Most Genshin players ignore fishing until a friend mentions that Xiangling has been running a free polearm for years, and that the polearm comes from a lake, not a banner. That polearm is The Catch, and it is the reason a "relaxing side activity" quietly became one of the most worthwhile things a mid-game account can do on a slow evening.
Here is everything the hobby involves, ending with how to actually claim your reward.
Unlocking fishing
Fishing opens up through the world quest "Exploding Population," which becomes available once your Adventure Rank is high enough and you have made some story progress. Starting it introduces you to the Fishing Association, gives you your first Fishing Rod, and teaches the basics. Each major region has its own Association branch, and each branch trades local fish for different rewards, so fishing is genuinely a world-spanning activity rather than a one-region gimmick.
You do not spend any Resin to fish. That is the quiet appeal: it is progress that runs entirely outside your Resin economy, so it never competes with artifact or talent farming.
Bait is the whole game
You cannot just cast at any fish and hope. Every fish species is attracted to a specific bait, and using the wrong one means the fish ignores your line. Bait is crafted from common materials you already gather, and you can make it in bulk from the crafting menu.
| Bait | Attracts (broadly) |
|---|---|
| Fruit Paste Bait | Medaka and common freshwater fish |
| Redrot Bait | Betta and pufferfish types |
| False Worm Bait | Koi and Inazuma freshwater fish |
| Fake Fly Bait | Angelfish, including the ones you actually want |
| Sugardew Bait | Sumeru's sweet-water species |
| Flashing Maintenance Mek Bait | Fontaine's mechanical-era fish |
The takeaway is simple: before a trip, look up which fish you need for a reward, craft the matching bait, and bring plenty. Casting the right bait at the right fish is 90 percent of success.
How the tension minigame works
Once you cast the correct bait near a fish, it will swim over and bite. From there the catch is a small timing game:
- Hook on the bite. When the exclamation prompt appears, press to set the hook.
- Watch the tension bar. A marker sits inside a zone. Hold to reel and the tension rises; release and it falls.
- Keep the marker in the safe zone until the catch bar fills. Too much tension or too little and the fish gets away.
The rhythm is tap-and-release, not hold. Panic-holding snaps the line; letting go entirely loses the fish. Find the pulse of small taps that keeps the marker floating in the middle and you will land almost everything.
A few field tips that make trips smoother:
- Approach slowly and stay crouched. Sprinting near a fishing spot scares the fish and they scatter.
- Fish at the right time of day. Some species only appear during set in-game hours, so use the time-skip if a spot looks empty.
- Aim your cast just ahead of the fish, not on top of it. Bait that lands near a fish draws it in cleanly.
The respawn timer nobody mentions
Fish at a given spot respawn roughly every three real-world days, on a 72-hour cycle. There is no way to speed this up, which shapes how you should fish: clear the spots you need, note when you visited, and come back after the reset rather than staring at an empty pond. Because of this timer, the rare fish for big rewards are a patience game spread across several sessions, not a single grind.
Where your fish go: the rewards worth chasing
Fish are currency. You trade them at the Fishing Association for rewards you cannot easily get elsewhere.
- The Catch. This 4-star polearm is the headline prize, traded for specific fish at the Inazuma Association. Its energy-recharge stat and burst-damage passive make it a best-in-slot or near-it weapon for burst-hungry polearm users. If you run Xiangling or a Raiden-style hypercarry, this weapon alone justifies learning to fish.
- Special fishing rods. Higher-tier rods like the Moonstringer and Wishmaker are traded from the Associations and make later fishing faster and prettier.
- Ornamental fish for your home. Many species can be placed in your Serenitea Pot aquarium, turning your teapot into a living pond and unlocking related furnishing rewards.
- Furnishings, name cards, and materials, including region-specific decor and the occasional useful gathering material.
The one-afternoon plan
If you just want the payoff without the deep dive:
- Finish "Exploding Population" to unlock fishing and grab your first rod.
- Look up which fish The Catch needs, craft the matching bait in bulk.
- Fish those spots across a few sessions, respecting the 3-day respawn.
- Trade at the Inazuma Fishing Association, claim The Catch, and refine it if you can catch enough.
That is a genuinely strong weapon earned entirely for free, on your own schedule, with zero Resin spent. Slot it onto a burst carry from our best 4-star characters guide, check whether it fits your team's energy needs, and you have turned a lakeside afternoon into real account power. For the players who like this kind of quiet, off-Resin progress, the Serenitea Pot housing guide is the natural next hobby to sink into.
