Skyrim:Fishing (activity)

Fishing

The act of fishing has many variables that go into determining what you catch. The most important of these are the biome you are fishing in, the time of day, the population of fish at the fishing spot, the rod you are using, and any quests that you may have active.

Fishing can only be performed at designated fishing spots by activating the nearby Fishing Supplies while holding a Fishing Rod. You can purchase fishing maps to locate certain fishing spots.

Rarity and Size

Fish can be common, uncommon, or rare, and are also either large or small. Large fish are used as Food, and small fish are used as Ingredients. Unless using certain fishing rods, there is an equal chance of a fish being large or small. Junk also has common, uncommon, and rare rarities, with some drops differing depending on whether the fishing spot can contain Dwemer items. It is worth noting that "junk" also includes artifacts and valuables such as the Mentor's Ring or Enchanted items.

Time

The time of day is also important for catching fish. During the hours of 6am to 9am and 6pm to 9pm, fishing spots will have more fish in them before running dry. This peak time also reduces the odds of caught fish being of common rarity, and increases the odds of fish being uncommon or rare.

Population

A fishing spot's population is determined each day, and will typically have 5 or 6 fish. If you fish during peak hours, this increases to between 7 and 9 fish. As you empty the fishing spot of its fish, the odds of catching a fish decrease. If there are 4 or more fish left, there is a 90% chance of catching a fish and a 10% chance of catching a junk item. Once the fishing spot drops to 3 fish or fewer, these odds lower to 80% chance of catching a fish and 20% chance of catching junk. When the spot has dried up, there is of course a 0% chance of catching fish, and junk will be fished up every time.

Fishing Rods

The fishing rod used by you has one of the biggest effects on your fishing odds. Alik'ri and Argonian Fishing Rods decrease the chances of a caught fish being common and increases the chance of it being uncommon or rare. All rare fish also can only be caught by using a specific rod. If you are not using that rod when a rare fish is pulled, you will receive the notification "You lost your catch." Alik'ri rods have an 80% chance of the fish being small and are required to catch Angelfish and Lyretail Anthias, while the Argonian rods have an 80% chance of the catch being large and are required to catch Angler and Scorpion Fish. The Dwarven Fishing Rod increases the odds of catching junk over fish, and further decreases the chances of catching a fish when the population of a spot is at 3 or less. The Dwarven Fishing Rod also reduces the odds of caught junk being common to increase the chance of it being uncommon and rare.

All three specialist fishing rods are acquired during the various quests given by Viriya (Alik'ri and Dwarven rods) and Swims-In-Deep-Water (Argonian rod). Acquiring each rod by these means also gives you the ability to craft them yourself if you should lose or sell the original.

Biomes

There are 6 biomes that you can fish in. These are Freezing Waters, Underground, Temperate Lakes (Clear Weather), Temperate Lakes (Raining), Temperate Streams (Clear Weather), and Temperate Streams (Raining). These biomes determine what fish you can catch, and most fish are exclusive to a small number of biomes. This is also the only effect that the weather can have on fishing: determining the biome of temperate water sources. For example, a goldfish can be caught at a lake when the weather is clear, but cannot be caught when it is raining or at any other biome.

Freezing Waters

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Small	Abecean Longfin Angler Larvae	Juvenile Mudcrab	Junk
Large	Arctic Grayling	Arctic Char Cod	Angler

Underground

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Small	Silverside Perch	Histcarp	Junk
Large	Direfish Glass Catfish	Tripod Spiderfish Vampire Fish	Scorpion Fish

Temperate Lakes, Clear Weather

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Small	Abecean Longfin Glassfish Silverside Perch	Cyrodilic Spadetail Goldfish Juvenile Mudcrab Silverside Perch	Angelfish
Large	Salmon Slaughterfish	Brook Bass Carp	Junk

Temperate Lakes, Raining

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Small	Cyrodilic Spadetail	Abecean Longfin Glassfish Pearlfish Pygmy Sunfish	Angelfish
Large	Catfish	Salmon Slaughterfish	Junk

Temperate Streams, Clear Weather

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Small	River Betty	Histcarp Juvenile Mudcrab Spadefish	Lyretail Anthias
Large	Brook Bass Pogfish Salmon	Carp	Junk

Temperate Streams, Raining

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Small	River Betty Spadefish	Histcarp Juvenile Mudcrab Pearlfish	Lyretail Anthias
Large	Pogfish Salmon	Brook Bass Slaughterfish	Junk

†These fish require an Argonian Fishing Rod to be caught.

