Terraria has 11 fishing poles, ranging from the basic Wood Fishing Pole with only 5% Fishing Power to the Golden Fishing Rod with 50%.
A better fishing pole increases your Fishing Power, helping you get bites more consistently and improving your chances of catching valuable items such as:
- Crates
- Weapons
- Rare Fish
- Quest Fish
- Other fishing rewards
Most fishing rods are obtainable before Hardmode, while others require Angler quests, specific enemies, or special vendors.
Here is how to get every fishing pole in Terraria.
1. Wood Fishing Pole
The Wood Fishing Pole is the weakest fishing rod in Terraria.
How to Craft It
You need:
8 Wood
Craft it at a:
Work Bench
Fishing Power
5% Fishing Power
This is primarily an extremely early-game option.
Because stronger fishing rods become available fairly quickly, you’ll probably replace it almost immediately.
2. Reinforced Fishing Pole
The Reinforced Fishing Pole is another basic crafted option.
How to Craft It
You need:
8 Iron Bars or Lead Bars
Craft it at an:
Anvil
Fishing Power
15% Fishing Power
It’s much stronger than the Wood Fishing Pole, but other early-game rods can provide significantly better Fishing Power.
3. Fisher of Souls
The Fisher of Souls is the Corruption fishing rod.
It’s one of the better early-game options if your world generated with Corruption.
How to Craft It
You need:
8 Demonite Bars
Craft it at an:
Anvil
Demonite can be obtained early through progression involving enemies such as the Eye of Cthulhu.
Fishing Power
20% Fishing Power
That’s a solid improvement over the Reinforced Fishing Pole.
4. Fleshcatcher
The Fleshcatcher is the Crimson equivalent of the Fisher of Souls.
How to Craft It
You need:
8 Crimtane Bars
Craft it at an:
Anvil
Fishing Power
22% Fishing Power
Interestingly, the Fleshcatcher provides slightly more Fishing Power than its Corruption counterpart.
- Fisher of Souls: 20%
- Fleshcatcher: 22%
If you’re playing in a Crimson world, this is an excellent early fishing rod.
5. Chum Caster
The Chum Caster comes from Blood Moon fishing.
How to Get the Chum Caster
Fish during a:
Blood Moon
You’ll need to encounter fishing enemies such as:
- Wandering Eye Fish
- Zombie Merman
The source gives the Chum Caster a:
12.5% drop chance
from these enemies.
Fishing Power
25% Fishing Power
This makes it a decent mid-game upgrade.
6. Scarab Fishing Rod
The Scarab Fishing Rod is obtained through Desert fishing.
How to Get It
Fish up Desert crates and search for it as a crate reward.
The source gives it approximately a:
12.5% chance
from the relevant Desert crates.
Fishing Power
The Scarab Fishing Rod is another useful mid-game fishing option and can provide a meaningful upgrade over basic crafted rods.
7. Fiberglass Fishing Pole
The Fiberglass Fishing Pole is one of the best fishing rods you can obtain relatively easily during normal exploration.
How to Get It
It can be found in Jungle-related loot, including:
- Ivy Chests
- Jungle Crates
- Bramble Crates
Ivy Chests make this particularly convenient because you can potentially find one while exploring the Underground Jungle.
Fishing Power
30% Fishing Power
For something you can simply find while exploring, 30% is very strong.
This makes the Fiberglass Fishing Pole an excellent general-purpose rod.
8. Mechanic’s Rod
The Mechanic’s Rod becomes available after progressing through Skeletron and rescuing the Mechanic.
How to Get It
Buy it from the:
Mechanic
during the appropriate Moon phases.
Price
20 Gold
Fishing Power
35% Fishing Power
At this stage of the game, it’s a strong and reliable fishing rod if you haven’t found anything better.
9. Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole
The Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole is one of the best fishing rods to target because it combines high Fishing Power with relatively straightforward acquisition.
How to Get It
Buy it from the:
Traveling Merchant
after defeating Skeletron.
Price
35 Gold
Fishing Power
40% Fishing Power
The Traveling Merchant isn’t guaranteed to sell it whenever he appears, so you’ll still need some luck.
However, once Skeletron is defeated, it’s worth keeping:
35 Gold
available in case the rod appears in his shop.
With 40% Fishing Power, the Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole is powerful enough to handle almost all normal fishing extremely well.
