Tales of the Shire fishing guide

Want to know everything there is to know about Tales of the Shire fishing? This activity is essential for creating tasty recipes, such as crispy fish pie and the Bywater signature dish, for all your new hobbit friends. So here's where to find specific fish in Tales of the Shire.

If you've just started out in Tales of the Shire, or perhaps you're looking to unlock more fishing locations to catch new fish to satisfy your guests' cravings, here's everything you need to know about how to fish in the crafting game, where to fish, and how to upgrade your fishing rod.

How to fish in Tales of the Shire

If you follow the main campaign, you're quickly introduced to Old Noakes, a grumpy fisherman who lives in a quaint shack beneath the stone bridge. After a bit of back and forth, Old Noakes gifts you with a fishing rod and asks you to catch a few different fish for him. Once successful, he lets you keep the rod, and Old Noakes later becomes the leader of the fishing club.

To fish, you need to go to one of the following fishing locations and equip your fishing rod. Look for the ripples of water and the shadows of fish beneath the surface, then cast your net near the fish, and a question mark should appear near one of the fish. Once they take the bait, you can slowly reel them in. This does cause tension on the fishing line, so you need to ease off if the circle turns red; otherwise, you'll lose the catch!

All fishing locations

There are three fishing locations available at the beginning of the game, but more can be unlocked throughout. At these locations, you can catch Stone Loach, Dawn Dace, Honeyed Chub, Bywater Bleak, Blue-finned Gudgeon, and Ruffe.

Old Ruby's Pond

This is the closest pond to your house and the first location you're shown how to fish at. You can find Old Ruby's Pond just north of your hobbit hole. It's quite small, so don't expect too many fish to be about.

Tree Root Pool

This fishing spot can be found deep within the forest. You need to head over the fallen tree trunk to access it, but it's a large body of water found at the bottom of the waterfall, and the place where you can solve one of Nora's riddles!

Old Stone Bridge Pool

This is where you meet Old Noakes, in his little fishing shack next to the harbor. The location is nestled beneath the old stone bridge, and you need to take the stone staircase down and under the bridge to get to this spot.

How to unlock fishing locations

You can unlock more fishing locations by increasing your friendship level with different villagers.

Ladle's Jetty

This fishing location isn't available at the beginning of the game, but you can unlock it by reaching Level 3 friendship with Nefi, a dwarf blacksmith who works from a hut around the back of the village square. If you complete a tales quest for Nefi, which involves listening to one of her stories, she unlocks her jetty for you. It's located right next to Nefi's hut, and it's affectionately named after her pet duck, Ladle.

Additional fishing spots can be unlocked when you reach Level 10 friendship with Old Noakes and Level 6 friendship with Orlo.

How to upgrade your fishing rod

Once you've completed enough of the campaign to set up the fishing club, Old Noakes sets you club missions. These missions can be found on a club notice board in the Ivy Bush Inn. They usually entail catching five or so of any given fish. If you complete enough of these missions, you go up a level in the fishing club, with a max of five levels. Each level offers an upgrade to the fishing rod. Simply talk to Old Noakes when you go up a level.

That's how to fish in Tales of the Shire. If you're cooking up a storm for your guests, here's how to unlock new areas and how to help disgruntled townsfolk in your village.