What’s Biting? A Guide to Fish, Bait & Weather - Gone Fission in Fallout 76
- Duchess Flame
- Jun 12
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 16
This written guide was made with the support of Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media Company. Game™ content and references in this guide are based on the PC version of the game.
Fishing Bait
You can’t fish without bait, and the type you use makes a big difference in spawn rates. There are three kinds of bait, and each one increases your chances of catching rare or region-specific fish. If you're hoping to reel in a Glowing fish or a Local Legend, choosing the right bait is just as important as the weather conditions.
Common Bait
Description
Basic worms used for fishing.
How to Obtain
Daily Pip-Boy Quest: Big Fish in a Small Pond:
Rewards 10 Common Bait
Live Bait Barrel (C.A.M.P. Resource):
Chance to generate Common Bait
Coolers & Broken Fridges:
Chance for 1 to 2 Common Bait. Can Do! perk card does not improve the chances
Casting Off Quest:
Rewards 10 Common Bait
Purchase from The Fisherman & Captain Raymond Clark:
You can server hop to reset the vendor’s inventory, but they sell 100 at a time, so you probably won’t need to do this often.
Improved Bait
Description
Improve your chances of hooking the big one with 'Improved Bait.
Greater chance of catching rarer fish than Bait.
How to Obtain
Daily Pip-Boy Quest: Big Fish in a Small Pond:
Rewards 5 Improved Bait
Live Bait Barrel (C.A.M.P. Resource):
Chance to generate Improved Bait
Coolers & Broken Fridges:
Chance for 1 to 2 Improved Bait. Can Do! perk card does not improve the chances
Casting Off Quest:
Rewards 5 Improved Bait
Public Events:
100% chance to reward Improved Bait. You'll always get 1, 2, or 3 pieces.
A Colossus Problem
Beasts of Burden
Camp Fire Tales
Caravans
Dangerous Pastimes
Distinguished Guests
Encryptid (Imposter)
Eviction Notice
Fasnacht Day Parade
Feed the People
Free Range
Grahm's Meat Cook (Meat Week)
Guided Meditation
Heart of the Swamp
Invaders from Beyond
Line in the Sand
Lode Baring
Mischief Night
Moonshine Jamboree
Most Wanted
Neurological Warfare
One Violent Night
Primal Cuts (Meat Week)
Project Paradise
Radiation Rumble
Safe and Sound
Scorched Earth
Seismic Activity
Spin the Wheel
Swamp of Suitors
Tea Time
Test Your Metal
The Big Bloom
The Mothman Equinox
The Path to Enlightenment
Tunnel of Love
Uranium Fever
Conditions
You must complete the Casting Off quest before Improved Bait can drop for you from Public Events.
Superb Bait
Description
Get the top-of-the-line bait for your never-ending line-casting escapades!
Greater chance of catching rarer fish than Improved Bait
How to Obtain
Season Scoreboard (Main Pages):
Redeem 5 pieces for 15 and 20 Tickets.
Bonus Page Two (Repeatable):
Redeem 5 pieces for 75 Tickets. Can be claimed repeatedly during the season.
Conditions
You don’t need to upgrade your fishing rod to use Superb Bait — it works with the base rod. But without rod mods, it’s very hard to catch rare fish. Rod mods strengthen your line, speed up reeling, and prevent fish from escaping.
Weather Conditions
Just like bait, there are three types of weather conditions that affect the catch and spawn rates of fish and axolotls:
Rainy Weather
Increases your chances of catching Uncommon Region Fish, Common Region Fish, and Axolotls.
Nuclear Weather
Offers the highest chance to catch Glowing Fish, and also improves spawn rates for Uncommon Region Fish, Axolotls, and Local Legends when using Superb Bait.
No Weather
(includes clear skies or any weather that isn’t rainy or within a nuke zone)
Best for catching Generic Fish with Common Bait, and offers moderate chances for Common Region and Uncommon Region Fish when using Improved or Superb Bait.
Rainy Weather Conditions
Counts as Rainy Weather when any of the following are happening:
It’s misty and rainy
It’s raining
It’s heavy rain with low visibility
A Thunderstorm Weather Station is active within the area you’re fishing
A Snow Weather Station is active within the area you’re fishing
A Snow Aurora Weather Station is active within the area you’re fishing
Nuke Weather Conditions
Counts as Nuke Weather when any of the following are happening:
There’s a radiation storm
There’s a Nuke Zone
A Mothman Weather Station is active within the area you're fishing
A Radstorm Weather Station is active within the area you’re fishing
A Nuke Zone Weather Station is active within the area you’re fishing
A Skyline Valley Weather Station is active within the area you’re fishing
Your CAMP’s active weather machine takes priority and overrides all other weather conditions, including Nuke Zones and Natural Weather — only one weather effect applies to the spawn rates at a time. You’ll also receive the full benefit from someone else’s CAMP weather if you’re fishing there, even if you don’t own the weather machine yourself.
