Money list: Kelp S for speed, Cod A, Four-eyed Fish A, Tuna and Eel A, Golden/Sturgeon/Dumbo/Mahi S once the filter is on, garbage F. Collection list: Salmon and festival fish are S-pain, not S-gold. Bamboo rod is assumed.
Two rankings live here and must not be averaged. Money list: Kelp S for speed because it skips the minigame at the dock, Cod A (rain), Four-eyed Fish A at 55 gold, Tuna and Eel A, Golden Fish / Sturgeon / Dumbo Octopus / Mahi-mahi S once the filter matches, garbage F except when a quest wants tires. Collection list: Salmon and festival fish are S-pain, not S-gold. Bamboo rod is assumed for collection. Old rod is enough for Kelp gold.
Ranks
If you only fish for the backpack upgrade, ignore legendary names and sit at the dock. If you only fish for the encyclopedia, open the planner and obey months.
- S gold — Kelp, Cod (rain), Golden Fish, Sturgeon, Dumbo Octopus, Mahi-mahi
- A — Four-eyed Fish, Tuna, Eel, Pike, Koi
- B — Carp, Bass, Catfish, Shrimp
- C — Loach, Snail, Sardine
- F — Rubbish and tires, except when a quest wants them
How to read S gold versus S pain
If you only fish for the 500 gold backpack, ignore legendary names and sit at Doloc Dock. If you only fish for the encyclopedia, open the planner and obey months: Rainbow Trout 1–2, Wolf Fish 3–4, Salmon month 1 days 25–27, Glow Eel weather 7, Grass Carp 3/4/6, Catfish 19:00–2:00, Pike 6:00–19:00. Missing Salmon costs a year. Carbon Fiber will not fix a calendar gate.
Twenty pools exist. One-pool species are hunts. Dock defaults are for money. Wetland hideout is the hat. Old City sewers are hermit crabs. Story machines can enable a planner fish that never bites. The fishing guide covers those machines. This list will not promote a Wetland species to S gold just because it is rare. Rarity is not the gold rank. Price is.
Rods, junk, and disks on the hook
Bamboo is the collection rod. Higher rods make the minigame kinder. Rod 0 Kelp still exists on Bamboo. If a better rod “unlocks” a fish, you misread a minimum. Music disks on the hook have month and fair-weather filters. Keep them; many sell for 0. Telephone disks 12311, 24141, 35321 never appear as bites. Mixing those is how people recast for a melody they should have dialed at the farm.
Vendor Kelp until a recipe asks. Cook fish when the food tier list says grilled or sashimi outscales raw. Four-eyed Fish at Eastern Pond is the slot-to-gold step after Kelp. Cod is the rain spike. Golden Fish at 1,000 is S payoff when Deep Forest matches the filter, not how often it appears. Do not confuse S-when-the-filter-matches with S-common.
Keep reading in this section
Tier lists
Food tier list
Drone tier list
Tech tier listFrequently asked questions
Why is Golden Fish S if it is rare?
1,000 gold. The rank is payoff when the filter matches, not spawn rate.
Is Mimicry Fish good?
195 gold and a picky dock condition. A for collectors, B for money.
Should I vendor Kelp?
Yes, until cooking wants it.
Hat tier?
Not a fish. Fashion S.