Taking Inventory: Fishing Rod

Next, head over to your nearest body of water – it doesn’t matter much how big or small that water is, you’ll catch things in even the tiniest puddle. Hold the fishing rod in your hand, and press your use button to cast the line outward. If it hits the water, then you’ll see a bobber appear.

Now, you need to play the waiting game. After anything from five to 30 seconds, you’ll see a fish begin to approach. Once it reaches the bait, and the bobber sinks below the surface, hit use again quickly to reel in your catch. If you miss it, don’t worry – there’ll be another fish along afterward.

Fishing can net you fish, of course. But sometimes you’ll catch treasure or junk instead. Exactly what you’ll catch depends on the biome you’re in, but the Luck of the Sea enchantment boosts your chance of treasure, and reduces your chance of junk, while the Lure enchantment reduces the time you need to wait before each catch. You’ll also generally wait less time if it’s raining, and/or if the bobber is directly exposed to sunlight or moonlight.

There are some other things you can do with fishing rods in addition to fishing. They can be used to hook mobs and even items (in Java Edition) towards you when they’re out of reach. In Bedrock edition you can also use fishing rods to dismount players or mobs that are riding in minecarts, boats or other mobs. Finally, fishing rods can be used to craft a couple of other items – the carrot on a stick and the warped fungus on a stick.

While people in the real world have been fishing since long before recorded history, the first evidence of fishing rods seem to date back to ancient Egypt and China, more than 4,000 years ago. These early rods would have been made of cane or wood, so they don’t survive today, but we can see them in stone inscriptions. We can also find hooks – sharpened pieces of bone, pointed at both ends and tied with a line in the middle.

Originally people would fish to catch food to eat, but recreational fishing started to become popular in the 15th century. The industrial revolution brought mass production, making it quicker and cheaper to make fishing lines and rods, and synthetic materials began to be used in the 20th century. 

Today, there are a whole range of different kinds of fishing rod – fly rods, tenkara rods, baitcasting rods, ultralight rods, spinning rods, spincasting rods, ice rods, sea rods, surf rods, trolling rods, travelling rods, telescopic rods, and many more. In Minecraft, though, there’s just one type – and you’ll be able to catch anything with it. Happy fishing!