How to catch fish in Tears of the Kingdom

Trying to figure out how to fish in Tears of the Kingdom? Fishing has been a staple of the Zelda franchise, appearing in numerous entries over the years, so you might be curious about how it works in The Legend of Zelda TotK. We’ve got you covered with all the tips and information you need about how to easily catch fish. 

You’ll also want to learn how to dive in Tears of the Kingdom before you go searching for fish, and to get the most out of your catches it’ll be important to brush up on how to cook in Tears of the Kingdom. Fishing in Tears of the Kingdom is just like in Breath of the Wild for the most part, but if we encounter any other ways of catching fish in our playthrough, we’ll update you below.

How do you fish in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom? 

There are three main ways to catch fish in Tears of the Kingdom – and you won’t need any bait or a fishing pole. First thing’s first, you’ll need to find a lake or a nearby waterfall. Then, you can do one of the following:

• Shoot the fish with your bow
• Catch the fish by grabbing them
• Use explosives

Link can simply grab any fish from rivers or ponds if they’re swimming close enough to him by pressing the A button on the Nintendo Switch. There are plenty of ways to make the process quick and easy. 

If you don’t mind getting your hands a bit dirty, you can kill fish with a simple bow and arrow shot or an explosive. While the Bomb Rune from Breath of the Wild isn’t making a return, you can use the Tears of the Kingdom Fuse ability to tie a variety of different materials to your bow and arrow to create makeshift bomb arrows. A Ruby and arrow will do the trick, for example. 

Additionally, you can use the Tears of the Kingdom Ultrahand ability to create rafts which will make it much easier to traverse bigger ponds and rivers, so you don’t have to worry about expending a bunch of Link’s stamina just to get near fish. 

After catching some fish, you can either eat them raw or use them to make a variety of meals at your campfire. If you’re unsure of what meals to cook, check out our Tears of the Kingdom recipes guide. If you’re curious about the benefits of cooking over eating the raw ingredients, take a look at our breakdown on how to heal in Tears of the Kingdom so you can make the most of the fish you catch. Regardless, we always think it’s wise to have spare flint or two lying around just in case.