If you’ve spent any time wandering the whimsical open worlds of Infinity Nikki, you’ve probably stumbled on sparkling shorelines, glinting mountain lakes, or hidden cave pools with fish leaping just under the surface. Fishing is one of the game’s most underrated casual activities, with rare catches unlocking exclusive outfits, furniture for your home, and even limited-time event currency. This guide breaks down exactly how to fish in Infinity Nikki, from unlocking the feature to catching the rarest legendary fish in every region.
Core Steps for How to Fish in Infinity Nikki for First-Timers
First, you need to unlock the fishing rod, which you get after completing the "Morning by the Mermaid Shore" side quest in the first main region, Flower Field Country. The quest only takes 15 minutes to finish, and it unlocks the fishing tool permanently across all your save slots, so it’s worth completing as soon as you hit level 5. Once you have the rod, you can approach any body of water marked with a small fish icon on your mini map to start. The basic fishing loop is straightforward, but a lot of new players miss small details that make rare catches way easier:
If you mess up the reel sequence, the fish will get away, and you’ll lose the bait you used for that attempt. Higher rarity bait costs more in-game coins, so it’s worth practicing the reel sequence on common fish with cheap bait before you go after legendary spawns. You can practice at the small pond right outside the first main town for as long as you want, since common fish spawn there nonstop all day.
Best Bait Choices for Different Fish Rarities
When you’re learning how to fish in Infinity Nikki, one of the first things you’ll notice is that bait choice makes a way bigger difference than you might expect. Not all bait works the same for every fish, and using the wrong bait can mean you spend 20 minutes waiting for a bite with nothing to show for it. You can buy basic bait from any general goods vendor in every town, but special bait has to be crafted or earned from side quests.
Basic earthworm bait works for all common fish, and is the cheapest option if you’re just grinding for daily mission rewards. It only costs 10 coins per piece, so you can stock up on hundreds of pieces for just a few thousand coins, no crafting required. Fruit paste bait attracts uncommon and rare fish, and is the best pick if you’re hunting for outfit pieces that drop from mid-tier catches. You can craft it with 2 berries and 1 spoonful of honey, both of which you can collect for free around the Flower Field Country region.
Glowing moon bait is the only bait that will attract legendary fish, so you should only use this when you’re at a confirmed legendary spawn spot at the correct time of day. You can only get this bait from weekly event rewards or high-level side quests, so don’t waste it on random common fishing spots. Legendary fish only spawn between 10PM and 4AM in-game time, and only when the weather is clear, so you can check the in-game weather forecast from your menu to plan your fishing trips ahead.
Hidden Fishing Spots Worth Tracking Down
The fish icon on your mini map only shows common fishing spots, but there are dozens of hidden spots across every region that have much higher spawn rates for rare and legendary fish. For example, the frozen lake in the northern Snow Mountain region has a hidden cove behind a wall of ice you can break with the fire wand tool, and that spot has a 30% higher chance to spawn the legendary ice salmon, which unlocks the limited ice princess outfit set. Another great hidden spot is the underground lake in the Cave of Echoes, which is the only place you can catch the glow-in-the-dark cave fish that unlocks a glowing lamp for your in-game home.
Fishing for rare spawns can get tedious fast, especially if you’re waiting 10 to 15 minutes in real time for a legendary fish to show up. Most players I play with take short, low-effort breaks between spawn windows to avoid burning out, since staring at a bobber for too long makes it easy to miss the bite when the rare fish finally does show up. Quick casual games that fit into short gaps are perfect for these breaks, and Jaiho Rummy is a go-to for a lot of players because it’s easy to pick up and put down in 5 minutes without losing progress. It doesn’t require a ton of focus, so you can still keep an ear out for the game’s bite notification while you play, so you don’t miss your rare spawn.
You can also unlock fast travel points near most hidden fishing spots, so you don’t have to walk 10 minutes across the map every time you want to farm a specific rare fish. Make sure you activate any nearby waypoints as soon as you find a hidden spot, so you can come back whenever you have the right bait and correct weather conditions. You can even mark hidden spots on your custom map to keep track of which spawns you’ve already farmed that week.
Common Fishing Mistakes to Avoid for Better Rewards
A lot of new players make small mistakes that cost them rare catches and waste valuable bait, so avoiding these will save you a ton of time and coins in the long run. First, don’t cast your line too close to the shore, as that only attracts small common fish, even if you’re using rare bait. The green sweet spot when casting will always land you far enough out to access rarer fish, so always aim for that instead of casting as soon as you tap the button.
If you’re new to how to fish in Infinity Nikki, it’s easy to get impatient and reel in too early, but waiting that extra half second for the full dip will save you so much wasted bait. Don’t reel in as soon as the bobber moves — most first-time players tap the reel button when the bobber bobs once, but that’s just the fish investigating the bait, not biting. You have to wait until the bobber goes fully under the water and the controller or screen vibrates to reel in, otherwise you’ll scare the fish off every time.
Another mistake is forgetting to empty your inventory before you go fishing. Each fish takes up one slot in your inventory, and if your bag is full when you catch a fish, you’ll have to throw it back immediately, even if it’s a legendary catch. Always clear at least 10 empty slots in your inventory before you head out for a fishing trip, so you don’t lose a rare catch you waited hours to get. You can store extra items in your home storage chest before you leave, which is free and unlimited for all players.
Also, don’t ignore the daily fishing missions. Even if you only care about catching legendary fish, completing the daily missions gives you free rare bait and moon coins, which you can use to buy more bait or outfit pieces you haven’t unlocked yet. It only takes 10 minutes to knock out the daily fishing missions, and the rewards are more than worth the time. You can pick up daily fishing missions from the fisherman NPC at the first town’s shoreline, and they refresh every 24 hours.
Fishing is one of the most relaxing and rewarding side activities in the game, and once you get the hang of how to fish in Infinity Nikki, you’ll be able to unlock dozens of exclusive rewards you can’t get from main story quests alone. Take your time learning the basic loop, experiment with different bait and spots, and don’t be afraid to take short breaks if you start feeling burnt out — you’ll be catching legendary fish in no time.