Master the Fishing skill in The Sims 4 and reel in rare catches from ponds, rivers, and oceans. This guide covers everything your Sim needs to know, from leveling up with skill books, to all types of collectible fish. You'll also find cheats for fast-tracking skill progress and helpful tips for maxing out this skill. Whether you're new to fishing or looking to catch that last elusive Golden Mahi Mahi, this guide has you covered.
Elder, Adult, Young Adult, Teen, and Child Sims can all build this skill.
As they build their Fishing skill, Child Sims will also develop their Mental skill. Want to learn more about Child skills? Check out our guide.
The Fishing skill is needed to progress in the Fisherman career.
The Fishing skill is needed to complete the Angling Ace Aspiration.
The Sims 4 Base Game comes with a large number of fish to catch, but more are added with other Packs. The Sims 4 Island Living Expansion Pack comes with the biggest updates to the Fishing skill and the most new fish.
Fish, and other Items your Sim can catch through fishing, can make your Sim some Simoleons! Open your Sim’s Personal Inventory to sell them.
All fish have different weights and sizes, which affects how much you can sell them for.
This festival is on every Saturday from 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. Find it at the fishing pier in the neighborhood of Ohan’Ali Town.
How to build the Fishing skill
There are multiple ways for your Sim to build the Fishing skill. Some interactions are only unlocked when your Sim reaches a certain level.
You’ll find fishing spots all around different neighborhoods in each World. Fishing spots are marked by a small post with a fishing icon, or Sims can fish in ponds. Select the post and choose Go Fishing, more interactions will unlock the higher up your Sims’ skill level. Different fishing spots contain different types of fish, and you may have to keep trying different locations to get rarer catches!
Once your Sim reaches level 3 of this skill, they can use bait to catch bigger, better fish. Using the right bait can also help your Sim catch specific, rarer fish. Bait can be fish, plants, or frogs. To keep track of which bait has helped to catch a particular fish, this info is kept in your Sim’s Notebook.
Reading skill books will work towards building skills, but it is slower than other methods. Books will only get you as far as level 9 of a skill.To buy skill books:
1
Select a bookshelf and choose Purchase Books.
2
In the pop-up, select the drop-down at the top-left that reads Show All.
3
Choose Skill and scroll through to find the book you want to buy. These will be added to your Sim’s bookshelf.
The skill books are:
Fishing Vol 1: Getting Hooked
Fishing Vol 2: Tackles and Techniques
Fishing Vol 3: See the Fish, Be the Fish
If you own The Sims 4 Discover University Expansion Pack, your Sim can attend skill-building classes. These are rabbit-holes, so your Sim will leave the Lot for some time and then come back when the class is over.
1
In Live Mode, select your Sim’s phone.
2
Open the Business app (the briefcase icon).
3
Choose Sit in on Skill Class (§250).
4
In the pop-up menu, choose Fishing. Your Sim will leave the Lot and gain Fishing skill while at the class.
Note: Skill Classes are only available between 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
As your Sim builds the Fishing skill, they’ll unlock new abilities and interactions along the way. Some of these are only available with certain Packs. A green progress bar will appear above your Sim’s head and gradually fill up as they’re building a skill. You can also check their progress by:
1
Entering Live Mode.
2
Selecting the Sim Panel (bottom left).
3
Selecting the Skills tab.
Here, you can check how many skills your Sim has and what level they are in each.
At this level, your Sim can:
Catch Fish
Mount Fish on the wall
Keep fish in a fish bowl
Buy the Fit4Fish Crystal Fish Bowl in Build Mode. Purchase Fish to add either a Goldfish, Tetra, or Guppy to the bowl. Select Add Fish to choose one your Sim has in their Personal Inventory.
At this level, your Sim can catch Bass, Koi, Trout, and Neon Angelfish.
At this level, your Sim can:
Examine Water at fishing spots to study and identify new fish
Use two Fish Traps to catch fish in ocean water
Catch Mahi Mahi
Use bait to catch bigger, better fish
At this level, your Sim:
Can catch Catfish, Tilapia, and Princess Parrotfish
Is more likely to reel in treasure
At this level, your Sim can:
Go fishing in any weather
Fish while experiencing an Uncomfortable, Tense, or Stressed Moodlet
Catch Butterfly Fish
Mentor other Sims at Fishing
At this level, your Sim can:
Catch Rainbow Fish and the Half Moon Fighting Plakat
Share Fishing Tips with other Sims
Use four Fish Traps to catch fish in ocean water
At this level, your Sim:
Can catch Anglerfish and Bluefin Tuna
Can ask Master Fishermen for insider secrets on secret fishing spots
Is better at deep-sea fishing
At this level, your Sim can:
Teach other Sims to fish
Catch the deadly Coral Scorpionfish
At this level, your Sim can:
Angle for Big Catch
Share Expert Fishing Tips with other Sims
Catch Tropical Sharks and Pygmy Swordfish
At this level, your Sim can:
Use six Fish Traps to catch fish in ocean water
Catch the Golden Mahi Mahi
Fish Collection
There are over 49 different fish available in-game to catch, with more varieties added with new Packs. Unsure if you’ve caught them all? Open the Collection menu to check!
1
Open your Sim’s Personal Inventory.
2
Select the diamond icon in the top right labelled Household Collections.
3
In the Household Collections window, select Fish.
This includes a number that tracks how many fish your Sim has caught.
4
In the Fish Collection, you can filter the view by Rarity, Name, Recent, Bonus Items, and Missing.
Here are all the fish currently available in The Sims 4.
When using skill cheats, type in the number of the level you want to reach. For example, putting stats.set_skill_level Major_Fishing 7 into the cheat bar will get your Sim’s Fishing skill up to level 7.
PC and Mac
PC and Mac
PlayStation®
PlayStation®
Xbox
Xbox
1
Press Control + Shift + C to open the cheat dialogue box.
2
Type testingcheats true and press Enter to turn on cheats.
3
Type stats.set_skill_level Major_Fishing [skill level] and press Enter.
1
Press the R1 + R2 + L1 + L2 buttons at the same time to open the cheat dialogue box.
2
Type testingcheats true and press Enter to turn on cheats.
3
Type stats.set_skill_level Major_Fishing [skill level] and press Enter.
1
Press the RB + RT + LB + LT buttons at the same time to open the cheat dialogue box.
2
Type testingcheats true and press Enter to turn on cheats.
3
Type stats.set_skill_level Major_Fishing [skill level] and press Enter.
Need help mastering more skills in The Sims 4? Check out some of our other skill guides.
