Fishing Guide in Survival: Fountain of Youth (with Harpoon and Fishing Rod)

Fishing in Survival: Fountain of Youth can be done with a fishing rod or a harpoon. In the early stages of the game (on Island of Hope), there isn’t much point in fishing, as getting food on land is much easier. Nevertheless, this guide covers the mechanics of fishing in the game, which is useful for beginners to learn at least for familiarization.

How to Fish with a Harpoon

Fishing with a harpoon is a good way to catch fish. It’s best to start this type of fishing after building a canoe or raft, as you will need to dive and harpoon fish underwater. Fish usually swim quite far from the shore, so fishing with a harpoon without a boat doesn’t make much sense.

1. First, create a Wooden Harpoon or Tusk-Tipped Harpoon (Q → Melee Weapons) and equip it in your hands.
   
2. Now you need to find a fishing spot. Fishing spots are marked with special markers on the map. Use Mapping Charcoal to map out the sea areas, and you will quickly discover one or more fishing spots. For example, there is a fishing spot in the bay on the eastern part of the island. I’ve marked it on the map for you.
   
3. When you arrive at this location, you will find the large Dorado fish swimming in the sea.
   
4. Jump into the water, swim closer to the fish, and deliver a powerful blow with the harpoon using the left mouse button.
   
5. After that, pick up the fish in your inventory (F) and return to the boat (or to the shore).
   

How to Fish with a Fishing Rod

1. To fish using a fishing rod, you must first create a Primitive Fishing Rod or an even more advanced version.
2. You will also need bait, Worms, which can be obtained from Bird Nests.
   
3. There are special fishing spots in the game, many of which are located along the entire coast of the island. For example, one such fishing spot is near the bay in the eastern part of the island. I’ve marked it on the map for you.
   
4. All you need to do is approach the special fishing device and press “E” to interact.
   
5. In the interface that appears, select the fishing rod and bait you will use to catch fish, and then click “Start Fishing“.
   

If your character catches a fish, it will be added to your inventory.

As you can see in the fishing interface, the chances of catching a fish are not very high: 40% chance of bait and 50% chance of catch. Each attempt takes 30 in-game minutes, after which the fish will bite with a 40% chance, and then you have a 50% chance of catching it. The likelihood of a bite is also affected by the weather.

The strangest thing is that from 1 caught fish, you will only get 1 Piece of Raw Fish.

Considering the costs involved in the entire fishing process and the lack of any animation (except for casting the fishing rod and pulling out the fish in case of a catch), it is unclear why such a “fishing” feature was added to the game in the first place.

How to Gut a Fish

Drop the caught fish onto the bottom of the boat or onto the ground, and then gut it (E) using a Stone Cutter or Bone Knife. You cannot gut fish in your inventory.

In the future, you will be able to dry the obtained Pieces of Raw Fish using a Food Dehydrator. The resulting Dried Fish can be stored for 115 days. This will allow you to stock up on food before sailing to the next region. Or you can simply cook the fish over a fire in the traditional way.