Fishing (The Sims 4)

Outdated Article

This article may be outdated and needs to be updated to reflect recent events or newly available information.
Reason: More specifically, the changes made to the fishing system in Patch 81.
You can help The Sims Wiki by updating this article.

Fishing

A Sim catching a fish.

For fishing in other Sims games, see Fishing.

Fishing is a skill in The Sims 4 that comes with a collection of fish to catch. The higher the fishing skill, the more unique types of fish are available for Sims to catch. Fish can be used as ingredients in certain cooking recipes, or as fertilizers in gardening. Raising this skill is also the main objective of the Angling Ace aspiration.

Abilities

Level	Ability	Interaction	Notes
3	Fish with Bait Examine Water Talk about Best Bait Use up to 2 Fish Traps at a time in ocean	Fishing spot interactions, social interaction
4	Higher chance to find treasure when fishing
5	Mentor Fishing	Fishing spot and social interactions	Mentoring this skill can be done by fishing near the fishing sign.
6	Boast about Biggest Catch Use up to 4 Fish Traps at a time	Social interaction
7	Share Fishing Tips Discuss Secret Local Fishing Spots	Social interactions	The option to discuss secret fishing spots is only available when both Sims have reached level 7 or higher of the skill, and it replaces the normal "Discuss Local Fishing Spots" interaction that all Sims can do regardless of skill level.
8	Teach other Sims to fish
9	Angle For Big Catch Share Expert Fishing Tips	Fishing spot interaction, social interaction	According to the in-game notification the player receives after reaching this level, these two interactions should be unlocked for their Sim. However, these interactions don't actually appear for Sims until level 10. This may be a bug, or the developers made a mistake when writing the text for the skill level notifications.
10	Use up to 6 Fish Traps at a time in ocean

Notes

Learning

The fishing skill is built by fishing from various fishing spots, that are located throughout the neighborhoods. Sims will begin at level one, learning the abilities to catch fish, mount fish, and putting them in fish bowls. As they progress, they can catch other various types of fish, which are more rare and much more valuable, making the skill a good way to gain Simoleons. Sims with the loves outdoors trait can be good at raising their fishing skill, as they tend to be happy outdoors, raising their fishing slightly faster. Sims can also read fishing skill books to raise their fishing skill. Sims build this skill best when they are focused.

Fishing spots

Multiple Sims fishing from a pond.

Fishing spots can be found in two forms: as a fishing sign and as a small pond. Fishing signs are found near lakes, oceans and rivers, while fishing ponds are usually found in community lots, such as parks and are not accessible on normal lots. However, both of them can be bought in build mode by using the bb.showhiddenobjects cheat. By using this cheat, both objects can be used normally in all types of lots, though the fishing sign will have a graphical glitch if used on land.

Some fishing spots yield a better chance of obtaining rare objects, plants, or fish. For instance, Sims can acquire rare fish from Sylvan Glade and Forgotten Grotto; and a fishing spot north of Desert Bloom Park yields a greater chance of finding a cowplant berry or a voodoo doll. Some fishing spots can also be too difficult for low-leveled fishers, as fish can be too hard to catch in those areas.

If The Sims 4: Seasons is installed, Sims cannot go fishing if the global temperature is freezing.

Uses of fish

Two fish in fish bowls.

After a Sim has caught a fish, they can sell them for an amount Simoleons based on its quality. The rarer the fish, the higher value it has. Alternatively, fish can be mounted on walls as decoration. They produce a confident aura of varying strengths, depending on the type of fish. Sims can also put fish into fishing bowls and aquariums, where they will act as decoration. They can be named, but cannot be fed and will never die. Fish can be used as fresh ingredients in cooking and will boost the quality of the food. They can be used as fertilizers in gardening as well, boosting the overall quality of the plant.

Fish will spoil within 25 hours, depending on its quality; however, they will not lose any of their value. The freshness levels for fish are excellent, great, good, average, poor and foul. The freshness can be prolonged by putting the fish in fish bowls, aquariums, or inside refrigerators.

Using baits

At level three, Sims can use different types of baits to gain a better rate of catching rare fish. Certain fish will only appear if a matching bait is used. At level five, Sims gain the "Examine Water" interaction. This can be done in fishing spots and allows Sims to get an idea of what types of baits to use in order to catch rare fish. The interaction can only be done once per hour, and is the most successful if the Sim focused.

