I’ve been playing Infinity Nikki daily for almost 8 months now, and for the first 2 months, I completely messed up every part of fishing. I’d waste rare bait on common fish, break my line 7 out of 10 casts, and even accidentally harvest quest fish I needed to turn in for limited hair accessories. If you’ve been frustrated trying to figure out how to harvest fish in Infinity Nikki without wasting your time or resources, this guide is built from all the mistakes I made so you don’t have to repeat them.
What You Need Before You Start to Harvest Fish in Infinity Nikki
You can’t just walk up to any body of water and start harvesting fish successfully. There are a few core items and checks you need to run first to make sure you’re not wasting your energy. First, you need to upgrade your fishing rod at least twice from the default starter version. The starter rod only lets you catch 2 out of 12 common fish species, and it can’t hold tension long enough to reel in any rare fish worth harvesting. Correct bait types for your target fish are non-negotiable too. You can’t use worm bait to catch glowing moonfish, for example, and using rare glowing bait on common carp is a huge waste of resources you could be using for rarer catches.
You also want to check the in-game weather and time of day before you head out. Most rare fish only spawn during specific windows: bioluminescent fish only come out between 10PM and 4AM in-game on rainy nights, while golden carp only spawn on sunny afternoons between 1PM and 3PM. You can check the 24-hour in-game forecast from the main menu’s world tab, so you don’t show up to a lake at the wrong time and leave with nothing worth harvesting.
One last thing I always recommend before you start is clearing 2-3 slots in your material inventory. If your inventory is full when you harvest a fish, you’ll lose the materials automatically, and you won’t get a second chance to claim them. I’ve made this mistake twice with rare glowing moonfish, and it’s not a fun feeling.
Step-by-Step Process to Harvest Fish Successfully
Once you’ve got all your pre-requisites sorted, the actual harvesting process is pretty straightforward once you get the rhythm down. I’ve broken it down into simple steps that even total beginners can follow on their first try:
- Cast your line only when you see a fish shadow matching your target species, not any random ripple in the water. Common fish have small, thin shadows, while rare fish have larger, rounded shadows that sometimes glow if they’re ultra-rare.
- Wait for two short tugs followed by one long, sharp pull on your line before you tap the reel button. If you tap too early, you’ll scare the fish away, and you’ll lose your bait in the process.
- Keep the tension meter in the green zone the entire time you’re reeling the fish in. If it goes into the red for more than 2 seconds, your line will break, and you’ll lose the fish. The tension meter sweet spot is right in the middle of the green bar, so tap the reel button in short bursts instead of holding it down the entire time.
- Once you pull the fish to shore, select the “harvest” option instead of “release” or “store” to claim your materials. If you store the fish, you can only sell it for gold or use it for quests, but you won’t get the crafting materials you’re looking for.
It takes 3-4 practice casts to get the timing down, but once you do, you’ll be able to catch and harvest 9 out of 10 fish you target. The bait matching rule is the most important part of this process, even more than timing. If you use the wrong bait for the shadow you see, the fish will never bite, no matter how good your timing is. For example, if you’re targeting golden carp, you have to use wheat bait, no exceptions. I’ve spent 20 minutes casting at golden carp shadows with worm bait before, and not a single one bit. Save yourself the frustration and double check your bait before you cast.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Harvesting Fish
Even if you follow the steps perfectly, there are a lot of small mistakes that can cost you rare fish and valuable materials. I’ve made almost all of these at some point, so I can tell you exactly what to watch out for. First, don’t harvest every single fish you catch. Common fish like carp and minnow only give you 1-2 common scales when you harvest them, which are barely worth the bait you used to catch them. It’s far better to release common fish or sell them for gold, and only harvest rare and ultra-rare fish that give you unique materials you can’t get anywhere else.
Second, don’t ignore your fishing rod durability. Fishing rod durability drops every time you cast, and if it breaks mid-catch, you’ll lose the fish and your bait. I always keep a spare upgraded rod in my inventory when I’m going on a long fishing trip, so I don’t have to run back to the shop in the middle of a rare fish spawn window.
Third, don’t harvest fish that you need for active quests. A lot of weekly and daily quests ask you to turn in specific fish species, and if you harvest them, you can’t use them for the quest. I learned this the hard way when I harvested a rainbow carp I needed for a weekly quest that rewarded a limited pastel hair accessory, and I had to wait 7 full days for the quest to reset to get the reward. Now I always check my active quest log before I start harvesting any fish, so I know which ones to store instead of harvest.
Last, don’t harvest fish in other players’ fishing spots if you’re playing in co-op mode. The community has an unwritten rule that the first person to cast at a fish shadow gets to claim the catch, and harvesting someone else’s fish is a quick way to get reported or blocked. It’s just not worth it, especially since there are more than enough fishing spots across the map for everyone.
One small hack I’ve found is that rare fish harvest bonuses are 2x higher if you harvest them during a fishing event. If you can wait for a monthly fishing event to harvest your rare ultra-rare catches, you’ll get double the materials for the same amount of work. That’s how I managed to get enough glowing scales to craft the limited mermaid gown in 2 days instead of a full week.
Best Uses for Harvested Fish Materials
You might be wondering why you should even bother harvesting fish instead of just buying materials from the in-game shop. The truth is, most of the materials you get from harvesting fish are not available for purchase with gold or paid currency, so they’re the only way to craft some of the most popular outfits and furniture items in the game.
The most common use for harvested fish materials is crafting exclusive outfits. Exclusive outfit crafting recipes like the mermaid gown, the fisherman’s overalls set, and the glowing bioluminescent skirt all require materials you can only get from harvesting rare fish. You can also use fish scales to make custom hair accessories, shoe buckles, and even jewelry for your Nikki.
You can also use harvested fish materials to craft furniture for your dorm room. Glowing fish guts make great fairy lights for your dorm, fish bones can be turned into cute decorative wall art, and fish leather can be used to make rugs and couch cushions. If you’re someone who likes to customize your dorm to match your outfits, harvesting fish is one of the best ways to get unique decor items no one else will have.
Another great use for harvested fish materials is gifting them to NPCs to raise your friendship level. Different NPCs prefer different fish materials: the blacksmith loves strong fish bones to make tools, the tailor loves soft fish leather to make outfits, and the little girl in the village loves glowing fish scales to make hair clips. Raising your friendship level with NPCs unlocks exclusive quests, free outfit items, and even discounts on items in their shops.
You can also trade extra harvested fish materials with other players in the community marketplace for materials you don’t have. For example, if you have extra glowing moonfish scales but need golden carp scales, you can trade them with another player who has the opposite, so you don’t have to spend hours farming for the materials you need. Just make sure you follow the community marketplace rules to avoid getting scammed, and only trade with players who have positive feedback ratings.
At the end of the day, learning how to harvest fish in Infinity Nikki is a lot easier than it looks once you know the right steps and what mistakes to avoid. You don’t need to spend any paid currency to get great catches, just a little bit of prep work and practice. I still go fishing at least twice a week to get materials for new outfits, and I still get excited every time I see a rare glowing fish shadow pop up in the water. Give these tips a try on your next fishing trip, and you’ll be swimming in rare crafting materials before you know it.