You’re staring at a horizon where the water looks like liquid sapphire, the sun is dipping low, and instead of cannons roaring, there’s just the rhythmic creak-clunk of a wooden reel. It’s weird. In a game built on the back of cutthroat piracy, gunpowder barrels, and skeletal fleets, a massive chunk of the player base spends their hours staring at a bobber. Fishing Sea of Thieves isn't just a side activity you do when you're bored; for a certain breed of pirate, it’s the entire point of the game.
Most people start out thinking it’s a waste of time. They want the Chest of Legends. They want to sink a Burning Blade. But then, they realize that the Hunter’s Call—that ragtag group of fishermen led by Merrick—offers a kind of prestige that gold just can't buy.
It’s hard. It’s slow. Honestly, it’s probably the most relaxing way to get a migraine when a Rare Shadow Stormfish snaps your line at the last second.
The Hunter’s Call: Why This Grind Hits Different
If you’ve spent any time at the tiny Seaposts like North Star or Stephen’s Spoils, you know the vibe. These tiny outposts are the only places where you can sell your catch. Unlike the Gold Hoarders or the Order of Souls, the Hunter’s Call doesn’t give you voyages. You don't get a map with an X. You just... go.
That lack of structure is exactly why it works.
The progression system here is notoriously brutal. To hit level 50 in Hunter’s Call, you can't just spam easy tasks. You have to understand the ecosystem. Rare’s design team, specifically folks like Mike Chapman, have often talked about the "tools not rules" philosophy. Fishing is the ultimate expression of that. You aren't told where to find a Battlegill. You have to figure out that they only show up near active skeleton forts or ghost ship encounters.
It forces you into the danger you’re trying to avoid.
Imagine you’re solo-slooping. You see a skull cloud in the sky. Normally, you’d steer clear. But today? Today you need those Sand Battlegills. So you park your ship just close enough for the music to change, drop anchor, and pray the skeletons have bad aim while you wait for a bite. It’s high-stakes lo-fi.
The Science of the Bait
Don't just throw an empty hook into the water unless you're looking for Splashtails. Nobody wants Splashtails. They are the "trash fish" of the Sea of Thieves, though the Ruby ones look nice in a trophy frame.
✨ Don't miss: Appropriate for All Gamers NYT: The Real Story Behind the Most Famous Crossword Clue
To catch the real prize-winners, you need to dig.
- Earthworms are for Plentifins (found in the Shores of Plenty) and Wildsplashes (The Wilds).
- Grubs attract Devilfish (The Devil’s Roar) and those elusive Battlegills.
- Leeches are the gold standard for Ancientscales (The Ancient Isles) and Stormfish.
The Stormfish is the ultimate test of a fisherman’s sanity. You have to be inside the storm. The bell is ringing, the wheel is spinning wildly, the compass is spinning in circles, and water is filling your hull. You’re standing on the deck, ignoring the lightning, trying to see your line through the torrential rain.
If you catch a Shadow Stormfish—the rarest variant—you’ve basically won the game. That single fish, when cooked perfectly, can net you thousands of gold and a massive reputation boost. But one strike of lightning while you’re holding that rod? Everything is gone.
Cooking Is Not Optional
I’ve seen too many new players eat raw fish. Don't do that. You’ll vomit, your screen will turn green, and you’ll waste about 80% of the value.
Cooking is a mini-game of its own. You have to watch the eyes. When the fish’s eyes turn white and the scales go from vibrant to a golden-brown hue, it’s done. Take it off the stove immediately. If it starts smoking, you’re seconds away from a "burnt" status, which makes the fish nearly worthless.
Perfectly cooked fish provides "Health Regeneration." This is a secondary health bar (the little circle around your skull icon) that heals you over time after you take damage. In a sword fight, having a stomach full of cooked Trophy Trophy Wrecker is the difference between life and death. It’s the only way to heal without actively stopping to munch on a banana.
Finding the Legendary "Blackcloud"
There’s a specific fish that haunts the dreams of completionists: The Blackcloud Wrecker.
