How to start fishing and land your first catches

Get Willy’s free Bamboo Pole, learn to steady the green catch bar, then try an easy Spring fish. If the starting bar is frustrating, the 25g Training Rod gives you more room to practise. This guide covers ordinary rod fishing with unmodded 1.6 mechanics.

Get your first rod

Read Willy’s letter on Spring 2 and follow the To The Beach invitation. Visit the beach south of town before 5pm to receive the Bamboo Pole in his cutscene. You do not need to buy your first pole. To The Beach, Bamboo Pole

Willy’s Fish Shop is on the Beach docks. Its usual selling hours are 9am–5pm. On non-rainy Saturdays the building opens, but Willy does not sell supplies; festivals can also change availability. Fish Shop

Willy’s shop is marker 4, at the end of the Beach docks.

Cast, hook and control the bar

1. Face the water. Hold Use Tool to charge the cast, then release.
2. Wait for the bite signal: a moving bobber, an exclamation mark and a sound. Press Use Tool to hook it.
3. Keep the fish icon inside the green bar. The meter on the right fills while the fish is inside and falls while it is outside. Fill it to catch the fish; an empty meter means the fish escapes.
4. Hold to lift the bar and release to let it fall. Short presses help keep it steady. Long holds build momentum, so ease off before you overshoot.

Aim for a few successful catches before chasing perfect catches or treasure. The clock pauses during the catch minigame in single-player, but not during every fishing animation. It continues in multiplayer. Fishing controls

Pick a Spring practice target

These three fish are eligible for the Training Rod. Their listed conditions tell you where to try, not what every cast will catch.

Fish	Spring location	Time	Weather	Difficulty
Carp	Mountain Lake	Any time	Any	15
Sardine	Ocean	6am–7pm	Any	30
Sunfish	Pelican Town or Cindersap Forest river	6am–7pm	Sunny or windy	30

Carp’s low difficulty makes it a useful first target. If you are already at the Beach, try Sardines while their time window is open. For Sunfish, choose a sunny or windy Spring day. Carp, Sardine, Sunfish

Use the Training Rod when it helps

Below Fishing level 5, the Training Rod gives you the green bar size associated with level 5. It does not raise your actual skill to 5. You still earn fishing experience and collection credit.

Its limits are deliberate: only fish with difficulty below 50, only normal-quality catches, and no bait or tackle. Keep the Bamboo Pole for fish outside that restriction. Training Rod

Know what the next upgrade changes

Rod	Cost at Willy’s	Required Fishing level	Attachments
Training Rod	25g	None	Neither
Bamboo Pole replacement	500g	None	Neither
Fiberglass Rod	1,800g	2	Bait
Iridium Rod	7,500g	6	Bait and tackle

You can buy an unlocked rod without waiting for the next-day letter. Basic bait attaches from inventory to a compatible rod and reduces the wait for a bite. It does not win the minigame or guarantee a particular fish. Rod availability, Bait

If catches keep escaping, practise short presses or try the Training Rod. If the desired fish never appears, check its water, season, time, weather and rod eligibility. Buying a Fiberglass or Iridium Rod alone does not enlarge the catch bar; Fishing skill does. Fishing mechanics

Following standard Community Center bundles? Save one Carp, Sardine and Sunfish for their respective Lake, Ocean and River Fish Bundles. Remixed lists can differ. Fish bundles

Keep going

• Plan your first Spring crops
• Choose a town restoration route