There are three types of baits: plants, frogs, and medium-sized fish. Sims can get these baits from harvesting plants, collecting frogs from logs, ponds, or through breeding them, and by using already caught medium-sized fish. After gaining a bait, Sims can use it in fishing spots to find out what types of fish will eat it. If a fish has been successfully caught with a bait, the bait and the type of fish that will eat it will be stored in the Sim's notebook in their phone. It is suggested to have good amount of baits, as they will be used up pretty quickly.

List of fish

	Fish	Name	Skill	Description	Size	Rarity	Value (§)	EP
		Goldfish	1	A small member of the carp family known to frequent both fishbowls and toilet bowls.	S	Common	5	&BG
		Guppy	1	A small, bright tropical fish. (Not only bright as in colorful, they're also pretty smart.)	S	Common	5	&BG
		Minnow	1	A fish so small, it's best used to catch other fish.	S	Common	5	&BG
		Perch	1	A small spiny fish typically found in rivers and lakes.	S	Common	7	&BG
		Salmon	3	A good sized fish known in Celtic mythology as a symbol of wisdom. Also known for being delicious.	L	Common	77	&BG
		Tetra	1	A small freshwater fish with a compressed, shiny body and distinctive fins.	S	Common	5	&BG
		Angelfish	3	A lovely small fish, perfect for showing off and keeping other fish on their best behavior.	S	Uncommon	7	&BG
		Betta	3	A very small and hard fish, that's betta than most!	S	Uncommon	6	&BG
		Kissing Gourami	4	Don't kiss these lips; kissing gourami have sharp rows of teeth lining their mouth.	S	Uncommon	8	&BG
		Wolf Eel	5	This bottom feeding eel-like fish is known for its hard-shell eating teeth. Scared? They're actually quite friendly.	L	Uncommon	83	&BG
		Batfish	2	The batfish doesn't sleep upside-down, but it has nice, leathery wings to make up for it.	M	Rare	20	&BG
		Piranha	6	A small fish with a big bite. But really, watch out for those tiny teeth.	S	Rare	9	&BG
		Red-Tailed Black Shark	5	A small fish with a big name. Also known as a redtail sharkminnow.	S	Rare	8	&BG
		Sturgeon	7	Sturgeon are large fish sometimes called living fossils. Luckily, they aren't offended.	L	Rare	114	&BG
		Treefish	2	Shhh... can you hear their singing? No? Well, even magical treefish have limits.	M	Rare	25	&BG
		"Captain Fishbones" Bonefish	5	He swims in circles, can't remember a thing, and is already dead… your best friend!	S	Rare	7	&BG
		Gummie Guppie	1	A deliciously squishy friend for your home, just don't leave him alone with the catfish.	S	Rare	7	&BG
		Trout	2	It might look a little bit like salmon, but no doubt it's trout.	M	Common	18	&BG
		Koi	2	Koi is actually a shortening of nishikigoi meaning "brocaded carp". A pretty name for a pretty fish.	M	Common	11	&BG
		Bass	2	A Perch by another name. Nice sound dynamics though.	M	Common	20	&BG
		Tilapia	4	Tilapia are a type of cichlid fish. They're pretty happy in a nice aquarium too.	M	Uncommon	20	&BG
		Catfish	4	Unlike a domestic cat, this fish uses its whiskers to taste its surroundings. Like thin little tongues.	M	Uncommon	22	&BG
		Rainbowfish	6	Contrary to popular belief, following a rainbowfish will not lead you to a pot of goldfish.	M	Rare	16	&BG
		Anglerfish	7	A sneaky predator fish that lures prey into its mouth with a small, glowing tentacle like growth on its head.	M	Rare	35	&BG
		Yellow Perch	2	Kin to Walleyes. Best known for their black tiger stripes and growling when they're hungry.	M	Common	44	&GP01
		Mountain Lionfish	3	An exotic fish only found in rare mountainous regions. Beware their spines, they can do serious damage!	L	Rare	170	&GP01
		Walleye	4	These huge marble eyed fish are color blind. They cannot see blue or yellow. Good eatin' though.	M	Common	32	&GP01
		Red Crawdad	4	Kissing cousins to lobsters. But don't tell them that, they want to be unique.	S	Uncommon	14	&GP01
		Blue Crawdad	7	The mysterious blue crawdad is rumored to received its color from an industrial blueberry accident.	S	Rare	80	&GP01
		Cichlid	1	Cichlids span in a wide range of body sizes. So no "one size" fits all for this kind.	M	Common	7	&GP02