‡These fish require an Alik'ri Fishing Rod to be caught.

Catch Chances

The following tables include the catch chance of a fish/junk depending on rarity, time of day, and use of fishing rod. See population for the chance between catching a fish or junk.

If the player has a quest to fish an item from the fishing spot they're trying to fish at, there is a 50% chance that they catch their quest item. If they don't catch the quest item, their catch is calculated as normal.

Fish Rarity

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
	During regular hours
Regular Rod	75%	22%	3%
Alik'ri Rod	55%	35%	10%
Argonian Rod	55%	35%	10%
Dwarven Rod	75%	22%	3%
	During peak hours
Regular Rod	65%	27%	8%
Alik'ri Rod	45%	40%	15%
Argonian Rod	45%	40%	15%
Dwarven Rod	65%	27%	8%

Junk Rarity

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Regular Rod	65%	32%	3%
Alik'ri Rod	65%	32%	3%
Argonian Rod	65%	32%	3%
Dwarven Rod	35%	56%	9%

Junk Drops

When you catch a junk item, there is an equal chance of catching each item within its rarity. Rare Artifacts can only be caught once.

Standard

Most fishing locations will draw from these standard junk items.

Common

• Tankard
• Empty Wine Bottle
• Tongs
• Bucket
• Flagon
• Lantern

Uncommon

• Helmet, up to Ebony quality
• Boots, up to Dragonplate quality
• Alto Wine, Wine, or Ale
• Silver Goblet
• Troll Skull
• Ancient Nord weapon
• Mace, Sword, or War Axe, up to Daedric quality

Rare

• Denstagmer's Ring
• Mentor's Ring
• Ring of Kynareth
• Ring of Phynaster
• Ring of the Wind
• Random enchanted ring
• Random enchanted one-handed weapon
• Random enchanted boots up to Daedric quality
• Random enchanted helmet up to Daedric quality

Dwarven

There are five fishing spots that will draw from a special Dwemer junk item pool instead of regular junk items.

• Blackreach (map)
•  Bronze Water Cave — Both spots (map)
•  Deep Folk Crossing (map)
•  Markarth — The waterfall next to the Warrens (map)

Common

• Dwemer Cog or Dwemer Gear
• Dwemer Gyro
• Bent Dwemer Scrap Metal
• Dwemer Scrap Metal
• Dwemer Cup

Uncommon

• Large Dwemer Strut
• Solid Dwemer Metal
• Dwarven weapon
• Dwarven Boots
• Dwarven Helmet

Rare

• Denstagmer's Ring
• Mentor's Ring
• Ring of Kynareth
• Ring of Phynaster
• Ring of the Wind
• Random enchanted ring
• Enchanted one-handed Dwarven weapon
• Enchanted Dwarven Boots
• Enchanted Dwarven Helmet

†These items can only be caught once. When caught, they are removed from the potential drop pool.

Fishing Locations

Fishing Supplies

There are a total of 69 fishing spots along Skyrim's many bodies of water (see Notes).

• 23 Freezing Waters, in the frozen north of Skyrim and Solstheim, many along the shore of the Sea of Ghosts
• 11 Underground, all located in various caves and subterranean areas
• 11 Lake mainly along Lake Honrich and Lake Ilinalta
• 24 Stream on many of Skyrim's rivers

The fishing spots, called Fishing Supplies, can be hard to find, especially when they are out in the wilderness and not at obvious locations, like a pier.