Spawn Rates
When you cast your line, the game runs through a fixed list to decide what you catch. It checks for the rarest fish first—Local Legends, but only if you're at the right location. Then it tries for Glowing Fish, followed by Axolotls (if one is active that month in the region you are fishing in).
If those don’t succeed, it continues down the list—Uncommon, Common, and finally Generic fish. If every check fails, you’ll get junk instead. This fallback system guarantees that every cast gives you something, even if it’s not the fish you were hoping for.
Fish Types
The following list includes all fish types, their spawning regions, and the bait and weather conditions needed for them to appear.
Generic Fish
8 Fish
Brook Silverside
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Chain Pickerel
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Redbelly
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Ridge Trout
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Smoky Salmon
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Sunscream
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Walleye
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Yellow Bullhead
• Region
- All Regions
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common
Common Region Fish
7 Fish
Alpine Sawgill
• Region
- Savage Divide
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved
Bog Sawgill
• Region
- Cranberry Bog
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved
Muddy Sawgill
• Region
- Mire
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved
Noxious Sawgill
• Region
- Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved
Sooty Sawgill
• Region
- Ash Heap
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved
Static Sawgill
• Region
- Skyline Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved
Timber Sawgill
• Region
- Forest
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved
Uncommon Region Fish
14 Fish
Armored Spinefish
• Region
- Savage Divide
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Ashen Ambusher
• Region
- Ash Heap
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Bloodwhisker
• Region
- Forest
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Blisterfish
• Region
- Cranberry Bog
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Bluefin Zapper
• Region
- Skyline Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Bog Lurker
• Region
- Cranberry Bog
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Deathjaw
• Region
- Ash Heap
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Gulpy
• Region
- Mire
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Kanawha Piranha
• Region
- Forest
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Leatherback
• Region
- Savage Divide
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Potbelly Kelt
• Region
- Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Purple Radpole
• Region
- Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Spikesnapper
• Region
- Mire
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Stormswimmer
• Region
- Skyline Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Glowing Fish
7 Fish
Glowing Ambusher
• Region
- Ash Heap
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Glowing Bog Lurker
• Region
- Cranberry Bog
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Glowing Gulpy
• Region
- Mire
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Glowing Kanawha Piranha
• Region
- Forest
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Glowing Potbelly Kelt
• Region
- Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Glowing Spinefish
• Region
- Savage Divide
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Glowing Stormswimmer
• Region
- Skyline Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Common, Improved, Superb
Local Legend Fish
3 Fish
Organ Grinder
• Region
- Fixed Spawn Location – Organ Cave
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Ryl-Tkannoth, Maw-Begotten
• Region
- Fixed Spawn Location – Big Maw
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Wavy Willard
• Region
- Fixed Spawn Location – Wavy Willard’s Water Park
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Axolotl
12 Axolotls
Charcoal Axolotl
• Month
- January
• Region
- Skyline Valley, Savage Divide
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Pink Axolotl
• Month
- February
• Region
- Cranberry Bog, Forest
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Clay Axolotl
• Month
- March
• Region
- Skyline Valley, Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Dotted Axolotl
• Month
- April
• Region
- Mire, Ash Heap
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Purple Axolotl
• Month
- May
• Region
- Skyline Valley, Cranberry Bog
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Banded Axolotl
• Month
- June
• Region
- Mire, Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Scaled Axolotl
• Month
- July
• Region
- Ash Heap, Forest
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Striped Axolotl
• Month
- August
• Region
- Mire, Skyline Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Shadow Axolotl
• Month
- September
• Region
- Ash Heap, Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Spotted Axolotl
• Month
- October
• Region
- Toxic Valley, Savage Divide
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Speckled Axolotl
• Month
- November
• Region
- Toxic Valley, Skyline Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Stone Axolotl
• Month
- December
• Region
- Ash Heap, Toxic Valley
• Weather
- Rain, Nuke, No Weather
• Bait
- Improved, Superb
Hey there, I'm Kat, also known as Duchess!
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Awesome guide - one question though - how does it choose between the different uncommon (or common) fish in a region. Is there different rarities within each bracket?