Our Far Cry 5 Fishing Guide has been written to share some basic tips for Fishing in Far Cry 5. Since there are a lot of varieties of water bodies and fishing equipment in the game, we decided to go through some of them for your ease.
Far Cry 5 Fishing
Fishing in the game is a side-activity which you can carry out based entirely on your freedom and relaxation. There are a number of water bodies in-game including lakes, rivers, and ponds.
The catch is also good since you can fish out a number of fish species ranging from salmon and all the way to fictitious ones like the demon fish.
Completing tasks involving fishing will help you earn Perk Points which you can then spend to bring something new to your character.
Basics
You can start fishing by first talking to Skylar who will be situated at Dylan’s Master Bait Shop. This is located on the border of Whitetail Mountains. After completing one of her missions titled ‘Tools of the Trade’, she will hand you a fishing rod and give you a tutorial on the basics of fishing.
You can select a number of insects via the Utility Wheel. After choosing one, project your rod onto a fishing hole. Hold the right trigger throughout your fishy business (pun intended). You can occasionally hold down the left trigger to make the fish more likely to get a bite on the bait.
Eventually, your controller will vibrate, indicating that a fish has bit down on your bait.
You now have to hook the fish by pressing the right trigger as fast as you can. Once you hook a fish, you need to begin reeling the fish line towards yourself. Remember though, don’t allow the tension line to turn red otherwise it will break.
During this scenario, allow the reeling line some slack and then get back to reeling it in when the tension becomes normal. Always reel in the direction opposite to the one which the fish is swimming in. Use the right analog stick for this purpose. Reel the fish to the shore and into your bag. That’s it. You’ve caught your fish!
How to Unlock New Fishing Rods
In FC 5, there are 4 different fishing rods waiting to be unlocked. These are:
- Basic Fishing Rod
- Natural Fishing Rod
- Wonderboy Fishing Rod
- Old Betsy Fishing Rod
The Basic and Natural fishing rods cost $300 and $400 respectively and can be purchased from any shop on the map.
The Wonderboy and Old Betsy fishing rods require you to complete certain missions in Hope County for them to be unlocked. The first mission you need to complete is The Admiral and Gone Fishin’.
Uses
Primarily, you can sell the fish you caught to any vendor in the game. This will help you earn a decent earning with the Chinooks landing you a whopping 100$ for each piece you sell.
Alternatively, you can have the fish in your own personal collection to feel all high and mighty. Lastly, if you’ve got the Cheesburger Bear (trust us, he’s awesome), you can feed him some of that fish to keep that master-and-pet bond strong.
Fishing Challenges
Pressing the touch-pad on PS4 or the select button on Xbox One will pop up a menu for Challenges. You need to head to the ‘Hunting’ tab where you’ll find a number of fish species that need to be caught.
Some of these include: the Golden Trout, Paddle Fish, Largemouths, and more. Catching these specific species will help you earn the Perk Points I mentioned above. You can use four of these points to unlock the ‘Fisher King’ skill which will tire the fish quicker when you’re reeling them in.
This particular perk is especially useful for catching the big ones. The ‘Admiral’ and some other master fisherman-level-fish are ones that are quite impossible without this ‘Fisher King’ perk.
Fishing Locations
Some of the locations where you can find these fishing spots are given below:
- Bull Trout: Situated north from Dutch’s Island and into the main river that runs up into Jacob’s territory which eventually turns into the Moccassin River.
- Kokanee Salmon: To the north west of Dutch’s Island, north of Clagett Bay and Elk Jaw Lodge, you will be able to find a fishing spot. Note, a vendor is also located nearby.
- Chinook Salmon: Part of this region is affiliated with Cheeseburger’s quest which you’ll come across. The other part where you can fish is west and a little bit south of the FANG Center on the Moccassin River.
- Golden Trout: The Golden Trout are mostly present near the compound where you started the game (in the middle of the map).
- Rainbow Trout: These can be found in John’s region on the map.
- Pallid Sturgeon: The Pallid Sturgeon can be found in two fishing locations by the Lamb of God Church, which is located in the southwestern area of John’s region.
- Lake Trout: The Lake Trout can be found in two fishing locations by Joseph’s compound in the center of the map.
- Paddlefish Sturgeon: Head to the southern part of John’s region and you’ll be able to catch the Paddlefish Sturgeon from many different fishing spots there.
- Rock Bass: The Rock Bass fishing spots are located within Faith’s region. There is a couple of them adjacent to each other on the banks of the southern river.
- Largemouth Bass: Travel to the far eastern side of Faith’s region and you’ll come across two fishing points for the Largemouth Bass by the river at the edge.
- Smallmouth Bass: The Smallmouth Bass can be found all around Faith’s region.
Hard Fishing Spots Locations
To unlock the best fishing rod in Far Cry 5, ‘Old Betsy’, you have to catch 12 different types of the 12 ‘hard’ fishing spots in the game. Doing this will allow you to beat the fishing records of the regions which will award you with Old Betsy.
The fishing records can be seen in the following headquarters of each region:
- Whitetail Mountains (Jacob’s Region)
- Holland Valley (John’s Region)
- Henbane River (Faith’s Region)
Jacob’s Region Hard Fishing Spots
- Chinook Salmon: Travel towards the northwest from the FANG Center and you’ll find this fishing spot on the banks of the river there.
- Golden Trout: It is right in the middle of Silver Lake, which is towards the west of Drubman Marina.
John’s Region Hard Fishing Spots
- Rainbow Trout: This hard fishing spot is on the bank to the left of the river which is right in the middle of the map.
- Pallid Sturgeon: Travel south from Rye & Son’s Aviation until you reach a river, and then make your way towards the east until the river splits into two. The river on the left is the hard fishing spot.
- Golden Trout: Travel south from Rye & Son’s Aviation until you reach a river, and then move slightly towards the west.
- Paddlefish Sturgeon: Travel south from the Seed Ranch Cult Outpost.
- Chinook Salmon: Up the river whose origin is at Clagett Bay.
- Lake Trout: From Rye & Son’s Aviation, move towards the southwest until you reach the part of the river which is behind the bridge.
Faith’s Region
- Rock Bass: In the river to the left of the Hope County Jail.
- Largemouth Bass: This fishing spot is on the southern section of the river that bends around Hope County Jail.
- Smallmouth Bass: Head towards the east from the Moonflower Trailer Park and you’ll find this fishing spot by a Clutch Nixon stunt point.
- Rainbow Trout: It is on the eastern shores of Silver Lake.
- Golden Trout: From the river at Hope County Jail, travel east to find this fishing spot