Fishing maps can be bought from merchants or found in game, with one map per region being available. They work similar to treasure maps, giving a rough idea of where some of the fishing spots are.

Location	Biome	Body of Water	Region	Description	Map	Image
Bronze Water Cave (map)	Freezing Waters	Lake Yorgrim (map)	The Pale	South of the entrance to Bronze Water Cave, right next to the Aetherium Dynamo Actuator. The quest Beneath Bronze WatersCC will lead you here. This is a fishing spot that allows catching dwarven junk.	Map
Bronze Water Cave (map)	Freezing Waters	Lake Yorgrim (map)	The Pale	Southeast of the entrance to Bronze Water Cave, next to the second Aetherium Dynamo Actuator. The quest Beneath Bronze WatersCC will lead you here. This is a fishing spot that allows catching dwarven junk.	Map
Skaal VillageDB (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	SolstheimDB	Eastern shore of Solstheim, north of Skaal Village.	Map
Haknir's ShoalDB (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	SolstheimDB	On the little island where Haknir's Shoal is located, on the southwestern shore.	Map
Bujold's RetreatDB (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	SolstheimDB	East of Bujold's Retreat on the pier.	Map
Northshore LandingDB (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	SolstheimDB	Northern shore of Northshore Landing, east of the ship.	Map
Raven RockDB (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	SolstheimDB	Southern tip of the short pier in Raven Rock.	Map
Damphall MineDB (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	SolstheimDB	West of Damphall Mine, on the tongue of land next to the boat.	Map
Fort DawnguardDG (map)	Freezing Waters	Lake at  Fort DawnguardDG (map)	The Rift	Northern tip of the frozen lake near Fort Dawnguard, east of the passage from The Rift.	Map
Deepwood Vale (map)	Freezing Waters	Lake in  Deepwood Vale (map)	The Reach	Inside Deepwood Vale, on the southwestern shore of the central island, just south of the bridge leading to Deepwood Redoubt. You need to pass through either Deepwood Redoubt or Hag's End to reach the vale.	Map
Orphan's Tear (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	Haafingar	Northeast of the Orphan's Tear wreck, on the western shore of the peninsula, close to the small boat.	Map
Castle VolkiharDG (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	Haafingar	On the pier right next to the boat where you arrive at Castle Volkihar.	Map
Wreck of the Winter War (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	Winterhold	Inside the Wreck of the Winter War, on the lower deck of the eastern broken half.	Map
Wreck of the Winter War (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	Winterhold	Northwest of the Wreck of the Winter War, directly east of Snow Veil Sanctum, next to a boat on the eastern shore of a long peninsula.	Map
Wreck of The Pride of Tel Vos (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	Winterhold	On the shore north of the Wreck of The Pride of Tel Vos, next to a smaller boat.	Map
Windhelm (map)	Freezing Waters	White River (map)	Eastmarch	On The North Wind, which is a ship docked at the northern pier in Windhelm port.	Map
Windhelm (map)	Freezing Waters	White River (map)	Eastmarch	On the southern pier in Windhelm port.	Map
Anga's Mill (map)	Freezing Waters	River Yorgrim (map)	The Pale	At Anga's Mill, directly south of Anga's Mill Common House.	Map
Pilgrim's Trench (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	Winterhold	Directly south of the wreck of the Pilgrim's Trench, next to a boat.	Map
Nightgate Inn (map)	Freezing Waters	Lake at  Nightgate Inn (map)	The Pale	East of Nightgate Inn at the small lake, north of the small pier.	Map
Hela's Folly (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	Winterhold	On the shore directly south of Hela's Folly, next to the big campfire.	Map
Dawnstar (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	The Pale	In Dawnstar, directly in front of The Mortar and Pestle and Beitild's House.	Map
