Sea of Thieves Fishing, Cooking, and The Hunter's Call
Ten fish families exist, each with five color varieties plus one rare treasured variant, and seven of the ten need specific bait to catch at all. Cooked fish sells for far more than raw, with regular fish taking 40 seconds on the stove and trophy fish taking 90. Treasured variants cannot be cooked and sell as treasure instead, and raw, undercooked, cooked, and burnt fish all still count toward Hunter's Call commendations.
Fishing is the one progression track in Sea of Thieves you can rank to the cap without ever taking a voyage or meeting another crew. It is also the most commonly abandoned, because most players never learn that seven families flat out will not bite without the right bait.
The 10 fish families
| Family | Where it bites | Bait needed |
|---|---|---|
| Splashtails | Most open water | None |
| Pondies | Freshwater ponds only | None |
| Islehoppers | Around large islands | None |
| Ancientscales | The Ancient Isles | Leeches |
| Plentifins | The Shores of Plenty | Earthworms |
| Wildsplashes | The Wilds | Earthworms |
| Devilfish | The Devil's Roar | Grubs |
| Battlegills | Near skeleton ships and active forts | Grubs |
| Wreckers | Near shipwrecks | Earthworms |
| Stormfish | Open water inside storms | Leeches |
Every family has five color varieties plus one treasured variant, so a complete set is a long project. The three bait-free families are your starting point, and everything past them needs a trip to a barrel first.
Where bait comes from
Earthworms, leeches, and grubs all come from bait crates on islands and outposts, and from digging. Stock all three before a fishing session, because sailing back for grubs after finding a fort with Battlegills around it wastes the trip.
Battlegills bite near active skeleton ships and forts, which means the best fishing spot in the game is a world event you have already cleared. Finish the fort, then fish the water around it while your crew loads the vault.
How does catching actually work?
Cast, wait for the fish to bite, then fight it by pulling away from the direction it swims. Reel only when the line is not under tension. Pulling against a running fish snaps the line and loses both the fish and the bait.
Trophy fish take noticeably longer to land and fight harder. They are worth the extra time, since they sell higher and carry their own commendations.
You cannot fish while your ship is moving quickly. Anchor or drift, and get off the ship entirely if you want the calmest line. Fishing off the back of a moving Galleon is how you lose bait for nothing.
Cooking, and why it matters so much
Raw fish sells. Cooked fish sells for considerably more. The difference is large enough that selling raw is throwing away most of the value.
| State | Time on the stove | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Raw | 0 seconds | Lowest value, still counts for commendations |
| Cooked, regular fish | 40 seconds | Full value |
| Cooked, trophy fish | 90 seconds | Full value, higher base |
| Burnt | Left too long | Value drops hard, still counts for commendations |
Cook by placing the fish on the stove below deck and taking it off when the sizzle changes and the model browns. Stay near it. Wandering off mid-cook is how a Galleon full of trophy fish becomes a Galleon full of charcoal.
Every state counts toward commendations. Raw, undercooked, cooked, and burnt all tick the Hunter's Call commendation progress, so a burnt fish is a value loss and never a progress loss.
Treasured variants are not food
The rare treasured variant in each family cannot be cooked at all. It sells as a treasure item rather than as food, so do not waste time putting one on the stove. Sell it as-is.
The Hunter's Call
The Hunter's Call buys cooked fish and cooked meat, and its representatives sit at outposts and at the smaller seaposts scattered around the map. Seaposts matter because they are usually much closer than an outpost when you are fishing in open water.
The company caps at reputation level 100, raised in patch 3.3.0 to match every other Trading Company. It was the last one still sitting at the old lower cap.
Meat comes from hunting island wildlife: pigs, snakes, chickens, and sharks. Shark meat is the one worth going out of your way for, since sharks come to you whenever you are swimming and cook the same way fish do.
Is fishing actually worth the time?
Honestly, for raw gold per hour, no. Merchant runs and world events pay better.
Fishing is worth it for three specific reasons:
- It is the only track that works entirely solo, entirely safe, at your own pace.
- The commendations feed cosmetics you cannot get any other way.
- It is genuinely the best thing to do while waiting for a crewmate to come back, for a storm to pass, or for a world event to spawn.
Treat it as the thing you do between other things and it pays off. Treat it as a gold strategy and it will disappoint you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to cook fish in Sea of Thieves?
Regular fish take 40 seconds on the stove and trophy fish take 90 seconds. Take them off when the sizzle changes and the model browns, because leaving them on burns them and drops their value sharply.
Which Sea of Thieves fish need bait?
Seven of the ten families. Ancientscales and Stormfish need leeches, Plentifins, Wildsplashes, and Wreckers need earthworms, and Devilfish and Battlegills need grubs. Splashtails, Pondies, and Islehoppers bite with no bait at all.
Can you cook treasured fish?
No. The rare treasured variant in each of the ten families cannot be cooked and sells as a treasure item instead of as food. Putting one on the stove wastes your time, so sell it exactly as caught.
Does burnt fish still count for commendations?
Yes. Raw, undercooked, cooked, and burnt fish all tick Hunter's Call commendation progress. Burning a fish costs you gold value but never costs you progress toward the commendation cosmetics.
Where do you catch Stormfish?
Only in open water inside an active storm, using leeches as bait. That makes storms the one weather event worth sailing into deliberately, though your bilge floods the entire time and someone needs to keep bailing.
What to Read Next
- Trading Companies and Reputation. Where The Hunter's Call sits among the eight factions and how promotions work.
- Ships and Sailing. Sailing into storms for Stormfish without sinking.
- Voyages and Treasure. The voyages that pay better than fishing when you want gold.
- World Events and Raids. Clearing a fort, then fishing the Battlegills around it.
- Getting Started. Where fishing fits in your first few sessions.