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Fishing

The process of waiting for a fish to bite involves patience, attention to the task at hand, and a small dose of luck.

Fishing is the use of a fishing rod to obtain items, usually fish.

Catching fish[]

Bobber3D

A fishing bobber in Bedrock Edition.

Treasure Rod

A newly obtained Fishing Rod with the enchantments Lure II, Unbreaking III, and Luck of the Sea II.

To fish, the player must use a fishing rod to cast the line into a body of water. The player's position does not matter; the player can be in the water, underwater, sitting in a boat, or standing on adjacent land. Fish can be caught just as readily in small, shallow, and/or player-created pools, both aboveground and underground.

The bobber must be watched closely. Small splashes can be seen around the bobber.

Once the bobber hits water, the wait time is determined, and the player must wait for a random period between 5 and 30 seconds (100 to 600 ticks at 20 ticks per second) before the hook catches something.

  • Each level of the Lure enchantment on a fishing rod subtracts 5 seconds from both the minimum and maximum wait time. If it causes the wait time to be less than 0, a new wait time is generated in the next tick.
  • If the bobber is not directly exposed to sun or moonlight, the wait time is approximately doubled (each tick has a 50% chance of not decrementing the count). For direct exposure, all blocks above the bobber must be transparent to sunlight, such as glass and carpet. Blocks that diffuse sky light, such as ice and leaves, will block direct exposure. The presence of clouds or rainfall has no effect on direct exposure.
  • If the bobber's block is being rained on, the wait time is reduced by approximately 14 (each tick has a 25% chance of counting down 2 instead of 1). The bobber must be located in a biome where it is currently raining and all blocks above it must not block movement (e.g. torch, tripwire).

After the wait period has passed, a trail of fishing particles appear, approaching the bobber in a serpentine path (provided that the Particles Video Setting is not set to Minimal). After 1 to 4 seconds the particles reach the bobber, the bobber dips below the surface, and the player has a approximately half a second‌[Bedrock Edition only] or evenly-distributed one to two seconds‌[Java Edition only] to reel in the line before the waiting time resets. Removing the bobber from water during this interval secures the caught item on the line.

Upon a successful reel-in:

  • A raw cod, raw salmon, pufferfish, tropical fish, junk, or a treasure item appears (see junk and treasure below), flies toward the player, and is added to the player's inventory. If the player's inventory is full, the item will drop on the ground. While the item normally flies directly to the player's position, the item may hit blocks positioned between the bobber and the player, causing it to bounce off at an angle.
  • The rod's durability is reduced by 1 point. This can vary depending on the circumstances; see below.
  • An experience orb worth 1–6 experience points spawns at the position of the player. Consequently, a Mending-enchanted fishing rod used only for fishing never wears out, repairing itself if damaged.

If the player wanders more than 32 blocks away from the bobber, or if the player stops holding a fishing rod, the bobber and fishing line disappear with no durability reduction to the rod.

The bobber floats up to the water's surface even if the fishing rod is used from underwater unless it hooks onto a mob such as squid or is obstructed by a block.

Fish mobs do not attempt to bite the fish hook and bobber, but can be hooked and reeled as with other mobs.

Junk and treasure[]

The fishing rod can occasionally catch treasure or junk instead of fish. A fishing rod without the Luck of the Sea enchantment has an 85% chance of catching fish, a 10% chance of catching junk, and a 5% chance of catching treasure. Each level of the Luck of the Sea enchantment increases the chance of catching a treasure at the expense of reducing the chances of catching fish and junk. The Luck status effect grants the same benefit.

To catch items in the treasure category, the bobber must be in open water, defined as the 5×4×5 vicinity around the bobber resting on the water surface (2 blocks away horizontally, 2 blocks above the water surface, and 2 blocks deep). Each horizontal layer in this area must consist only of air and lily pads or water source blocks, waterlogged blocks without collision (such as signs, kelp, or coral fans), and bubble columns. These conditions are checked every tick to determine if the player is eligible to receive treasure from a fishing attempt. If the conditions are not met, only items in the fish and junk categories can be obtained from fishing.

