In Windrose, you dive into a PvE survival adventure set in the Age of Piracy, fighting on land and sea as you explore a dangerous open world. Our Windrose Fishing Guide shows you how to unlock fishing, where to find the best catches, and what to do with every fish you reel in. If you want more Fish Fillets, stronger food buffs, and fewer wasted casts, these tips will help you get started quickly.
Table of Contents
How to Unlock Fishing and Get the Fishing Rod
To unlock fishing in Windrose, you first need to progress through the main story until you reach the Foothills biome. This occurs after defeating Thomas Richards in the Revenge is Best Served Cold quest. That area is important because it gives you access to Hardwood, which is required for your first fishing rod.
You can obtain Hardwood by chopping down Divi Divi trees and saplings in the Foothills. As soon as you collect Hardwood for the first time, the game unlocks the related schematics, including the Simple Fishing Rod.
Before crafting it, make sure you have a Level 2 Workbench. For that, you need to build the Sawhorse upgrade in the Crafting & Utilities section of the building menu.
To craft the Simple Fishing Rod, you need:
- 5 Hardwood
- 3 Rope
- 2 Foothills Iron Ingots
If you don’t want to farm Hardwood yourself, there’s another option. In Tortuga, you can buy the Natural Resources Merchant contract from the People of Tortuga faction Provisioner. Once the merchant is set up at your base, you can order Hardwood directly.
Keep in mind:
- The delivery takes about 70 minutes in real time
- 10 crates of Hardwood cost 400 Piastres
That makes the merchant convenient but also expensive. In most cases, collecting Hardwood yourself in the Foothills is the better choice.
How Fishing Works in Windrose
Fishing in Windrose is very easy once you have your rod. Put the Fishing Rod on a hotkey, equip it, and left-click to cast into the water. You can fish from the shore or directly from your boat, so you’re not limited to land.
After casting, keep an eye on the bobber. A little movement is normal, so don’t reel in too soon. What you’re really waiting for is a clear splash when the fish bites. The moment that happens, left-click again to reel in your catch.
A few things to keep in mind:
- You can fish from shore or a boat
- You can even fish while your ship is moving
- Don’t react to every small bob; wait for the real bite instead
Fish Types Overview
There are currently 10 fish species in Windrose, and what you catch depends partly on where you’re fishing. The biome matters, but there’s also some randomness, so you can’t fully control the outcome every time.
These are all fish currently in the game:
- Uncommon: Blue Tang, Moon Angelfish, Pink Wrasse, Queen Angelfish, Reef Snapper, Sapphire Wrasse
- Rare: Emerald Bluefish, Red Snapper
- Epic: Giant Mackerel, Large Barracuda
A useful rule of thumb is that common fishing spots near the coast are better for basic catches, while deeper waters yield better rewards.
Fish found in the shallows:
- Blue Tang
- Moon Angelfish
- Queen Angelfish
- Pink Wrasse
- Sapphire Wrasse
- Reef Snapper
Fish found in deep water:
- Emerald Bluefish
- Red Snapper
- Giant Mackerel
- Large Barracuda
So if you’re only pulling in smaller fish, the problem may not be luck alone. Your fishing location matters, and heading into deeper waters gives you a better shot at the more valuable catches.
What to Do with the Fish You Caught
Right now, fish in Windrose have one main use: turning them into Fish Fillets. To do that, open your inventory and right-click the fish. Smaller fish yield fewer fillets, while rare and epic fish reward you with many more. That makes fishing especially useful if you want to cook stronger food buffs instead of just collecting fish for the sake of it.
Fish Fillets are used for these meals:
- Seafood Skewer
+5 Strength
Recipe: 1 Fish Fillet, 1 Crab Meat - Chowder
+10 Agility
Recipe: 3 Fish Fillets, 3 Sweet Potatoes, 2 Salt - Fish and Tostones
+10 Vitality
Recipe: 3 Fish Fillets, 3 Bananas, 2 Nuts - Seafood Platter
+20 Vitality
Recipe: 7 Fish Fillets, 4 Limes, 3 Crab Meat, 4 Salt
If you’re missing Salt, you can obtain it by boarding ships during naval combat or by buying it from the Brethren of the Coast Provisioner for 2 Piastres each.
There is also a reward for catching all 10 fish: the Fisherman’s Ring. It gives you a 15% chance to catch an extra fish, and the upgraded version increases that to 30%.
Make Fishing Easier with PLITCH!
If you want a more relaxed time on the water, PLITCH’s Windrose cheats can make the entire fishing loop much more convenient. The most useful options are Faster Ship Speed, Faster Movement Speed, and Fly/Hover Mode, which help you reach fishing spots faster and make it easier to move between shore, boat, and deeper waters. Unlimited Stamina is also great for exploring, especially if you’re constantly climbing, swimming, or traveling between biomes in search of better catches.
If you want to speed up progression in fishing, Free Item Use (Build & Craft) can help when preparing gear and base upgrades. At the same time, Set Item Amount (hovered in inventory) is useful for stocking up on cooking materials after processing your fish into fillets. That way, you can spend less time grinding and more time exploring Windrose and cooking the food buffs you want.
Check out this blog to learn more about PLITCH and our Windrose Trainer Showcase on YouTube, to see our cheats in action!
Happy Gaming!
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