Fishing in Sword & Shield is pretty simple and straightforward as compared to other games in the franchise, you don’t even have to wait a while to get a fishing rod this time in the game. The only thing you need to be mindful of is timing. You get the ability to fish as soon as you acquire the camping set during your first visit to the wild area. We have compiled the perfect Pokemon Sword and Shield Fishing Guide for you to start catching some fish.
Pokemon Sword and Shield Fishing
As soon as you get to your home town and get the camping gear, head to the nearest place with water. That would be the Professor’s house. If you see a shadow underwater with a ripple, it’s most likely a Pokemon. You can just stand near the water’s edge and start fishing.
You can even go on the water with your bike to pick up items and go a bit deeper but avoid doing that as it will scare the Pokemon away and you won’t be able to catch them.
Once you reach the ripple, face it and press A to cast the line. Be patient and only reel it in once you feel it shaking. As soon as you see a “!” above your head, hit A again to start reeling it in. This happens instantaneously so if you miss the cue, you’ll lose your catch.
If you land the button press on time, you have to fight the Pokemon before you can properly catch it. Weaken it but don’t knock it out. Just get it vulnerable enough for you to throw the Pokeball at it and voila! You’ve caught yourself a water Pokemon!
While technically you have the Fishing Rod in your Key Items from the start of the game, you can’t fish till you reach proper water bodies in the Wild Area. After that, you can basically fish anywhere you spot bubbles and ripples in water.
You can even fish in large cities like Motostoke if you are tired of fishing in the wild.