Catch possibilities outside Jungle biomes
Category Chance in category[note 1] Unenchanted
chance
LotS 1 LotS 2 LotS 3
Fish Weight 85% 84.8% 84.7% 84.5%
Raw Cod 60% 51.0% 50.9% 50.8% 50.7%
Raw Salmon 25% 21.3% 21.2% 21.2% 21.1%
Tropical Fish 2% 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1.7%
Pufferfish 13% 11.1% 11.0% 11.0% 11.0%
Treasure Weight 5% 7.1% 9.2% 11.3%
Bow[note 2] 16.7% (16) 0.8% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9%
Enchanted book[note 3] 16.7% (16) 0.8% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9%
Fishing Rod[note 2] 16.7% (16) 0.8% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9%
Name Tag 16.7% (16) 0.8% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9%
Nautilus Shell 16.7% (16) 0.8% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9%
Saddle 16.7% (16) 0.8% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9%
Junk Weight 10% 8.1% 6.1% 4.2%
Lily Pad 17% 1.7% 1.4% 1.0% 0.7%
Bowl 10% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4%
Fishing Rod[note 4] 2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1%
Leather 10% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4%
Leather Boots[note 4] 10% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4%
Rotten Flesh 10% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4%
Stick 5% 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2%
String 5% 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2%
Water Bottle 10% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4%
Bone 10% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4%
Ink Sac (10) 1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.04%
Tripwire Hook 10% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4%
Catch possibilities in Jungle biomes[note 5]
Category Chance in category[note 1] Unenchanted
chance
LotS 1 LotS 2 LotS 3
Fish[note 6] Weight 85% 84.8% 84.7% 84.5%
Raw salmon 40%‌[BE only] 34.0%‌[BE only] 33.9%‌[BE only] 33.9%‌[BE only] 33.8%‌[BE only]
Junk Weight 10% 8.1% 6.1% 4.2%
Lily Pad 14.2% (17120)‌[BE only]
15.5% (17110)‌[JE only]
1.4%‌[BE only]
1.5%‌[JE only]
1.1%‌[BE only]
1.2%‌[JE only]
0.9% 0.6%
Bamboo 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
Cocoa Beans[BE only] 8.3% (10120) 0.8% 0.7% 0.5% 0.3%
Bowl 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
Fishing Rod[note 4] 1.7% (2120)‌[BE only]
1.8% (2110)‌[JE only]
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
Leather 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
Leather Boots[note 4] 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
Rotten Flesh 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
Stick 4.2% (5120)‌[BE only]
4.5% (5110)‌[JE only]
0.4%‌[BE only]
0.5%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
0.3% 0.2%
String 4.2% (5120)‌[BE only]
4.5% (5110)‌[JE only]
0.4%‌[BE only]
0.5%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
0.3% 0.2%
Water Bottle 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
Bone 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]
Ink Sac (10) 0.8% (1120)‌[BE only]
0.9% (1110)‌[JE only]
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.03%‌[BE only]
0.04%‌[JE only]
Tripwire Hook 8.3% (10120)‌[BE only]
9.1% (10110)‌[JE only]
0.8%‌[BE only]
0.9%‌[JE only]
0.7% 0.5%‌[BE only]
0.6%‌[JE only]
0.3%‌[BE only]
0.4%‌[JE only]

Notes[]

  1. a b This does not vary depending on enchantments.
  2. a b Bows and Fishing Rods caught from the Treasure category are enchanted at a random level between 22-30, but also badly damaged. Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level-30 enchantment on an enchanting table. These can also include treasure enchantments that are unavailable via an enchanting table.
  3. Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level-30 enchantment on an enchanting table, but the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced. These can also include treasure enchantments that are unavailable via an enchanting table.
  4. a b c d Fishing Rods and Leather Boots caught from the Junk category are 10%–100% damaged, and always unenchanted.
  5. This table presents the loot possibilities that differ from the above table for a player fishing in one of the following biomes: Jungle, Sparse jungle, and Bamboo jungle. Items listed in the above table but not the table below remain unchanged regardless of the biome in which the player is fishing. The percentages for Unenchanted chance and Luck of the Sea of Junk item may be inaccurate.
  6. In Bedrock Edition, cod and salmon are the only fish that can be caught in jungle biomes and variants.

Fishing rod durability[]

The fishing rod has 64 units of durability in Java Edition and 384 units in Bedrock Edition. Each use costs 1 point, and the rod breaks when all durability is consumed. The number of uses can be increased if the Unbreaking or Mending enchantments are applied.

