Quick Links
- How To Fish
- Fishing Locations
- Fishing Tips
Early on in Rune Factory 4, you will be given the request to obtain a fish and deliver it to Vishnal, one of the butlers in training who lives on the western wing of the castle. To this end, you will be presented with a fishing rod and told to go catch something for him.
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This unlocks the whole world of fishing and it's a surprisingly deep mechanic. There is a large range of different fish to find and there are many factors that go into what fish are available to you.
Updated on June 14, 2023: To make sure you can find everything you need about fishing in Rune Factory 4, we've updated this guide for readability and clarity.
How To Fish
You can fish when you pass by a body of water that has a fish-shaped shadow swimming inside it. These come in four varieties based on the fish's size, but it's otherwise impossible to know what fish it is until you reel it in.
Equip your fishing rod from the menu and cast your line into the water. If your lure hits the fish, it will be startled, but it will not swim away forever — it'll just take a moment to turn around again.
When a fish is attracted to your lure, it will slowly move towards it and nibble at it for a very short moment before backing up. It can do this a maximum of five times before it finally takes a bite.
When it bites, you will see splashes of water around your lure — press the action button as soon as you possibly can.
If you are successful, you will reel the fish in and the game will tell you how big it is, and whether it's the largest or smallest example of that fish that you've caught.
Fishing Locations
You can fish all over the place in Rune Factory 4 — whenever there's a body of water, you can be sure that fish can spawn in it. While most fishing locations have a static list of fish that can be caught there, Selphia is unique in that the fishing spots around town will change with the passing of the seasons.
Each table below details the fish at certain locations. To jump to a specific area, use this table to be directed there immediately.
Selphia (Spring)
Selphia (Summer)
Selphia (Fall)
Selphia (Winter)
Selphia Plains
Autumn Road
Sercerezo Hill
Silver Arch
Yokmir Forest
Water Ruins
Idra Cave
Maya Road
Sechs Territory
Selphia (Spring)
Location
Fish
Castle Gate
Char, Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Girella, Mackerel, Needlefish, Masu Trout, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Squid
Dragon Lake
Char, Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Girella, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Needlefish, Rainbow Trout Sardine, Skipjack, Snapper, Squid, Throbby Snapper, Turbot, Legendary Scale
Housing Area
Char, Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Girella, Glitter Snapper, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Needlefish, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Snapper, Squid, Throbby Snapper
Melody Street
Char, Chub, Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Girella, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Skipjack, Squid, Taimen
Selphia (Summer)
Location
Fish
Castle Gate
Char, Chub, Crucian Carp, Girella, Mackerel, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Shrimp, Snapper, Squid, Turbot, Glitter Snapper, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Tuna, Yellowtail, Dragon Fin
Dragon Lake
Char, Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Girella, Lamp Squid, Masu Trout, Needlefish, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Skipjack, Snapper, Squid, Taimen, Throbby Snapper, Turbot, Pike, Shrimp
Housing Area
Char, Chub, Crucian Carp, Girella, Lobster, Mackerel, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Shrimp, Squid, Throbby Snapper, Turbot
Melody Street
Char, Chub, Crucian Carp, Girella, Lobster, Pike, Sardine, Shrimp, Taimen, Tuna, Turbot, Yellowtail
Selphia (Fall)
Location
Fish
Castle Gate
Squid, Mackerel, Pike, Sardine, Turbot, Salmon, Girella, Chub
Dragon Lake
Char, Crucian Carp, Glitter Snapper, Girella, Lamp Squid, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Salmon, Shrimp, Squid
Housing Area
Gibelio, Girella, Pike, Mackerel
Melody Street
Chub, Mackerel, Pike, Salmon, Sardine, Skipjack
Selphia (Winter)
Location
Fish
Castle Gate
Cherry Salmon, Gibelio, Girella, Lobster, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pond Smelt, Sardine, Snapper, Squid, Legendary Scale
Dragon Lake
Cherry Salmon, Chub, Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Glitter Snapper, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pond Smelt, Sardine, Snapper, Squid, Throbby Snapper, Tuna, Yellowtail
Housing Area
Blowfish, Girella, Lobster, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pike, Salmon, Sardine, Squid, Yellowtail
Melody Street
Cherry Salmon, Chub, Girella, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pond Smelt, Squid, Tuna
Selphia Plains
Location
Fish
Summer Spring
Char, Chub, Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Girella, Glitter Snapper, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Mackerel, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Shrimp, Taimen, Throbby Snapper, Tuna, Turbot, Yellowtail
Keeno Lake
Char, Chub, Crucian Carp, Girella, Dragon Fin, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Mackerel, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, Sardine, Shrimp, Sunsquid, Taimen, Throbby Snapper, Tuna, Turbot, Yellowtail
Lilypad Area 1
Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Girella, Mackerel, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Shrimp, Tuna, Turbot
Lilypad Area 2
Crucian Carp, Girella, Mackerel, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Shrimp, Turbot, Yellowtail
To access the second Lilypad Area, you must enter from the first Lilypad Area using the Water Shoes.
