Fishing with a rod in The Wilds

The Hook and line kit gives you a fishing rod. If you did not bring one, use Make fishing line in Camp work. It takes four lengths of cord and two split fuel. A cutting tool makes that job quicker.

Stand beside the water, open its action menu and choose Fish. The water must be within the rod’s range with a clear line to it. A rod in your main hand works directly. If automatic tool use is enabled, the game can use one from your pack without moving your equipment.

Wait for a bite, then use the prompted Slack, Hold or Pull action. The second Wait can watch the line automatically until something bites. Fishing still passes time. Bites take longer in The Wilds, and the waiting time doubles in winter.

Use Pull to raise the tension, Slack to lower it and Hold to avoid adding tension yourself. The fish changes the tension too. Fill the progress bar before time runs out, while keeping tension above zero and below 100. A slack or snapped line loses the fish even if the progress bar fills on that turn.

Frozen fresh water needs a fishing hole. Open Camp work on that water tile and choose Open fishing hole. An ice auger does it fastest, while an axe, hatchet or pickaxe can also cut through. The sea stays open through winter.

A landed fish is fresh food that can spoil. Cook it through Camp work before eating it. Each catch also wears the rod a little, so check its condition when fishing becomes part of your daily food supply.