Fishing and Trapping

Fishing and Trapping covers the hooks, lines, lures, nets and traps that turn rivers and woods into a food supply. Canned food runs out, but fish and small game come back every day. The Fishing skill decides how big the catch is. The Trapping skill decides how often a trap holds an animal. The Fishing Guide is the best occupation for fishing and trapping. It starts with the most Fishing skill. For Trapping, the Park Ranger starts strongest.

All Tools and Equipment Categories

Best Fishing and Trapping

The top pick for each role, by the game's own figures.

For	Name	Image	Stats	Spawn ID
Lightest	Key Ring - Bug		0.05 weight	/additem Base.KeyRing_Bug
Heaviest	Box Trap		5 weight	/additem Base.TrapBox

Fishing Gear

Fishing starts with a Fishing Rod or a Makeshift Fishing Rod. Each rod weighs 1.0. A rod needs a hook and a line. The Fishing Hook, the Forged Fishing Hook and the Bone Fishing Hook each weigh 0.05 and all work equally well. Nails or a Paperclip can stand in for a hook, but they give fewer bites. Fishing Line weighs 0.3 and Premium Fishing Line weighs 0.1. A Bobber weighs 0.1.

A rod also needs bait. Live bait such as a Worm, Maggots, crickets and grasshoppers works. So do flesh baits such as a fish fillet, Crayfish or small animal meat. Bread, dough, cheese and canned corn count as plant bait. The Jig Lure and the Minnow Lure are artificial lures. Each weighs 0.1, and the tooltip says to attach it to the rod before use. A lure is almost never lost, while live bait is often eaten. Higher Fishing skill keeps live bait on the hook longer.

A Fishing Net weighs 1.0. It catches small things instead of big fish: Little Bait Fish, frogs, Mussels, Seaweed, Crayfish and Tadpole. With bait in it, a net can also land a catfish. A Fishing Net (Broken) can be taken apart for its Wire.

Fishing

To fish, equip the rod, stand by water and cast at the spot. A tension meter then shows the fight. Reel in to pull the fish closer. Let the line out when the fish pulls hard, or the line may snap. Sometimes the line brings up Fishing Trash instead of a fish.

The bite rate changes with the conditions. Dawn and dusk give a bonus. Rain makes fish bite faster, while fog and strong wind slow them down. Very hot or very cold weather also cuts the bite rate. A bobber cast close to the shore halves the chance of medium and big fish. Cast well out into open water.

Fishing skill sets the size of the catch. At Fishing 0 almost every fish is small. At Fishing 10 big fish are the most common catch. Bigger fish also give more food. Fish that fill the rivers of Knox Country include the Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Paddlefish, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish and Flathead Catfish.

Chum weighs 0.5. Its tooltip explains that chum added to water attracts fish, and that fish bait mixed in makes it stronger.

Traps

Traps catch small animals while the survivor is elsewhere. Each trap is placed on the ground and baited. The game checks each trap every hour. When an animal is caught, the trap closes and holds it.

Each animal has a favourite trap. The Cage Trap is the best trap for rabbits, squirrels and raccoons. The Snare Trap, the Box Trap and the Crate Trap also catch them. The Stick Trap is the trap for birds. The Mouse Trap is the trap for mice and rats. The Mouse Trap weighs 0.3, the Snare Trap 0.5 and the Stick Trap 1.0. The Box Trap, the Cage Trap and the Crate Trap each weigh 5.0.

Rabbits, squirrels and raccoons only walk into traps between 7 PM and 5 AM. Birds, mice and rats can be caught at any hour. Place traps in forests, where small game is far more common than in town. Deep forest is best of all.

Bait matters as much as the trap. Rabbits and raccoons like carrots, lettuce, cabbage and bell peppers. Squirrels like peanut butter, cereal and peanuts. Birds go for worms, insects and bread. Mice and rats prefer cheese. Bait can be stolen, and a weak trap can break. A caught animal makes noise that draws nearby zombies, so check traps often. A rabbit can even be caught alive.

Skill and Leveling

Fishing experience comes from landing a catch. The Fishing Guide occupation starts with Fishing 3. The Angler and Former Scout traits each add Fishing 1. Skill books run from Fishing I: "Dean's Good Fishing Guide" for levels 1 to 2 up to Fishing V: "The Authoritative Kentucky Fishing Guide" for levels 9 to 10.

Trapping experience comes from collecting animals from traps. Only the survivor who placed the trap gets the experience. The Park Ranger occupation starts with Trapping 1. The Hiker trait adds Trapping 1. Skill books run from Trapping I: "Basic Pest Control" up to Trapping V: "The Encyclopedia of Applied Animal Psychology". Higher Trapping raises the chance that a trap holds something.

Crafting

Make Fishing Rod turns a Wooden Rod, Fishing Line and a hook into a Makeshift Fishing Rod. A knife is kept as the tool. Fix Fishing Rod puts a new line and hook on a Fishing Rod without Line. Make Fishing Net uses Twine and Wire. Magazine: Angler USA - June 1993 teaches the rod, the repair and the chum recipe. Magazine: Angler USA - May 1993 teaches the net. The Angler and Former Scout traits know the rod and chum recipes from the start.

Hooks can be made too. Carve Bone Fishing Hook needs Carving 5 and a Sharp Bone Fragment. Forge 4 Fishing Hooks needs Blacksmithing 3 and a forge. A Box of Fishing Hooks opens into loose hooks.

Make Stick Trap uses a Wooden Rod and Twine. Make Snare Trap needs Trapping 1, a Plank and Twine. Make Box Trap needs Carpentry 1, Trapping 2, Plank and Nails. Make Cage Trap needs Trapping 3, Wire and pliers. Make Crate Trap uses Plank and Nails. Magazine: Small Game Hunting, Magazine: The Hunter and Magazine: Wildlife Preserve teach the trap recipes. The Park Ranger occupation and the Hunter trait know them all.

Locations

Rods, hooks, lures, lines and nets fill fishing lockers, fishing crates and fishing store shelves. Survival gear stashes hold them too. Cage and snare traps come from trapper stashes and ranger tool boxes. Mouse traps turn up in kitchen food stashes in safehouses and hoarder homes.

Notes

• A Fish Roe Sac and Fish Guts both weigh 0.1 and come from cleaning fish.
• Specimen cases and Plumpabug the Aphid also file under this group, but they are collector items.
• The Hunter trait also teaches Make Stag Head Trophy.

All Fishing and Trapping