You're hungry. Your hunger bar is shaking, those little drumstick icons are turning into skeletons, and you’re stuck in a plains biome with no cows in sight. Or maybe you're just tired of grinding for enchanted books in a dark, cramped villager trading hall. Either way, you need to know how to make a fishing pole in Minecraft, and honestly, it’s one of the first things you should do after punching a tree. It isn't just about catching cod. It's about luck. It's about loot.
Fishing is one of the most underrated mechanics in the game. Most players skip it. They rush for iron, then diamond, then netherite. But they're missing out on the easiest way to get Mending books, Saddles, and Name Tags without ever touching a dangerous cave.
The Bare Bones Crafting Recipe
To get started, you don't need much. Just wood and some dead spiders. You'll need exactly three sticks and two pieces of string.
If you’ve got a crafting table ready, open it up. You’re going to place those sticks in a diagonal line. Think of it like a slope or the side of a roof. Put one stick in the top-right slot, one in the middle-middle slot, and the last one in the bottom-left slot. Now, take your string. Hang it down from the top-right stick. You’ll place one string in the middle-right slot and one in the bottom-right slot.
Boom. Fishing rod.
It’s a simple shape that actually looks like a fishing rod in the grid. But here’s the thing: where you get that string matters early on. If it's your first night, don't go hunting spiders in the open. You'll get sniped by a skeleton. Instead, look for a desert temple or an abandoned mineshaft if you’re lucky enough to be near one. Cobwebs can be broken with a sword to give you all the string you need without the risk of a Poison Cave Spider ruining your day.
Why the Placement Matters
Minecraft is picky. If you flip that diagonal line—putting the sticks from top-left to bottom-right—it won't work. The rod always "points" to the left in the crafting output. It’s a legacy thing. Notch decided the orientation over a decade ago, and it’s stayed that way through every update from 1.0 to the newest snapshots.
Survival Tips for the String Hunt
Finding string is the only real "hard" part of knowing how to make a fishing pole in Minecraft when you're starting a new world. Spiders only spawn in light levels of 7 or less. If you’re playing on Hard mode, they might even spawn with status effects like Invisibility or Strength.
Don't fight them in tall grass. You can't see them, but they can see you.
If you’re a pacifist or playing on Peaceful mode, you aren't locked out of fishing. Check those desert temples. The chests often contain string. You can also find string in cat gifts if you've managed to tame one with raw fish (ironic, I know). Or, just find a village. Fletcher villagers sometimes sell string, or you can find it in their chests.
🔗 Read more: Among Us Spider-Man: Why Everyone Is Still Obsessed With These Mods
Beyond the Basics: Making the Rod Actually Good
A basic fishing rod is... okay. It’s slow. You’ll sit there staring at the water particles for 30 seconds, wondering if you’re lagging. You aren’t. You just have a bad rod.
To make fishing worth your time, you need Enchantments. This is where the game changes. You want Lure III and Luck of the Sea III.
Lure decreases the wait time for a bite. At level III, you’re catching something every 5 to 10 seconds. Luck of the Sea increases the quality of what you catch. It lowers the chance of catching "Junk" (leather boots, sticks, glass bottles) and increases the chance of "Treasure."
The Treasure Pool is Insane
What counts as treasure?
- Enchanted Books: This is how you get Mending.
- Enchanted Bows: Often better than what you can craft.
- Saddles: Can't craft these, so fishing is a top-tier way to get them.
- Nautilus Shells: Essential for Conduits.
I once spent four hours fishing in a jungle biome because the loot tables used to be slightly different (or at least felt that way), and I walked away with enough Mending books to cover my entire armor set. This was before the 1.16 update changed how "open water" fishing works.
The "Open Water" Rule You Probably Forgot
Back in the day, you could build an "AFK Fish Farm" in a 1x1 hole. You’d tape down your mouse button and go to sleep. You'd wake up with chests full of loot.
Mojang hated that.
Now, to get "Treasure" loot, the game checks if you're fishing in Open Water. This means the bobber needs a 5x5x5 area of water source blocks around it. No lily pads, no solid blocks, no underwater fences. If you try to fish in a tiny puddle, you’ll only ever catch fish and junk. You will never see a Mending book.