10. Hotline Fishing Hook
The Hotline Fishing Hook is one of the hardest rods to obtain.
It’s also special because it allows you to fish directly in Lava without needing other Lava-fishing equipment.
How to Get It
Complete Angler quests.
Once you’ve completed:
25 Angler quests
you gain a chance to receive the Hotline Fishing Hook from future quest rewards.
The source gives the chance as:
1.33%
Fishing Power
45% Fishing Power
Special Ability
The Hotline Fishing Hook can fish in:
Lava
without requiring the Lavaproof Fishing Hook or Lavaproof Tackle Bag.
That makes it especially valuable if you’re hunting Underworld fishing rewards.
11. Golden Fishing Rod
The Golden Fishing Rod has the highest Fishing Power of the rods covered here.
How to Get It
Complete Angler fishing quests.
The source gives the reward milestone as:
30 Angler quests
Fishing Power
50% Fishing Power
This is the maximum Fishing Power listed for a Terraria fishing pole.
If fishing is an important part of your playthrough, the Golden Fishing Rod is the ultimate general-purpose upgrade.
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Every Terraria Fishing Pole Ranked by Fishing Power
Here are the fishing rods covered in the guide from weakest to strongest.
| Fishing Pole | Fishing Power |
|---|---|
| Wood Fishing Pole | 5% |
| Reinforced Fishing Pole | 15% |
| Fisher of Souls | 20% |
| Fleshcatcher | 22% |
| Chum Caster | 25% |
| Scarab Fishing Rod | Mid-game upgrade |
| Fiberglass Fishing Pole | 30% |
| Mechanic’s Rod | 35% |
| Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole | 40% |
| Hotline Fishing Hook | 45% |
| Golden Fishing Rod | 50% |
Best Early-Game Fishing Rod
If you’re still near the beginning of your playthrough, your best practical choices are usually:
Corruption World
Fisher of Souls — 20%
Crimson World
Fleshcatcher — 22%
Both are easy upgrades once you have the appropriate evil-biome Bars.
Best Easy Fishing Rod
The Fiberglass Fishing Pole is particularly useful because it can be obtained while exploring the Jungle.
With:
30% Fishing Power
it gives you a strong rod without requiring large numbers of Angler quests.
Best Fishing Rod to Buy
The Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole is an excellent target after Skeletron.
For:
35 Gold
you get:
40% Fishing Power
The only complication is waiting for the Traveling Merchant to sell it.
If it appears, it’s worth considering because it can carry your fishing setup for a long time.
Best Fishing Rod for Lava
The Hotline Fishing Hook is the standout choice if Lava fishing is your priority.
It provides:
45% Fishing Power
and can fish directly in Lava without requiring additional Lava-fishing accessories.
The downside is obtaining it through Angler quests.
Best Overall Fishing Rod
Based purely on Fishing Power, the strongest rod in the guide is:
Golden Fishing Rod — 50% Fishing Power
It gives you the highest base Fishing Power available from a fishing pole and is the natural end goal for players who regularly use Terraria’s fishing system.
How to Increase Fishing Power Even Further
Your Fishing Pole is only one part of your Fishing Power.
You can improve your overall fishing setup with things such as:
- Fishing Potions
- Chum Buckets
- Better bait
- Angler equipment
- Large fishing pools
- Favorable weather
- Favorable time of day
So even a mid-tier Fishing Pole can perform much better when combined with the right bonuses.
Recommended Fishing Rod Progression
A simple progression route could look like this:
- Craft Wood Fishing Pole if necessary.
- Upgrade to Reinforced Fishing Pole.
- Craft Fisher of Souls or Fleshcatcher.
- Look for Fiberglass Fishing Pole in the Jungle.
- Buy Mechanic’s Rod if needed.
- Watch the Traveling Merchant for Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole.
- Complete Angler quests.
- Obtain Hotline Fishing Hook.
- Work toward Golden Fishing Rod.
You don’t need to collect every rod in order.
If you find something powerful such as the Fiberglass Fishing Pole or Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole early enough, you can skip several weaker options entirely.
For most Terraria players, Fishing Power matters far more than owning every fishing rod. Get the strongest one that is realistically available to you, combine it with good bait and fishing bonuses, and you’ll spend much less time waiting for the catches you actually want.
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