Wreckers, in general, are found near shipwrecks. You look for the birds circling in the sky, sail over, and fish near the submerged hull. But the Blackcloud variant is special. It only appears at a shipwreck that is currently inside a storm.
🔗 Read more: Stuck on the Connections hint June 13? Here is how to solve it without losing your mind
This requires a level of meteorological tracking that would make a weather channel jealous. You have to watch the storm’s path, find a wreck it’s about to hit, and get there before the clouds move on. It’s a tiny window of opportunity.
Sometimes, you’ll spend three hours chasing a storm only to have a Megalodon knock you off your boat. That’s Sea of Thieves. It doesn’t care about your checklist.
The Social Contract of the Fishing Rod
There is an unspoken rule among many veterans: You don't sink a ship parked at a Seapost with its lights off and a fishing rod out.
I mean, people will still do it. It’s a pirate game. Toxic crews exist. But more often than not, if you’re clearly just grinding Hunter’s Call, other crews might actually pull up and trade with you. I’ve seen Galleons drop off storage crates full of bait just because they felt bad for a solo fisher.
Secrets of the Umbra and Merrick’s Legacy
Fishing isn't just a mechanic; it’s baked into the lore. Merrick, the guy who started the Hunter’s Call, is a legendary figure who first summoned the Shrouded Ghost. If you want to understand the soul of the game, you look at the journals left behind by his family.
They aren't warriors. They’re survivors.
When you’re out there, look for the "Trophy" versions. They’re bigger. They pull harder. They take longer to reel in. Reeling isn't just holding a button. You have to tilt your rod against the fish's movement. If the fish go left, you pull right. If it jumps, you stop reeling entirely for a split second to keep the line from snapping.
It’s tactile. You can feel the tension in the controller or see the strain on the line.
💡 You might also like: GTA Vice City Cheat Switch: How to Make the Definitive Edition Actually Fun
How to Maximize Your Haul
If you're serious about leveling up, stop selling everything immediately.
- Check Shipwreck Barrels: You can find rare, pre-cooked fish in shipwrecks and rowboat chests. This is often faster than actually fishing.
- Use a Rowboat: If you want to stay stealthy, park your main ship behind a large rock and row to your fishing spot. Ships rarely notice a lone rowboat tucked into a cove.
- The "Siren Queen" Trick: Some players head to the Sunken Kingdom shrines. You can fish in the air pockets there, and because you're underwater, you're safe from other players and storms.
Is It Worth It?
The "Legendary Hunter of the Sea of Thieves" title is one of the rarest in the game. It requires catching 50 of every single fish variant. That’s hundreds of hours of baiting, reeling, and cooking.
It’s a badge of patience.
In a world where everyone is rushing to hit Pirate Legend, the fisherman is the one who has truly mastered the sea. They know every island, every weather pattern, and exactly where the coral meets the sand.
Practical Steps for Your Next Session
If you’re logging in today to start your fishing journey, don't just sail aimlessly.
Start by hitting a fort—not to clear it, but to raid the barrels. Forts have the highest concentration of bait in the game. Fill your pockets with grubs and leeches. From there, head toward the center of the map. This gives you the best chance to react to a storm if you see one forming.
Keep your stove going. Always. If you aren't fishing, you should be cooking what you just caught. If you see a "Glow" on your line at night, pay attention—you’ve likely hooked a Luminous variant, which is worth significantly more than the daytime versions.
Forget the gold for a second. Turn the music down, listen to the waves, and just wait for the splash. The Sea of Thieves has plenty of treasures, but sometimes the best ones are the ones you pull out of the water yourself.
Sell your fish at the Seaposts, buy those fancy Inkwashed Kraken fishing rods, and keep going. The Shrouded Ghost is out there somewhere, and she’s not going to catch herself.
Keep your line tight and your frying pan hot. The grind to level 50 is a marathon, not a sprint, so you might as well enjoy the view while you're at it. Get your bait, find a quiet wreck, and start reeling. Every Shadow Stormfish you sell brings you one step closer to being a true legend of the Hunter’s Call.