Gone Fission: Reel Mods Explained and Where to Find Them

Image Credit:

With Thanks to Garust and SugarBombs.RADS

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Reel Mods

Complete Lifetime Challenges to unlock these mods.

Note: You’ll need to complete the challenges on every character you want to fish with, the same way unlocking the backpack works.

To apply the Fishing Reels, go to the Tinker’s Workbench and select “Modify.” This will open a mod screen similar to the one at the weapons and armor bench, allowing you to modify your fishing rod.

Standard Reel

• Learnt by default

Plan: Mark 1 Reel

• Non Tradeable

Description:

• Adds +30% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade/mod is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge: 

  • Fishing Quest I: "Common Bait for Common Fish"

    • Catch 5 Small Fish (Any Region)

    • Catch 1 Medium Fish (Any Region)

Plan: Mark 2 Reel

• Non Tradeable

Description:

• Adds +30% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade is applied.

• Reduces fish escape speed by 20% when this upgrade is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge:

  • Fishing Quest II: “Rare Fish are more common in the Rain”

    • Catch 5 Sawgills (Any Region)

    • Catch 1 Kanawha Piranha (Forest region)

    • Catch 1 Leatherback (Savage Divide region)

Plan: Mark 3 Reel

• Non Tradeable

Description:

• Adds +60% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade is applied.

• Reduces fish escape speed by 20% when this upgrade is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge:

  • Fishing Quest III: "Improved bait reels in rarer fish"

    • Catch 1 Axolotl (Any Region)

    • Catch 3 Ashen Ambushers (Ash Heap region)

    • Catch 3 Bluefin Zappers (Skyline Valley region)

Plan: Mark 4 Reel

Non Tradeable

Description:

• Adds +60% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade is applied.

• Reduces fish escape speed by 40% when this upgrade is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge:

  • Fishing Quest IV: "An upgraded rod catches lunkers"

    • Catch 5 Deathjaws (Ash Heap region)

    • Catch 5 Glowing Bog Lurkers (Cranberry Bog region)

    • Catch 5 Purple Radpoles (Toxic Valley region)

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Fishing Terms Explained

Time to Hook

Also known as: Bite Delay, Bobs, and Max Bobs

• What it is:

This measures how long it takes for a fish to bite after you cast your line. A "bob" happens when your bobber (the floating indicator) suddenly dips underwater—this signals that a fish has taken the bait.

• What it does:

Each bob is a chance to press a button and start the fishing minigame.

If you miss every bob, the fish escapes, and you lose the bait.

• Why it matters:

More bobs = more chances to react, especially helpful for slower reflexes or lag.

Fewer bobs = higher risk of losing the catch if you're not paying attention.

• Best Gear:

Attractive Hook + Grilled Fish for +2 bobs total

• Worst:

N/A

Line Strength

Also known as: Fish Escape Speed

• What it is:

How quickly the fish tries to get away during the minigame.

• What it does:

Higher escape speed = less time to finish the catches

Lower escape speed = more time to succeed

• Why it matters:

Reduces pressure. Critical for slow reflexes or when fishing tough species.

• Best Gear:

Advanced Drag Hook + Mark 4 Reel

• Worst Gear:

N/A

• Alternative:

Mark 2 Reel or Mark 3 Reel

Reel In Speed

Also known as: Catch Speed

• What it is:

How quickly the fish is reeled in once the minigame starts.

• What it does:

Higher catch speed = fewer successful hits needed to land the fish.

Lower catch speed = longer minigame, more chances to fail.

• Why it matters:

Speeds up fishing and reduces the risk of failure. Great for farming or tough fish.

• Best Gear:

Improved Bearing Hook

• Worst Gear:

N/A

Catch Zone

Also known as: Reel Size

• What it is:

The size of the “catch zone” on the fishing wheel (the colored area).

• What it does:

Bigger zone = easier to land hits

Smaller zone = harder to land hits

• Why it matters:

Affects how hard it is to complete the minigame.

• Best Gear (larger size):

Steady Handle

• Worst Gear (smaller size):

Stabilized Gear Ratio

Rotation Speed

Also known as: Reel Rotation Speed, Reel Speed

• What it is:

How fast the pointer spins around the circle during the minigame.

• What it does:

Faster = harder to time button presses

Slower = more forgiving timing

• Why it matters:

Controls the difficulty of each hit.

Too fast = easy to miss.

• Best Gear (slow):

Steady Handle

• Worst Gear (fast):

Stabilized Gear Ratio + Mark 4 Reel

• Alternative:

Mark 2 or Mark 3 Reel

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