Dinkum Fishing Guide | How to Catch All Fish

In our Dinkum fishing guide we’ll go over how the fishing mechanics work in Dinkum, some tips and tricks to help get you started and a guide to what types of fish there are in the game.

Updated to include fish added via patches during Early Access.

How Does Fishing Work?

To start fishing in Dinkum, you’ll need to get a fishing rod from John’s shop. This can be purchased regardless of whether he’s at the tent or you’ve moved him into a permanent building. Then, head on out to your nearest body of water, either ocean or freshwater inland. Make sure you can see fish before you start fishing, so choose a good spot that has several of them swimming around.

As with critter catching, make sure you clear the area of any predators before you start, as you wouldn’t want your relaxing fishing session interrupted by an emu attack.

Aim the fishing rod in the direction of the fish you’d like to catch and try and get the bobber as close as possible. Fish aren’t attracted to the fishing rod and tend not to come to you, so you’ll have to get the bobber to them. The distance that you cast the fishing rod depends on how long you hold for, and while there is no meter on screen that shows how far it will go, you’ll get a good sense of it after repeating the process a few times.

Now, you’ve found a spot, cast the fishing rod and gotten the bobber close to a fish. When a fish actually takes the bait and nibbles on the line, there are two different types of nibbles. There’s a light, quick nibble that you won’t be able catch, and a more dramatic nibble where the bobber will disappear underwater. Once it disappears, you’ll want to press to reel in the fish.

When a fish is thrashing around on the end of the line, let it thrash. If you try and reel them in while they’re fighting, you’ll break the line and lose the fish. Once it stops fighting, resume reeling it in. You may have to repeat this process a few times to properly tire the fish out and finally pull it out of the water.

Fishing Tips and Tricks

• Sharks do not count as fish, but can still grab onto the bobber. Reeling them in will stun them briefly, giving you time to attack.
• Those blue globs that you see floating around in the water are, in fact, jellyfish. They can't be caught, but drop Jelly when killed.
• If you see something at the bottom of the whater, chances are it’s a critter, not a fish. You need to get in the water and dive to collect them.
• Fishing level 5 and 10 unlock Licenses that let you make Copper and Iron fishing rods. Better rods let you reel in fish faster.

Fish List

Here's a list of Dinkum Fish. For times, Morning lasts until 11AM. Night is dependent on Season, starting as early as 6PM in Winter, and 9PM in Summer.

The Ocean biome is also split into North and South versions, though both look the same. Some fish are caught in both, while others are exclusive to one side of the island.

If you want an easier time finding specific fish, the Fish Book can be bought from the Museum after donating enough animals. When used, this will show the name and selling price of nearby fish — ones you haven't already caught are marked as "????"

What Can You Do With Fish?

There are a couple of options for things that you can do with fish in Dinkum. Some fish can be used in cooking, either on their own or as part of a dish. And once Theodore joins the town he'll accepts donations for his museum, taking Fish along with Bugs and Critters.

Fish can also be sold to John for various prices at his shop, whether he’s in the tent or a permanent building. Additionally, it’s good to keep a few fish handy as they can be used in requests from other characters.

That's it for our Dinkum Fishing guide! Check out more guides below: