Most players boot up Monster Hunter Wilds ready to chase giant, fire-breathing monsters across sprawling biomes, and it’s easy to write off small side activities like fishing as a waste of hunt time. But anyone who’s skipped this mechanic has missed out on some of the most consistent, game-changing rewards in the entire game. If you’re still confused how to fish in Monster Hunter Wilds, this guide breaks down everything from basic controls to hidden spots that drop exclusive endgame materials you can’t get from slaying monsters alone.
How to Fish in Monster Hunter Wilds: Basic Controls and Setup
You’ll unlock the basic fishing rod automatically after completing your first two-star outpost quest, so you don’t have to grind any special challenges to access the mechanic. Open your item menu to add the rod to your quick item wheel, and you can pull it out any time you’re near a body of water that shows a small fish icon when you hover over it on your map. Once you get the hang of the timing, how to fish in Monster Hunter Wilds feels far more intuitive than it did in previous entries in the series.
To cast, hold down the use button to aim your line, and release when your reticle is over the spot you want to drop your bait. Don’t reel in the second you see the bobber wiggle—wait for it to dip fully under the water, and you’ll feel a small controller vibration if you’re playing on console. Press the reel button once at that exact moment, and you’ll hook your catch immediately. I wasted 10 stacks of bait my first hour fishing because I reeled at the first tiny movement, so don’t make that same mistake.
If you hook a larger rare fish, you’ll have to follow the on-screen prompts to tilt your stick left or right to avoid snapping your line. You don’t need special upgraded rods for any fish in the base game, so you never have to spend extra zenny or materials to improve your gear as you progress to higher rank hunts.
Best Bait Types for Every Fishing Spot in MH Wilds
You can fish without any bait at all if you’re just trying to grind common materials fast, but using the right bait cuts your wait time in half and drastically reduces your chance of catching junk like old boots or rusted scrap metal. You can buy basic bait from the outpost supply merchant for 10 zenny each, or craft higher tier bait from materials you collect while exploring. These are the three bait types you’ll use 90% of the time:
- Standard Insect Bait: Unlocked automatically with your fishing rod, this works for all common fish species in every starting region. It’s perfect for stocking up on basic cooking ingredients for everyday meal buffs before low and mid-rank hunts.
- Glowworm Bait: Crafted from firefly parts collected in forest regions after dark, this bait attracts bioluminescent fish that drop water-resistant crafting materials required for most mid-tier armor sets built for aquatic monster fights.
- Scented Fish Bait: Made from small monster meat and low-rank monster dung, this bait draws in large, rare fish that are required for high-tier meal buffs and endgame weapon decoration slots you can’t unlock anywhere else.
You don’t have to hoard rare bait for special occasions. Glowworms are incredibly easy to farm if you spend 10 minutes running around the Verdant Thicket at night, and you’ll usually get more than enough scented bait materials as a byproduct of regular monster hunts. So don’t be afraid to use them whenever you find a good fishing spot.
Hidden Fishing Spots You’re Probably Missing
Not all fishing spots are marked on your main map, and some only spawn during specific weather conditions or times of day. Taking the time to track these down will get you access to fish that can cut hours off your endgame gear grind, so it’s well worth exploring off the beaten path when you have a few extra minutes between hunts.
One of the most useful unmarked spots is the small pond hidden behind the large waterfall in the northern section of the Verdant Thicket. I stumbled on it completely by accident when I was running from an enraged Rathian my first playthrough, and it’s the only consistent spawn point for Golden Carp in the base game. Cook one of these with a basic spice combo, and you’ll get a 30% attack buff that lasts for 30 full minutes, which is a game-changer for long elder dragon fights.
Another underrated spot is the ice fishing holes that pop up in the Frostpeaks Tundra only during blizzard conditions. The fish you catch there drop cold resistance materials that let you craft armor that completely eliminates stamina drain in cold biomes, so you don’t have to waste item slots on hot drinks during winter hunts. If you ever see groups of small flying fish jumping out of coastal water, that’s a temporary hotspot that gives 3x the catch rate for 5 minutes, so drop whatever you’re doing to fish there if you spot it.
How to Turn Your Catches Into Game-Changing Buffs and Materials
A lot of players skip fishing because they don’t realize just how valuable their catches are, especially as you move into high-rank content. Even 10 minutes of fishing before a big hunt can give you buffs that make the fight feel far easier, and some rare gear pieces can only be crafted if you have specific fish materials on hand.
Meal buffs from cooked fish are far more consistent than buffs from random monster meat, because you know exactly what effect you’ll get every time. For example, Sparkle Tuna gives you a flat 20% stamina boost for the entire duration of a hunt, which is perfect for fights that require lots of dodging and running. Unlike monster meat, fish never spoils if you keep it in your item box, so you can stock up on rare catches before you even unlock high-rank content.
Crafting materials from fish scales are required for more than 30 mid and high-tier armor sets in the base game, and most of these scales don’t drop from any monster kill. For example, the popular aquatic resistance armor set needed for the endgame Lagiacrus fight requires 12 Iridescent Fish Scales, which you can only get from fishing in coastal biomes with glowworm bait.
Tradeable rare fish can also be given to the wandering outpost merchant in exchange for exclusive reward, including rare decoration slots, buddy outfit pieces, and even extra inventory space for your item box. If you catch extra rare fish you don’t need for crafting or cooking, you can also sell them for a huge amount of zenny, which is a great way to make extra cash for new weapon upgrades fast.
Fishing doesn’t have to be a boring chore you skip to get back to hunting big monsters, even if you only care about endgame content. Even a few minutes of casting a line between hunts can net you buffs and materials that make every subsequent fight feel far easier, and there’s something surprisingly relaxing about taking a break from the chaos of monster fights to sit by a quiet pond. If you’re still figuring out how to fish in Monster Hunter Wilds, start small with standard insect bait in the starting river near the first outpost, and work your way up to rare hidden spots as you unlock more bait recipes. Next time you’re waiting for your friends to join your hunt lobby, take a minute to cast a line—you might be surprised what you pull up.