Dawnstar (map)	Freezing Waters	Sea of Ghosts (map)	The Pale	West of Dawnstar, north of Windward Ruins. The quest Crustacean ExterminationCC will first lead you here. This is also the location of the final fishing main quest, Wave BreakerCC.	Map
Shadowgreen Cavern (map)	Underground	Inside  Shadowgreen Cavern (map)	Haafingar	Entering Shadowgreen Cavern, follow the short path down until you come to a river. Follow the river to a small lake. The fishing spot is next to the hunter's body.	Map
Great Lift at Alftand (map)	Underground	Inside Blackreach (map)	Winterhold	Enter Blackreach through the Great Lift at Alftand. Follow the path northwest, past Sinderion's Field Laboratory, until you hit the small lake with several waterfalls. The fishing spot is right at the lake shore. This is a fishing spot that allows catching dwarven junk.	Map
Broken Oar Grotto (map)	Underground	Inside  Broken Oar Grotto (map)	Haafingar	After entering Broken Oar Grotto, climb up the wooden ramps. As soon as you reach rock, the path splits. Turn to the left, and take the steep ramp up leading north. Keep heading north, back down another ramp, until you reach the wooden scaffolding leading down to the water. On the lowest level, there is a boat on the scaffolding, leaning up against a ramp. The fishing spot is right next to it.	Map
Lost Knife Hideout (map)	Underground	Inside  Lost Knife Hideout (map)	Eastmarch	Enter Lost Knife Cave. Follow the small stream until it opens up to a huge cave. Cross over the natural bridge to the central island. Pass the wooden structure on the left, then turn right and walk down the natural rock ramp on the backside. The fishing spot is at the bottom.	Map
Darkshade (map)	Underground	Inside  Darkshade (map)	Falkreath Hold	Head into Darkshade. Keep to the left and follow the natural progression through the cave. You eventually reach a larger cave with a small pond that is fed from a waterfall. The fishing spot is on the northern edge of the lake.	Map
Embershard Mine (map)	Underground	Inside  Embershard Mine (map)	Falkreath Hold	Descend into Embershard Mine. Progress to the very end; in the last room, there is a small pond with a waterfall. The fishing spot is close to the foot of the waterfall.	Map
Reachwater Rock (map)	Underground	Inside  Reachwater Rock (map)	The Reach	After entering Reachwater Rock, follow the path down to the small stream, and then further until you reach a little lake. The fishing spot is right at the start of the lake.	Map
Damphall MineDB (map)	Underground	Inside  Damphall MineDB (map)	SolstheimDB	Inside Damphall Mine, descend until you come upon the first body of water. Swim across to the waterfall, and either go directly down into the second lake, or exit and walk around the side path and then walk down the wooden ramp. The fishing spot is on the wooden structure, at the second, lower body of water.	Map
Chillwind Depths (map)	Underground	Inside  Chillwind Depths (map)	Hjaalmarch	Just walk straight into Chillwind Depths, until you hit a wall. The fishing spot is in the little alcove.	Map
Dead Drop FallsDG	Underground	Inside Dead Drop FallsDG	The Rift	Travel to Fort Dawnguard and enter the castle. Proceed to Dead Drop Falls at the southern end. Inside the cave, jump down the waterfall. Exit the lake you land in at the northern end. The fishing spot is left of the two large braziers.	Map
Brood Cavern (map)	Underground	Inside  Brood Cavern (map)	Hjaalmarch	Walk straight ahead into Brood Cavern against the flow of the stream. The fishing spot is on your left once the cave opens up a bit more, shortly before you reach the waterfall.	Map
Geirmund's Hall (map)	Lake	Lake Geir (map)	The Rift	On the eastern shore of the island where Geirmund's Hall is located.	Map
Shriekwind Bastion (map)	Lake	Lake Ilinalta (map)	Falkreath Hold	On the island close to the southern shore of Lake Ilinalta, northeast of Shriekwind Bastion.	Map
Brittleshin Pass (map)	Lake	Lake Ilinalta (map)	Falkreath Hold	On the pier into Lake Ilinalta directly south of Brittleshin Pass.	Map