Basically, go to an ocean or a large lake. Don't try to be "efficient" by building a tiny cage. The game is smarter than that now.
💡 You might also like: Why the Among the Sleep Mom is Still Gaming's Most Uncomfortable Horror Twist
Variations of the Fishing Pole
You should also know that the standard fishing pole is just the base model. You can combine it with other items to create specialized tools.
If you take a fishing rod and a Warped Fungus (from the Nether) and put them in a crafting grid, you get a Warped Fungus on a Stick. You need this to ride Striders across lava lakes. It’s the only way to navigate the Nether floor safely without burning to a crisp.
Alternatively, a Carrot on a Stick lets you lead pigs around. Is it useful? Not really, horses are better. But is it funny to ride a pig off a cliff? Absolutely.
Durability and Mending: The Forever Rod
A fishing rod has 64 durability points. Every time you cast and reel in a catch, it uses 1 point. If you reel in and the hook is stuck in a block, it costs 2 points. If you hit a mob with it (yes, you can hook mobs and pull them toward you), it costs even more.
This is why Mending and Unbreaking III are non-negotiable.
With Mending, the experience points you get from catching a fish actually repair the rod while it’s in your hand. This creates a loop where the rod never breaks. You could fish for 100 hours straight and the rod would stay at full health.
Fishing in Different Biomes
Does it matter where you cast your line? Sorta.
If you’re in a Jungle biome, you can catch Cocoa Beans. If you’re in a Swamp, you’re more likely to catch lily pads. But for the most part, the "Treasure" loot table remains consistent across the board. The biggest factor is the weather.
Pro Tip: Fish while it’s raining.
📖 Related: Appropriate for All Gamers NYT: The Real Story Behind the Most Famous Crossword Clue
The game actually has a mechanic where fishing in the rain (with direct access to the sky) decreases the wait time for a bite by about 20%. It’s a massive boost. If you see a thunderstorm, grab your rod and head to the coast. It’s the most productive time to be on the water.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
I see people doing this all the time: they reel in too early.
You have to wait for the "splash." You'll see a trail of bubbles racing toward your bobber. When the bobber sinks below the surface and you hear that distinct splat sound, that’s when you right-click. If you click before it sinks, you waste time. If you click too late, the fish gets away.
Also, watch out for "Solid Blocks" above your bobber. If there's a roof over your head, you can't get Treasure loot. The game wants you under the open sky (or at least transparent blocks like glass).
How to Get the Most Out of Your Fishing Pole
Once you've figured out how to make a fishing pole in Minecraft, don't just throw it in a chest and forget about it.
- Set up a "Fishing Dock" in an Ocean biome. Make sure the water is deep—at least 3 blocks deep—to ensure the game registers it as open water.
- Use a Grindstone. If you catch enchanted bows or rods that you don't want, run them through a grindstone. It strips the enchantments and gives you free XP.
- Keep a campfire nearby. Raw cod and salmon aren't great for saturation. Cooked fish, however, is a solid early-game food source.
- Fish for your first Bow. Instead of wasting string and sticks to craft a bow, just fish for one. You’ll often catch bows that already have Power IV or Unbreaking III on them.
Fishing is a slow burn. It’s not as high-octane as raiding a Bastion or fighting the Wither. But in terms of "effort vs. reward," it is statistically the most broken way to gear up in Minecraft. You can start a world, punch a few spiders, make a rod, and have full Mending gear before you’ve even found your first diamond.
That’s the real power of the fishing pole. It isn’t just a tool; it’s a shortcut.
Next time you’re stuck at night and don't want to dig into a hole, find a body of water. Cast your line. You might just pull up the book that saves your hardcore world.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Gather 3 sticks and 2 string and craft your rod at a Crafting Table.
- Find a large body of water (at least 5x5 blocks wide and deep) to ensure you can catch Treasure-tier loot.
- Wait for a rainy day in-game to fish, as this significantly increases your catch rate.
- Prioritize getting a Luck of the Sea enchantment from an Enchantment Table or by combining rods in an Anvil to increase your chances of finding Mending books.