Fishing

Fishing is a recreation that is commonly seen in the Pokémon world.

In the games

Fishing is one way to catch Pokémon in the water. In fact, some Pokémon can only be caught by using a fishing rod. There are three fishing rods that are given out throughout the course of each game, and each one is given out by a Fishing Brother.

Equipment

Old Rod ボロのつりざお Worn-out Fishing Rod   KEY ITEMS pocket					INTRODUCED IN GEN I		Cannot be bought Cannot be sold
Effect: Allows the player to fish in bodies of water.					Locations RBY Received from the Vermilion City Fishing Guru. GSC Received from a fisherman inside Route 32's Pokémon Center. RSE Received from the fisherman inside the rightmost house of Dewford Town. FRLG Received from the Vermilion City Fishing Guru. DPPt Received from a Fisherman in the gatehouse between Jubilife City and Route 218. HGSS Received from a fisherman inside Route 32's Pokémon Center.
Description GSC Use by water to fish for Pokémon. RSE Use by any body of water to fish for wild Pokémon. FRLG An old and beat-up fishing rod. Use it by any body of water to fish for wild Pokémon. DPPt HGSS An old and beat-up fishing rod. Use it by any body of water to fish for wild Pokémon.
Note: In the Generation II games and HeartGold and SoulSilver, all Pokémon encountered with this rod are level 10.

Good Rod いいつりざお Good Fishing Rod   KEY ITEMS pocket					INTRODUCED IN GEN I		Cannot be bought Cannot be sold
Effect: Allows the player to fish in bodies of water. Better than the Old Rod.					Locations RBY Received from the Fuchsia City Fishing Guru. GSC Gift from a fisherman inside Olivine City's Café. RSE Received from the fisherman on the right side of the river on Route 118. FRLG Received from the Fuchsia City Fishing Guru. DPPt Received from a Fisherman on Route 209 near Hearthome City's entrance. HGSS Gift from a fisherman inside Olivine City's Café.
Description GSC A good Rod for catching Pokémon. RSE A decent fishing rod for catching wild Pokémon. FRLG A new, good-quality fishing rod. Use it by any body of water to fish for wild Pokémon. DPPt HGSS A new, good-quality fishing rod. Use it by any body of water to fish for wild aquatic Pokémon.
Note: In the Generation II games and HeartGold and SoulSilver, all Pokémon encountered with this rod are level 20.

Super Rod すごいつりざお Amazing Fishing Rod   KEY ITEMS pocket					INTRODUCED IN GEN I		Cannot be bought Cannot be sold
Effect: Allows the player to fish in bodies of water. The best Rod of all.					Locations RBY Received from the Silence Bridge Fishing Guru. GSC Received from the Silence Bridge Fishing Guru. RSE Received from the fisherman inside the northernmost house of Mossdeep City. FRLG Received from the Silence Bridge Fishing Guru. DPPt Received from a Fisherman in the Fight Area. HGSS Received from the Silence Bridge Fishing Guru. BW Given by Looker in the player's house (after finishing the main storyline)
Description GSC The best Rod for catching Pokémon. RSE The best fishing rod for catching wild Pokémon. FRLG An awesome, high-tech fishing rod. Use it by any body of water to fish for wild Pokémon. DPPt HGSS An awesome, high-tech fishing rod. Use it by any body of water to fish for wild aquatic Pokémon.
Note: In the Generation II games and HeartGold and SoulSilver, all Pokémon encountered with this rod are level 40.					This item was featured in the TCG.

Catching Pokémon

Generation I and Generation II

In Generation I and II, fishing is simply a matter of standing next to water and using the rod. Sometimes, it will hook a Pokémon, and start a battle. Other times, it will catch nothing. There is a random chance of either happening, so if the rod catches nothing, players can feel free to cast it out again.

Generation III

Starting with Generation III, fishing became more complicated, as the player would have to pay attention and confirm as soon as the rod hooked a Pokémon, or else it would get away. In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, this required a series of confirmations to reel in better Pokémon. Generation III also introduced the ability for Trainers to fish off the back of a surfing Pokémon, which may be required to catch Feebas.

Generation IV

In Generation IV, the player would use the rod, and an exclamation mark-like sign would pop up above the player, noting that they should push the A-button to start the battle with the Pokémon they've encountered. As with Generation III, the Pokémon will go away if the player takes too long.

Generation V

In Generation V, fishing mechanics are mostly unchanged from Generation IV. However, fishing on strange bubbling spots in the water changes the Pokémon that can be caught, generally being Pokémon of the higher evolution. As such, this allows certain Pokémon such as Milotic and Poliwrath to be caught in the wild, while normally, they would be unavailable in the wild.

In the anime

Numerous episodes of the anime have featured the group fishing.

At the Safari Zone, a fishing rod is distributed with the Safari Balls.

Rather than using bait, lures with Pokémon designs are used. In Whiscash and Ash, a fisherman believed that the secret to catching the Whiscash he was looking for, was finding the right lure. Misty has a collection of lures, including a special lure based on herself that she believes is the best. She sent it to Ash as a gift in The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing. Ash used this lure in Buizel Your Way Out of This to try and catch a powerful Buizel.

Trivia

• In Generation I, it is possible to fish in the bottom of the statues in Gyms (except for Saffron Gym or Cinnabar Gym) or any room in the Elite Four. However, when using the Super Rod in any Gym or Elite Four room other than Cerulean Gym or Lorelei's room, the game will say "Looks like there's nothing here."
• In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the "!" will occasionally appear above the partner Pokémon instead of the player character.
• The Super Rod is the only fishing rod that is obtainable in Pokémon Black and White. The Old Rod and Good Rod, while still existent in the game's programming, cannot be obtained without hacking, and cannot be used; however, oddly enough, they can be held by a Pokémon.

This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.