Half-Moon Mill (map)	Lake	Lake Ilinalta (map)	Falkreath Hold	On the shore of Lake Ilinalta, northeast of Half-Moon Mill.	Map
Ilinalta's Deep (map)	Lake	Lake Ilinalta (map)	Falkreath Hold	On the northwestern tip of Lake Ilinalta, halfway between Ilinalta's Deep and Moss Mother Cavern.	Map
Stony Creek Cave (map)	Lake	Lake at  Stony Creek Cave (map)	Eastmarch	On the pier on the southern shore of the tiny lake next to Stony Creek Cave.	Map
Riften Fishery (map)	Lake	Lake Honrich (map)	The Rift	On the middle pier into Lake Honrich west of the Riften Fishery.	Map
Black-Briar Meadery (map)	Lake	Lake Honrich (map)	The Rift	On the northwest corner of the pier outside Black-Briar Meadery.	Map
Honeyside (map)	Lake	Lake Honrich (map)	The Rift	On the pier west outside Honeyside next to the boat. You must own this property and have upgraded the porch before the Fishing Supplies will appear.	Map
Heartwood Mill (map)	Lake	Lake Honrich (map)	The Rift	On the shore east of Heartwood Mill.	Map
Faldar's Tooth (map)	Lake	Lake Honrich (map)	The Rift	On the pier east of Faldar's Tooth.	Map
Markarth (map)	Stream	Inside  Markarth (map)	The Reach	Enter Markarth. Immediately turn left, and follow the stream down the waterfall. The fishing spot is on the right at the foot of the waterfall, next to the entrance to The Warrens. The quest Private LessonsCC will lead you here. This is a fishing spot that allows catching dwarven junk.	Map
The Guardian Stones (map)	Stream	White River (map)	Falkreath Hold	Travel to The Guardian Stones and walk past them down to the small hunter camp at the river. The fishing spot is next to the boat.	Map
Movarth's Lair (map)	Stream	Drajkmyr Marsh	Hjaalmarch	Travel to Movarth's Lair. Head northwest down to the closest body of water, then follow the shore directly west. The fishing spot is next to the three Swamp Fungal Pods.	Map
Morthal (map)	Stream	River Hjaal (map)	Hjaalmarch	Go to Falion's House in Morthal. When in front of the house, walk past it on the northern side, and head directly east. The fishing spot is on the northern shore of the River Hjaal. Alternatively, you can travel to MyrwatchCC, and head directly northwest from the entrance. The quest No ContestCC will lead you here.	Map
Reachcliff Cave (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	The Reach	Travel to Reachcliff Cave. Turn around and follow the path down the mountain until you hit the main road, across from the double bridge leading to Karthspire. Turn right, facing east, and walk down to the river. The fishing spot is on a rocky outcropping. The quest Spirits AwayCC will lead you here.	Map
Riften (map)	Stream	Inside  Riften (map)	The Rift	Go down to the canal flowing through Riften. The fishing spot is next to the walkway leading to Marise Aravel's House.	Map
Lost Valley Redoubt (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	The Reach	Travel to Bard's Leap Summit, and jump down into the pool below. The fishing spot is on the northeastern edge.	Map
Morthal (map)	Stream	River Hjaal (map)	Hjaalmarch	Travel to Morthal. Go to Falion's House, then turn north and walk to the end of the pier, where the fishing spot is located.	Map
Swindler's Den (map)	Stream	River Hjaal (map)	Whiterun Hold	Travel to Swindler's Den. Turn north, and walk until you reach a tiny stream flowing east. Follow it until you drop down into a small lake, south of an island. Cross the lake towards the east, where the fishing spot is located on the shore.	Map
Solitude Sawmill (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	Haafingar	Go to the Solitude Sawmill. Turn south and walk towards the river, then turn east and walk along the shore, towards the moored Red Wave. The fishing spot is about halfway along the path, next to a campfire. You can continue down the same path to find a second fishing spot at the end of a short pier.	Map
Solitude Sawmill (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	Haafingar	Go to the Solitude Sawmill. Turn south and walk towards the river, then turn east and walk along the shore, towards the moored Red Wave. The fishing spot is at the end of the path, on the pier. You will pass another fishing spot, next to a campfire, on your way.	Map
