To fish in lava in Terraria, you need at least one of three enablers: the Hotline Fishing Hook (a fishing pole), the Lavaproof Fishing Hook accessory or its Lavaproof Tackle Bag upgrade, or Underworld bait (a Magma Snail, Lavafly or Hell Butterfly). The earliest route is the bait: craft a Lavaproof Bug Net from a Bug Net and 15 Hellstone Bars at a Hellforge, catch those critters in the Underworld, and cast any rod into a lava pool.
Below we cover where each enabler comes from, why stacking them matters more since the 1.4.5 update, a step-by-step first trip, and everything lava can give you. It is all verified against the current 1.4.5.8 build of Terraria and Re-Logic’s changelogs.
The Three Ways to Fish in Lava
| Enabler | What it is | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Lava bait | Magma Snail, Lavafly or Hell Butterfly | Catch them in the Underworld with a Lavaproof or Golden Bug Net |
| Lavaproof Fishing Hook | Accessory | Found in Obsidian and Hellstone Crates, which only come from lava |
| Lavaproof Tackle Bag | Accessory | Angler Tackle Bag plus Lavaproof Fishing Hook at a Tinkerer’s Workshop |
| Hotline Fishing Hook | Fishing pole | A rare Angler quest reward in Hardmode |
Lava bait is the only option before Hardmode that does not depend on luck. The three critters live in the Underworld, and a normal Bug Net just sets you on fire, so you need the Lavaproof Bug Net (or the Golden Bug Net, an Angler reward). Per the official Terraria wiki, the Magma Snail has the best bait power at 35 percent, the Lavafly 25 and the Hell Butterfly 15. Lavaflies come out at night, and Magma Snails and Lavaflies can also fall from Ash trees you shake.
The Lavaproof Fishing Hook lets any rod and any bait work in lava. The catch-22 is that it only comes from lava crates, at a 19 percent chance per crate according to the official wiki, so you need bait or the Hotline hook to earn it. Combine it with an Angler Tackle Bag at a Tinkerer’s Workshop and the Lavaproof Tackle Bag adds 10 Fishing Power, a line that never breaks and a chance to save bait.
The Hotline Fishing Hook is the only pole that fishes lava by itself, with 45 percent Fishing Power. The official wiki lists it as a 1 percent random reward from the Angler, only in Hardmode and only after roughly 25 completed quests, so most players get lava fishing going long before it drops.
Stack Them for Faster Bites
Lava has a small catch table, so bites come slowly with a single enabler. The official wiki notes that using any two of the three (lava bait, the Hotline hook, a lavaproof accessory) makes bites come much faster, and Re-Logic’s 1.4.5 changelog added an extra bonus for using all three at once. If you have the Hotline Fishing Hook and a Lavaproof Tackle Bag, keep lava bait in your inventory anyway.
Step by Step: Your First Lava Fishing Trip
- Buy a Bug Net from the Merchant.
- Make Hellstone Bars. Hellstone needs at least a Nightmare or Deathbringer Pickaxe, and each bar takes 3 Hellstone and 1 Obsidian at a Hellforge, which you find in the Underworld’s ruined houses (mining it out takes the same pickaxe).
- Craft the Lavaproof Bug Net at the Hellforge with the Bug Net and 15 Hellstone Bars.
- Catch Underworld critters. Bait gets used up as you fish, so stock up.
- Pick a lava pool. Fishing needs at least 75 connected tiles of liquid and works best at 300 or more, which the Underworld’s lava lakes easily meet.
- Stay safe. An Obsidian Skin Potion makes you immune to lava, and standing on blocks well above the surface keeps you out of it.
- Cast with your use button (left-click on PC, R2 on PlayStation, RT on Xbox, ZR on Switch, per the official wiki’s default controls) and reel in when the bobber dips.
Since 1.4.5 you also get the Fishing Power bonus for sitting in any chair, not just toilets, so a chair on your fishing ledge is a free upgrade.
What You Can Catch in Lava
Lava only gives lava catches, no matter where the pool is. Per the official wiki, the list is:
| Catch | Notes |
|---|---|
| Flarefin Koi | Used in Inferno Potions |
| Obsidifish | Used in Inferno Potions and Potions of Return |
| Obsidian Swordfish | A spear, Hardmode only |
| Bottomless Lava Bucket | Places unlimited lava |
| Lava Absorbant Sponge | Removes unlimited lava |
| Demon Conch | Teleports you to the center of the Underworld |
| Obsidian Crate | Before Hardmode |
| Hellstone Crate | In Hardmode |
The crates are the real prize. Each one always holds an Obsidian Lock Box, which needs a Shadow Key to open, and the official wiki lists a 19 percent chance of the Lavaproof Fishing Hook and a 5 percent chance of a Lava Charm. The 1.4.5 update also swapped their ores for Hellstone and Hellstone Bars and added a small chance of a Hellforge.
Tips for Lava Anglers
Dying in the Underworld means a long trip back, so a bedroom near a hellevator helps: our guide on how to set a spawn point covers the room it needs. Once you own the Golden Bug Net, the official wiki suggests decrafting your Lavaproof Bug Net in the Shimmer to get the Hellstone Bars back, and our guide on how to find the Shimmer shows where to look. A small Underworld base also needs a door to keep monsters out, which our guide on how to place a door explains.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you need to fish in lava in Terraria? Any one of the Hotline Fishing Hook, the Lavaproof Fishing Hook (or Lavaproof Tackle Bag), or lava bait such as the Magma Snail, Lavafly or Hell Butterfly.
How do you get the Hotline Fishing Hook? It is a rare random reward from the Angler’s fishing quests, only in Hardmode and only after you have completed roughly 25 quests.
Why am I not catching anything in lava? Lava bites are slow with one enabler. Make sure the pool has at least 75 tiles of lava, then add a second or third enabler to speed things up.
Can you get crates from lava fishing? Yes. Lava gives Obsidian Crates before Hardmode and Hellstone Crates after it, and they are the only source of the Lavaproof Fishing Hook.
Can a normal Bug Net catch lava critters? No. Trying sets you on fire. You need the Lavaproof Bug Net or the Golden Bug Net.