Gone Fission: Fishing Spawn Rates and Fallback List Explained
- Duchess Flame
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Image Credit:
In collaboration with Gamer Aviator
You might’ve noticed that the percentages on the above spawn rate chart don’t add up to 100%. Each number on the graphic only shows the chance for that one specific condition, not a total out of 100 — Mostly because there was no way to fit all the layered percentages on one page without shrinking the font to microscopic levels—but also because the fallback system is very complex, and I didn’t want to confuse or overwhelm anyone.
Fishing in Fallout 76 isn’t based on a flat chance. Instead, the game checks the weather and your bait, then works through a list one fish type at a time — starting with the rarest — to decide what ends up on your hook. As soon as one of those conditions succeeds, that’s the fish you get.
So if you see that Glowing Fish have a 10% chance, that doesn’t mean you’ll catch one every 10 casts. It means there’s a 10% chance only if all the rarer fish failed their checks first — and then the Glowing check has to succeed.
It might feel like you're just getting unlucky when the fish you want doesn’t show up, but the system is actually designed to give rare fish a better chance of spawning:
Rare fish are checked first, so they’re never blocked by more common ones.
Weather and bait affect what can even appear on the list.
And if none of the rare rolls land, you’ll still end up with something — even if it’s just a Generic fish or a bit of junk.
If the weather and bait conditions are met, the game runs through the fish type lists in this order:
1. Local Legend
If you're fishing at Wavy Willard’s, Big Maw, or Organ Cave, the game checks for a Local Legend fish first. If you're not at one of these locations, this check is skipped.
If the Local Legend check fails, the game moves on and checks for:
2. Glowing Fish
These are rare and tend to appear more often when using Improved or Superb Bait.
If the Glowing Fish check fails, the game moves on and checks for:
3. Axolotl
If there’s an Axolotl scheduled to spawn in the region this month, the game will roll for an Axolotl. If not, this step is skipped, and the spawn table adjusts to remove Axolotls entirely.
If the Axolotl check fails, or none are scheduled to spawn in that region this month, the game moves on and checks for:
4. Uncommon Region Fish
These fish are tied to specific regions and are more common than Axolotls, but still rarer than Generic fish.
If the Uncommon Region Fish check fails, the game moves on and checks for:
5. Common Region Fish
These are your standard regional fish, like Noxious Sawgill in Toxic Valley. They only appear if you're using Common or Improved Bait. If you're using Superb Bait, this step is skipped completely.
If the Common Region Fish check fails, the game moves on and checks for:
6. Generic Fish
Generic fish like Walleye, Sunscream, or Brook Silverside are the last fish-type fallback. These show up when all other fish types above fail.
If even the Generic Fish check fails, the game gives you:
7. Junk
At this point, the game rolls again to decide whether you get a common junk item (like a Toothbrush or Doll Head) or a rare one (like a Broken Camera or Military Ammo Bag) — ensuring you always walk away with something.
So if you end up catching something lame, it just means none of the checks succeeded.
You can think of it as: “Congrats, you failed every check. Here’s a toothbrush.”
No Region List
If you're fishing on the edge of a region or near the edge of the map, there's a chance you might run into some buggy code, as the regional boundaries aren’t clearly defined. If you happen to fish in one of these "no region" spots, the game will use the Forest fallback list instead—adjusted based on your bait and the current weather.
It doesn’t matter where you are physically on the map; even if you’re in the Cranberry Bog, if the game detects a no-region zone, it will only spawn Forest-related fish.
Fallback List Breakdown
With thanks to Scratchy from the Data Mining Discord
The listed odds assume you're not fishing at a Local Legend spot and that an Axolotl is currently available in your region.
If you're fishing at a Local Legend spot, all spawn odds will decrease.
If there's no Axolotl in your region, the odds for Uncommon, Common, and Generic fish will increase.
All Regions - No/Clear Weather - Common Bait
All Regions - Rain Weather - Common Bait
All Regions - Nuke Weather - Common Bait
Fish Type | No Weather | Rain | Nuke |
Glowing Fish | 1.00% | 1.00% | 3.00% |
Axolotl | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Uncommon Region Fish | 3.96% | 4.95% | 3.88% |
Common Region Fish | 10% | 25.39% | 10.24% |
Generic Fish | 74.44% | 58.36% | 72.93% |
Junk | 10.15% | 10.30% | 9.95% |
Total | 100% | 100% | 100% |
All Regions - No/Clear Weather - Improved Bait
All Regions - Rain Weather - Improved Bait
All Regions - Nuke Weather - Improved Bait
Fish Type | No Weather | Rain | Nuke |
Glowing Fish | 4.00% | 4.00% | 10.00% |
Axolotl | 2.88% | 4.80% | 5.40% |
Uncommon Region Fish | 13.04% | 20.98% | 15.23% |
Common Region Fish | 36.04% | 36.52% | 36.07% |
Generic Fish | 44.05% | 33.71% | 33.30% |
Junk | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Total | 100% | 100% | 100% |
All Regions - No/Clear Weather - Superb Bait
All Regions - Rain Weather - Superb Bait
All Regions - Nuke Weather - Superb Bait
Fish Type | No Weather | Rain | Nuke |
Glowing Fish | 12.00% | 12.00% | 22.00% |
Axolotl | 11.44% | 29.04% | 16.38% |
Uncommon Region Fish | 76.56% | 58.96% | 61.62% |
Common Region Fish | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Generic Fish | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Junk | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Total | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Fish Spawn Rate Calculator
How This Spawn Rate Calculator Works
This calculator helps you understand the chance of catching different types of fish in Fallout 76 based on bait, weather, and the fish you are hoping to catch.
There are two modes, and these can be toggled by using the buttons at the top of the calculator.
Current Conditions
Select a Bait and Weather combination. You’ll see a breakdown of spawn chances by fish type under those exact conditions. This reflects the actual order the game checks when determining what you catch.
Fish Lookup
Choose a Fish Name or Fish Type to view a table showing its spawn rates across all bait and weather combinations. This helps you identify the best conditions for catching a specific fish.
Hey there, I'm Kat, also known as Duchess!
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