		Discus	1	Due to their distinctive shape and bright colors, Discus are popular as freshwater aquarium fish.	M	Uncommon	14	&GP02
		Exotic Goldfish	1	The fanciest of the goldfish family. Don't tell the other members we said that.	S	Uncommon	15	&GP02
		Tuna	1	Tuna are rather common and rather large, in general. Enjoy as a large portioned sashimi or as a large decorative on a small mount.	L	Common	17	&EP03
		Pufferfish	1	Mounted Pufferfish, which, when alive, used to huff and puff. Oh eating it could also be poisonous.	S	Rare	13	&EP03
		Vampire Squid	5	Do not succumb to its cuteness...or lack thereof.	M	Rare	50	&GP04
		Tambaqui	2	The Tambaqui is already pretty big. This one's bigger.	L	Common	327	&GP06
		Armored Catfish	2	This fish is ready to go to war.	M	Uncommon	42	&GP06
		Electric Eel	2	This Electric Eel is shockingly large but sparks great interest from those who catch one.	L	Rare	203	&GP06
		Celestial Grouper	1	They are primordially hunters, they lie on the bottom and surge forward, preferring juvenile surgeonfish and crustaceans. Alternatively they may hover motionless in the water column before attacking.	M	Common	15	&EP07
		Clownfish	3	Thirty species are recognized: one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild, they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones.	S	Common	15	&EP07
		Mahi Mahi	3	Surface-dwelling, ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters worldwide. Also widely called dorado and dolphin.	L	Common	90	&EP07
		Neon Angelfish	2	Neon...Shinier! Glossier than your garden variety Angelfish.	S	Common	15	&EP07
		Fighting Plakat	4	Pronounced pla-COT, they are a short-finned variety of Betta Splendens. They were originally selected out of rice paddies in Thailand and Southeast Asia and bred for their fighting abilities.	S	Uncommon	18	&EP07
		Parrotfish	4	Parrotfish are colorful and voracious herbivores that spend up to 90% of their day eating algae off of coral reefs with their beak-like teeth. And they defecate sand, keeping beaches beachy.	L	Uncommon	60	&EP07
		Butterflyfish	5	Although some species are dull-colored, most wear intricate patterns with striking backgrounds of blue, red, orange, or yellow.	M	Uncommon	30	&EP07
		Green Plakat	6	They are quite intelligent as fish go, and they can even be trained to recognize their owners and do tricks.	S	Rare	30	&EP07
		Bluefin Tuna	7	Bluefin are the largest tuna.	L	Uncommon	150	&EP07
		Leopard Shark	8	Harmless to humans, the leopard shark is caught by commercial and recreational fisheries for food and the aquarium trade.	M	Rare	100	&EP07
		Scorpionfish	8	Members of the scorpionfish family are experts at blending in with their surroundings, making them excellent ambush predators in their habitat.	L	Rare	100	&EP07
		Royal Sabrefish	9	How Royal? We are not sure.	L	Rare	300	&EP07
		Swordfish	9	They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive.	L	Rare	200	&EP07
		Golden Mahi Mahi	10	They are distinguished by dazzling colors, in this case GOLD!	L	Rare	250	&EP07
		Luna Fish	3	A fanged fish blessed by the power of the moonlit waters of Moonwood Mill.	L	Uncommon	30	&GP12

Other objects

Sometimes, Sims will fish out what look to be an old treasure chest. The Sim will put it into their inventory, and the player will receive a notification telling them what item they got. The following objects can be found in these boxes:

• Gardening collectibles (i.e., fruits, flowers, Cowplant berries)
• Upgrade parts
• Lump of clay
• Treasure map
• Barely Better Digital Camera
• Madame Zoe's Voodoo Doll
• Stringvarious Violin
• Buried treasure
• Seed-Shaped Gemstone

Reward

After collecting all of the base game fish, the player will complete the fish collection and receives the "The Right Angler" award, which is a plaque that can be hung on a wall.

Reward	Description	Value
	No longer are fish the strange beasts wriggling and flopping among your darkest nightmares. No longer! Your mastery over these aquatic creatures of the deep have earned you The Right Angler plague, courtesy of the local Sim Fishing Club.	§0