You get your first fishing rod in Fields of Mistria by buying the Worn Fishing Rod from Terithia’s Tackle Shop on The Beach for 500 tesserae. It is on sale from the very start of the game, with no quest, story event or skill level required, so you can grab it the moment you have the money. Below we cover how to find the shop, how to cast and reel on keyboard and controller, and the two ways to get a better rod later.
This guide reflects the current full release of Fields of Mistria, which left Early Access with its 1.0 update on August 5, 2026. The rod lineup has not changed since the fourth major Early Access update in February 2026, which made Mistril the top tier for tools, so guides written before then stop one rod short. The game is on PC through Steam (Windows, plus Linux and Steam Deck through SteamOS). NPC Studio has said it will evaluate console ports after 1.0, and none has been announced.
Where to Buy the Fishing Rod
The Tackle Shop is Terithia’s store and home. It sits on The Beach, the southernmost area of the map, south of Hayden’s Sweetwater Farm and southwest of your own farm.
- Leave your farm heading west into Sweetwater Farm, Hayden’s ranch.
- Head south out of Sweetwater Farm onto The Beach. The Tackle Shop is on your left as you arrive.
- Talk to Terithia at the counter and browse her stock; the rods are listed with her tools.
- Buy the Worn Fishing Rod for 500 tesserae. It goes straight into your inventory, and the game shows a short fishing tutorial card the first time you own a rod.
Five hundred tesserae is a lot in the first week, so ship a round of crops or forage first if you are short. The rod stays in Terithia’s stock for good.
The stretch of beach just west of the shop is cut off by a gap at the start. You do not need it for the rod; it opens later through the “Repair the Beach Bridge” town quest, which Terithia starts by letter once the General Store has been repaired.
How to Cast and Reel In
The rod works like every other tool in Mistria: select it on your toolbar, then use the tool button. Casting is a charged action, so the longer you hold the button, the further the line flies. The controller buttons below come from the community wiki’s controls table, and every input can be rebound under Settings.
| Action | Keyboard and mouse | Controller (Xbox layout) |
|---|---|---|
| Select the rod | Number keys 1 to 0, or the mouse wheel | LB and RB cycle the toolbar |
| Cast (hold to throw further) | Hold left click, then release | Hold X, then release |
| Reel in when “!” appears | Left click | X |
If you switch the controller to the Nintendo button layout in the settings, the tool button moves to Y.
Aim for the dark fish shadows swimming near the surface. While you charge a cast, a square marker shows where the bobber will land, and a red X means that tile cannot be fished. A fish that takes interest swims to the bobber and may nibble a few times before it bites. Wait for the exclamation point above the bobber, then press the tool button once. Reel in early and the fish swims off. Per the community wiki, casting itself costs no stamina; stamina is spent only when you land a catch.
How to Upgrade Your Fishing Rod
Every rod above the Worn one reaches further out, which matters when the best shadows are sitting mid-river. There are two routes to each upgrade: buy it from Terithia once your Fishing skill is high enough, or forge it yourself with four ingots once your Blacksmithing skill is high enough. The numbers below come from the community wiki’s tool and shop tables.
| Rod | Cast range (tiles) | Buy from Terithia | Or forge with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worn Fishing Rod | 6 | 500t, from the start | Cannot be forged |
| Copper Fishing Rod | 8 | 1,000t at Fishing 8 | 4 Copper Ingots, Blacksmithing 4 |
| Iron Fishing Rod | 10 | 2,000t at Fishing 15 | 4 Iron Ingots, Blacksmithing 10 |
| Silver Fishing Rod | 12 | 3,000t at Fishing 20 | 4 Silver Ingots, Blacksmithing 16 |
| Gold Fishing Rod | 14 | 4,000t at Fishing 30 | 4 Gold Ingots, Blacksmithing 26 |
| Mistril Fishing Rod | 16 | 5,000t at Fishing 45 | 4 Mistril Ingots, Blacksmithing 28 |
Forging is the better route if you already mine regularly: the wiki’s recipes list only the four ingots, the same material that upgrades your hoe, axe and watering can. It works a lot like Animal Crossing tying its better tools to iron nuggets: the mines feed the tool bench. You can even skip the Worn rod entirely. If you forge a Copper Fishing Rod before ever visiting the Tackle Shop, it counts as your first rod, and NPC Studio’s patch notes for the first major update fixed a tutorial bug for players who did exactly that.
Tips for Your First Days of Fishing
- You do not have to leave home. A river runs through your own farm, and there are more rivers in town, on the Eastern Road and in The Narrows, plus ponds and the ocean off The Beach.
- Terithia sells more than rods. Her shop also stocks seasonal fish and fish recipe scrolls such as Salmon Sashimi and Fish Skewers, handy for cooking and for gifts.
- Spend essence on fishing perks. Caldarus’ shrine on your farm trades essence for skill perks. Appealing Reeling, in the first Fishing tier, pulls fish toward your bobber from further away, and the Legendary perk at Fishing level 30 lets the four legendary fish appear in the right season and weather.
- Fishing clicks fast if you know the genre. Stardew veterans will feel at home, and if you still split time between the two games, our list of the best Stardew Valley mods is a good companion. Players arriving from Level-5’s RPG will find the timing far simpler than fishing in Fantasy Life i.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you get a fishing rod in Fields of Mistria? Buy the Worn Fishing Rod from Terithia’s Tackle Shop on The Beach for 500 tesserae. It is available from the start of the game.
Do you need to unlock the fishing rod first? No. There is no quest, letter or skill requirement for the Worn Fishing Rod. You only need 500 tesserae and the walk to The Beach.
Where is the Tackle Shop? On The Beach at the southern edge of the map. Go west from your farm into Sweetwater Farm, then south, and the shop is on your left.
Can you craft a fishing rod? Not the Worn one. Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold and Mistril rods can all be forged with four matching ingots once your Blacksmithing skill is high enough, or bought from Terithia at the matching Fishing level.
What is the best fishing rod in Fields of Mistria? The Mistril Fishing Rod, added in the fourth major Early Access update. It has the longest cast range and costs 5,000 tesserae at Fishing level 45, or four Mistril Ingots at the forge.
Does fishing use stamina? Per the community wiki, casting is free and stamina is only spent when you actually land a catch, so missed bites cost you nothing but time.