  • Reeling in while the bobber is in the air or in the water with nothing caught on it costs no durability.
  • Reeling in and successfully catching fish, junk or treasure costs 1 durability.
  • Reeling in while the bobber is stuck in a solid block costs 2 durability.
  • Reeling in a dropped item costs 3 durability.
  • Reeling in an entity that is not a dropped item costs 5 durability.
  • A fishing rod with the Mending enchantment effectively has infinite durability from incrementally repairing itself if used for fishing only, and the player isn't wearing damaged Mending armor or holding a damaged Mending item in the offhand.

The durability cost is subtracted on reel-in, rather than on hooking. Therefore, no penalty is levied for switching to another item or dropping the rod instead of reeling in.

History[]

Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0?Added fishing.
The algorithm is as follows: each tick has a 1500 chance of catching a fish, with an average time between catches of 346 ticks.
Java Edition Beta
1.5Added rain, which improves chances of catching a fish. During a rainstorm, each tick has a 1300 chance to catch a fish, reducing the average time between catches from 346 ticks to 207 ticks, a 40% decrease.
Java Edition
1.4.212w37aFishing now gives the player experience with each fish caught.
1.7.213w36aFishing rewards and mechanics have been massively changed, with new rewards including enchanted books, saddles, enchanted fishing rods, name tags, and such.
Fishing now shows particles when a fish is approaching the bobber.
There is now a chance of fishing "bad" items (junk) such as sticks, bones, and such.
1.915w43cThe Lure enchantment no longer affects the chances of catching things, only the delay.
The Luck of the Sea enchantment is broken due to a typo in the new fishing loot table.
Fished junk is now less damaged (0%–90% durability remaining) while treasure is more damaged (0%–25% durability remaining).
Ink sacs can now be caught singly with weight 10 (formerly a stack of 10 with weight 1).
1.1116w38aInk sac chances have been changed from 10 chances for 1 ink sac to 1 chance for 10 ink sacs.
1.1318w15aAdded nautilus shells, obtainable as a treasure item when fishing.
1.1418w43aAdded bamboo, obtainable as a junk item when fishing in jungles.
1.1620w12aTreasure can now be obtained only through fishing in open water.
Open water is defined as a 5×4×5 area around the bobber, in which only air, water source blocks, or waterlogged blocks without collision can be present.
Tripwire, bubble columns, and lily pads all invalidate open water.
20w13aOpen water is now calculated differently.
Each layer in the area around the bobber is checked, and each layer must have only air or water (or similar).
Bubble columns no longer invalidate water layer checks and lily pads no longer invalidate air layer checks.
20w21aLily pads now are junk loot instead of treasure.
Pocket Edition Alpha
March 13, 2015Daniel Wustenhoff tweets an image of the player fishing.
v0.11.0build 1Added fishing.
v0.12.1build 1Fishing rewards can now be enchanted upon capture (enchanted books, etc).
Fishing now reward experience.
v0.13.0build 1Tripwire hooks are now obtainable from fishing.
v0.15.0build 1Added name tags, which can be obtained from fishing.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0beta 1.2.20.1Added nautilus shells, obtainable as a treasure item when fishing.
1.8.0beta 1.8.0.8Fishing loot has been changed in jungles. When fishing in a jungle biome, the fish rewarded are now raw cod and raw salmon only.
Added bamboo, obtainable as a junk item when fishing in jungles.
Cocoa bean can now be obtained as junk item when fishing in jungles.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1CU1 1.0 Patch 11.0.1Added fishing.
TU31CU19 1.22 Patch 3Fishing now has particle effects - bubbles appear moving toward the bobber, just before the player has something on the hook. This has the appearance of a fish swimming toward the hook.
Treasure and junk items can now be caught while fishing.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "Fishing" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia[]

  • If the players casts the bobber into a waterfall, the bobber floats up the waterfall until it reaches the top and remains there until the player either pulls it back in or catches fish on the line. If a fish is caught on the line, the bobber then falls down the waterfall.
  • The player can catch fish even if occupying the same block space as the bobber.
  • The player can freely switch between fishing rods after casting the bobber, with the enchantments on the casting rod being preserved in the bobber. This means that one rod can hook an item and another can reel it in, and the durability cost is subtracted from the rod currently equipped.
  • The player can obtain the achievement 'Cow Tipper' from reeling in leather[BE only].
  • If the bobber is too close to the land, the small splashes, as well as the trail of particles heading toward the bobber, can be seen on the land.
  • The player can fish while using the fishing rod in the off-hand slot.‌[JE only]
  • When in third person mode, the fishing rod is hidden, but the line and bobber are still shown.
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