Autumn Road
Location
Fish
Autumn Spring
Chub, Crucian Carp, Dragon Fin, Fall Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Glitter Snapper, Lamp Squid, Mackerel, Pike, Salmon, Sardine, Skipjack, Snapper, Squid, Sunsquid, Taimen, Throbby Snapper, Tuna, Turbot
Autumn River
Chub, Fall Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Lamp Squid, Mackerel, Pike, Salmon, Sardine, Skipjack, Snapper, Squid, Throbby Snapper, Turbot
Lilypad Area 1
Chub, Crucian Carp, Mackerel, Pike, Skipjack, Taimen, Turbot
Lilypad Area 2
Gibelio, Girella, Mackerel, Pike, Salmon, Sardine, Skipjack, Tuna, Turbot
To access the Lilypad Areas, you need to visit the area to the right of Autumn River while there is a thunderstorm. This will knock trees down, allowing you to access the areas.
Silver Arch
Location
Fish
Winter Spring
Blowfish, Cherry Salmon, Chub, Fall Flounder, Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Lobster, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pond Smelt, Sardine, Squid, Sunsquid, Yellowtail
Silver Lake
Blowfish, Cherry Salmon, Chub, Fall Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Lobster, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pond Smelt, Sardine, Squid, Sunsquid, Yellowtail
Lilypad Area 1
Cherry Salmon, Chub, Fall Flounder, Flounder, Girella, Mackerel, Pond Smelt, Sardine, Squid, Yellowtail
Lilypad Area 2
Cherry Salmon, Girella, Lobster, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pond Smelt, Sardine, Snapper, Squid, Throbby Snapper
To access the second Lilypad Area, you must enter from the first Lilypad Area using the Water Shoes.
Sercerezo Hill
Location
Fish
Spring Spring
Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Dragon Fin, Fall Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Legendary Scale, Lobster, Masu Trout, Needlefish, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Snapper, Squid, Sunsquid, Taimen
Sercerezo Lake
Char, Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Girella, Legendary Scale, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Sardine, Squid
Lilypad Area 1
Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Needlefish, Skipjack, Squid
Lilypad Area 2
Cherry Salmon, Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Girella, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Rainbow Trout, Squid
Sand Pond
Sand Flounder, Rockfish
To access the second Lily Pad area, clear the first Lilypad Area of monsters and then flip the invisible switch that spawns on the left-hand side of the map. It will activate a teleporter that takes you to the island.
Yokmir Forest
Location
Fish
Waterfall Area
Blowfish, Char, Cherry Salmon, Chub, Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Mackerel, Rainbow Trout, Round Stone, Taimen
Lilypad Area
Char, Chub, Crucian Carp, Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Mackerel, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Turbot
Water Ruins
Location
Fish
Left Wing
Snapper, Throbby Snapper, Girella, Pike, Mackerel, Cherry Salmon, Masu Trout, Crucian Carp, Pond Smelt
Right Wing
Needlefish, Shrimp, Squid, Masu Trout, Rainbow Trout, Cherry Salmon, Char, Pike
Idra Cave
Location
Fish
Ground Floor
Char, Cherry Salmon, Chub, Crucian Carp, Gibelio, Girella, Lamp Squid, Legendary Scale, Lobster, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Needlefish, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Snapper, Throbby Snapper, Squid, Sunsquid, Taimen, Turbot
B1
Chub, Crucian Carp, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Mackerel, Sardine, Shrimp, Snapper
B2
Char, Crucian Carp, Lamp Squid, Shrimp, Snapper, Squid, Sunsquid, Taimen
Maya Road
Location
Fish
Floor 2
Blowfish, Char, Cherry Salmon, Chub, Crucian Carp, Fall Flounder, Flounder, Girella, Lamp Squid, Lobster, Legendary Scale, Mackerel, Masu Trout, Needlefish, Pike, Pond Smelt, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, Sardine, Shrimp, Skipjack, Snapper, Squid, Sunsquid, Taimen, Tuna, Turbot, Yellowtail, Throbby Snapper
Sechs Territory
Location
Fish
Cave
Blowfish, Char, Cherry Salmon, Chub, Flounder, Gibelio, Girella, Mackerel, Needlefish, Pond Smelt, Rainbow Trout, Sardine, Skipjack, Squid, Sunsquid, Taimen, Tuna, Turbot
Fishing Tips
There are a few things you can do to make sure you have as much success as possible when fishing in Rune Factory 4.
- Upgrade your rod whenever you can. Better rods can reach better charge levels, and they have a lower chance of fishing up trash items like cans and boots.
- When taking part in the Fishing Frenzy event, you will need over 20-23 fish to be able to beat Dylas.
- Catching lots of fish is great for leveling up your Cooking skill once you have the various sashimi recipes learned.
- While going for large fish shadows is a good strategy for catching rarer fish, be aware that some high-value items like Legendary Scales will always have small shadows.
- Fish all the time. Leveling up your Fishing skill will not only give you better timing windows for fishing up rare fish, but it will also contribute to your RP and INT stats.
- You can check out your fishing trophies in the basement of your home.
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