How to Make a Fishing Pole in Minecraft

To craft a fishing rod in Minecraft, place 3 sticks diagonally and 2 strings vertically in a 3×3 crafting grid. The fishing rod lets you catch fish, treasure items (enchanted books, name tags, saddles), and junk items. It is one of the best early-game tools for food and rare loot.

Materials Needed

• 3 sticks — craft from planks (2 planks → 4 sticks).
• 2 string — dropped by spiders, found in mineshafts, or from breaking cobwebs.

How to Fish

• Equip the fishing rod and right-click near water to cast.
• Watch the bobber. When it dips under water and you hear a splash, right-click immediately.
• Timing is important — reel in too early or late and you get nothing.
• Rain increases the bite rate by about 20%.

Fishing Rod Enchantments

• Luck of the Sea III: Massively increases treasure drops (enchanted books, saddles, name tags).
• Lure III: Decreases wait time between bites.
• Unbreaking III: Rod lasts much longer.
• Mending: Repairs the rod using XP orbs.

Fishing Pole Enchantments

Fishing rods can be enchanted at an enchanting table or anvil with three useful enchantments. Lure reduces the waiting time between catches — each level cuts about 5 seconds off the average wait, making Lure III the clear choice for speed fishing. Luck of the Sea increases the chance of treasure catches like enchanted books, saddles, name tags, and nautilus shells while reducing junk catches. Unbreaking extends the rod’s durability so you can fish longer between repairs. A perfect fishing rod has Lure III, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III, and Mending.

AFK Fish Farms

AFK fish farms allow you to catch items automatically by holding down the right mouse button while the game handles the rest. The basic design uses an iron trapdoor, a note block, and flowing water to create a mechanism that resets the cast automatically. These farms are extremely valuable in early game because fishing with Luck of the Sea III is one of the best ways to obtain enchanted books, including Mending, which is otherwise difficult to find. Note that Mojang patched the most efficient AFK designs in 1.16, but functional versions still exist for both Java and Bedrock.

Fishing Loot Tables

Fishing produces three categories of items: fish (60% base chance), junk (10%), and treasure (5%). Luck of the Sea shifts these percentages toward treasure. At Luck of the Sea III, treasure chance rises to about 11.3%. Treasure items include enchanted books, bows, fishing rods, name tags, saddles, nautilus shells, and lily pads. Fish catches include cod, salmon, pufferfish, and tropical fish. Junk includes sticks, leather, bowls, and string.

Fishing in Different Biomes

Fishing works in any water body at least 5×5×2 blocks, but open water gives the best loot. The game checks for open water conditions: the bobber must have water blocks around it without lily pads, blocks, or plants within a 5×4×5 area. Indoor fish farms that do not meet open water requirements penalize treasure loot heavily in Java Edition. Bedrock Edition does not have this restriction, making indoor AFK farms equally effective. Rain increases fishing speed by about 20 percent, and the Lure enchantment stacks with rain for the fastest catches.

Fishing provides small amounts of XP per catch — about 1-6 points. While this seems minor, AFK fishing for extended periods accumulates significant experience for Mending enchantment repairs.

FAQ

Looking for a quick puzzle break between gaming sessions? Try Cupcake 2048 — a sweet twist on the classic number puzzle. You can also play classic 2048 or Pokémon 2048 right in your browser.