East Empire Company Warehouse (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	Haafingar	Travel to the East Empire Company Warehouse south of Solitude. Walk out on the pier to the south, towards the Red Wave (the large moored ship). The fishing spot is at the end of the pier close to the ramp leading up to the Red Wave.	Map
Crabber's Shanty (map)	Stream	River Hjaal (map)	Hjaalmarch	Travel to the Crabber's Shanty. The fishing spot is directly east of the hut.	Map
Chillwind Depths (map)	Stream	River Hjaal (map)	Hjaalmarch	Travel to Chillwind Depths. Turn around and walk away towards the east, following the path until you reach the small hunter camp. The fishing spot is south of the boat on the shore.	Map
Dragon Bridge (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	Haafingar	The fishing spot is west of the Dragon Bridge Lumber Camp sawmill, next to the small waterfall.	Map
Salvius Farm (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	The Reach	Travel to Salvius Farm. Turn east and walk down to the bridge, then turn north towards Solitude and Karthwasten and follow the road. At the first tree on your right, walk down to the river, where you will find the fishing spot.	Map
Deep Folk Crossing (map)	Stream	Karth River (map)	The Reach	Travel to Deep Folk Crossing. Don't walk up to the ruins on your left, instead directly follow the river to your right. The fishing spot is immediately at the foot of the large cascade. This is a fishing spot that allows catching dwarven junk.	Map
Mixwater Mill (map)	Stream	White River (map)	Eastmarch	At Mixwater Mill, head to the eastern riverbank. Find the fishing spot south of the Worker's House, and north of the sawmill, next to the wood chopping block.	Map
Darkwater Crossing (map)	Stream	Darkwater River (map)	Eastmarch	Travel to Darkwater Crossing and head towards the mine entrance to your east. You will see a large campfire and four tents to your right. Turn south and walk past the tents; the fishing spot is down by the river.	Map
Ivarstead (map)	Stream	Darkwater River (map)	The Rift	Travel to Ivarstead. Go to the southwestern edge of the settlement, behind Vilemyr Inn, and walk down to the fishing spot at the river shore.	Map
Chillfurrow Farm (map)	Stream	White River (map)	Whiterun Hold	After arriving at Chillfurrow Farm, walk directly east, cross the street going north from Whiterun, down to the White River. The fishing spot is exactly east of the Chillfurrow Farm main building.	Map
Riverwood (map)	Stream	White River (map)	Whiterun Hold	Exit Riverwood through the northeast gate, towards Whiterun. The fishing spot is to your left before the bridge.	Map
Riverside Shack (map)	Stream	Darkwater River (map)	Eastmarch	The fishing spot is immediately next to the Riverside Shack, to the southwest.	Map
Kynesgrove (map)	Stream	Darkwater River (map)	Eastmarch	Exit Kynesgrove to the northwest. Hop over the low wall next to the crossing and continue downhill to the sawmill. The fishing spot is southwest of the sawmill, at the foot of the cascade.	Map

Notes

• A 70th fishing spot exists in the Marker Storage Unit which is named for Dead Man's Dread but does not appear in that location.
• In the data, Freezing Waters fishing types are also referred to as Arctic, and Underground as Caves types.
• When you catch rare fish or items, a sound effect plays. This sound effect is the same one you hear when starting a new game from the main menu.

Bugs

• Sometimes, when reeling in your rod, the animation never completes, freezing the player in place.
  • This can sometimes be resolved by using the wait function.
  • You can also try saving the game and loading again.
• When you start the sequence, no animation happens and you won't know when to pull the rod back. ^?

See Also

• Fish Hatchery — A player-built hatchery at Windstad Manor that can be used to farm fish and other aquatic creatures.