Windrose Guide: How to Craft a Fishing Rod and Catch Every Fish

Quick Answer: Unlock the Simple Fishing Rod by gathering Hardwood in the Foothills biome. Upgrade your Workbench to Level 2 to craft it, then hit the deep waters to catch all 10 species. Landing every fish type rewards you with the Fisherman’s Ring, which permanently boosts your fishing yields.

Fishing in Windrose might look like a casual side hustle, but it is actually one of the most powerful survival mechanics in the game. Once you craft a rod and start pulling in daily catches, you can cook meals that offer significantly better buffs than basic hunted meat. Plus, you can fish straight off your boat while sailing.

Here is exactly how to unlock your rod, where to find every fish, and the best recipes to cook up your catch.

How to Get the Simple Fishing Rod

Don’t bother searching your menus for a rod recipe right out of the gate. The game hides it until you naturally progress into the second biome.

Once you reach the Foothills, simply chop down a tree and collect some Hardwood. The moment that wood hits your inventory, the Simple Fishing Rod recipe unlocks automatically. Before you can actually piece it together, you need to upgrade your home base Workbench to Level 2.

Here is what you need to craft the rod:

Pro Tip: Smelt your iron ingots before you try to use the workbench. It is also smart to gather extra Hardwood while you are out there. If you just barely survived a brutal island encounter, like the one we covered in our Windrose Guide: How to Complete Eyes Wide With Fear Quest, taking a relaxing fishing trip is the perfect way to safely rebuild your resource stash.

How Fishing Works

The actual fishing mechanic is incredibly straightforward. Just equip your Simple Fishing Rod, walk up to any body of water, and cast your line.

Keep your eyes glued to the bobber. When you see a large splash, hit the button to reel it in. If your timing is right, you bag a fish. If you look away and miss the window, the fish steals your bait and escapes. The absolute best part of this system is that you can cast a line while steering your ship. You never have to stop your exploration just to stock up on food.

All 10 Fish Species Locations

Windrose currently features 10 distinct fish species. Your basic common fish swim in any puddle or shoreline, but the rare and epic catches require you to sail out into deep waters.

Unlock the Fisherman’s Ring

Catching all 10 species is not just for bragging rights. Doing so rewards you with the Fisherman’s Ring. Equipping this accessory gives you a flat 15% chance to pull up an extra fish every single time you reel your line in. Fully upgraded, that bonus jumps to 30%.

Best Recipes for Fish Fillets

You cannot just eat a raw Blue Tang. You need to process your catches by right-clicking them in your inventory to turn them into Fish Fillets. Larger, epic-tier fish yield far more fillets than common ones.

Once you have a stack of fillets, take them to a cooking station to craft these powerful stat-boosting meals:

The Seafood Skewer is your best friend in the early game since it only demands a single fillet. Save the massive Seafood Platter for the late game when you have a dedicated deep-water fishing routine pulling in epic fish.

For more tips, strategies, and deep dives, check out our full collection of guides right here.