.
- Complete the landing interaction when the fish is close enough. This finishes the catch after you have worked it within reach.
Read Stamina and Line Tension Together
Stamina tells you how much fight the fish has left, while the rising red tension meter warns that you are putting the line at risk. Moving the rod against the fish helps tire it, and its tired periods are your chance to retrieve. Continuously pulling and reeling against a strong fish can snap the line, so watch tension throughout the fight.
A tired fish can recover and start fighting again. When that happens, return to countering its movement and adjust your reeling pressure to the tension meter. Keep responding to the fish until you are close enough to complete the landing interaction.
Ease Off Before the Line Snaps
- Watch the rising red Line Tension meter during the fight. Treat dangerous tension as a reason to change your input before the line breaks.
- Reduce reeling pressure when tension becomes dangerous. Continuing the same hard retrieve against a strong fish can snap the line.
- Counter the fish's direction to drain its Stamina. Use the rod's movement to tire the fish instead of relying on a continuous retrieve.
- Resume retrieving during the fish's exhausted periods, while continuing to watch tension. Be ready to ease off again if it recovers and resumes fighting.
Fix Casts That Get No Bites
- Why aren't fish biting even though I'm casting inside the fishing circle?
- Try aiming directly at the jumping fish instead of casting anywhere within the wider circle. Check that the fishing-school panel lists your target species, then match your presentation to the fish: keep peaceful-fish bait relatively still and retrieve predator lures through the strike zone.
Change Your Bait Presentation for the Target
- Use Earthworms for the opening Snapper school and leave the bait relatively still after placing it on the fish activity.
- Use Wind-Up Tin for peaceful fish such as the Softgrazer. Its blueprint comes from Boza, and peaceful catches involve managing Stamina and line tension.
- Use a predator lure such as Rainbow Fin when targeting predators such as the Harpooner. Work the lure through the strike zone rather than leaving it still like Earthworms.
Keep Your Catch Safe After Landing
Sort your hold after fishing, because creatures in the hold can eat each other. Keep valuable catches away from predators before heading back to sell or process them. A successful landing is worth protecting on the return trip.