How to get fishing bait in Raft

How to get bait in Raft - a player is stood at the edge of a raft, next to a red grill, with a fishing rod
(Image credit: Axolot Games)

Figuring out how to get bait in Raft isn't that straightforward. If you've recently dived into Redbeet Interactive's seafaring survival game, you'll know that the first few hours are spent trying to collect as many resources as you can and trying to keep yourself nourished, all while trying to fend off the attentions of a persistent shark.

You don't need bait to use the fishing rod, though you'll only catch basic fish without it. So if you're hoping to hook some rare marine life, you will need to splash out on some bait. Here's how to get fishing bait in Raft and what you need to craft a fishing rod to get you started.

How to get bait in Raft 

Unlike Shark Bait, you can't craft fishing bait to help you lure in those exotic fish. Instead, you need to head to the nearest trading post, which are found on larger islands. You'll also need Trash Cubes, which are used as the main currency, and a Recycler to make them.

This might seem like a lot of trouble when you can still catch fish without using any bait, but there is some incentive to fish up the rarer catches. Selling the rare fish at the trading post gives you Trade Coins and increases your reputation, which will unlock the next tier of goods available once you've handed over a certain amount. 

Here are the Raft fishing baits you can buy from trading posts and what you can catch with them:

Tier 1: Simple Fishing Bait

  • Glowshrimp
  • Netnibbler
  • Sharp Charp

Tier 2: Advanced Fishing Bait 

  • Foamspitter
  • Pufferlisk
  • Trap Snapper

Tier 3: Expert Fishing Bait 

  • Lionfish
  • Lunarfish
  • Pentapus
  • Pink Pike
  • Rainbow Lobster
  • Sharkeater

(Image credit: Axolot Games)

How to craft a fishing rod 

You can craft your first fishing rod as soon as you've collected the materials. The crafting recipe is one of the many that you start with so you can begin fishing early on. It appears under the "Tools" section of the crafting UI.

Fishing Rod crafting materials:

  • Plank x6
  • Rope x8

You can also make a Metal Fishing Rod, though you'll need to research the crafting recipe at the Research Table before you can learn it. 

Metal Fishing Rod crafting materials:

  • Scrap x3
  • Bolt x1
  • Rope x8

Once you have your fishing rod equipped, use the left mouse button to cast the line, then press again once you get a bite. If you have bait you want to use, right-click while holding the rod to add it to your line. 

Sarah James
Senior Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.

Read more
Speartuna Fin
How to get a Speartuna Fin in Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds Gravid Bowfin - A Wudwud holding a fish
Where to catch a Gravid Bowfin in Monster Hunter Wilds
Fisch - A player in a pink hat and striped shirt holds a pink fishing rod that a large pink fish is biting
Fisch codes and how to redeem them
Monster Hunter Wilds whopper - A Wudwud fishing
How to catch a whopper in Monster Hunter Wilds
Tales of Arise - a character holding a fish
Fishing minigames are the worst and I'm not afraid to say it
Player character and chococat sat next to a stick in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Where to find sticks in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Latest in Survival & Crafting
Wearing a hazmat suit, a Rust player proudly holds up a freshly cooked pie, foregrounded by a table covered with pies and a large pumpkin on the left.
Rust's crafting update gives the survival sim real-time food cooking and pies to rival Monster Hunter, but the tastiest treat is the ability to make and throw 'bee grenades'
A pig, a cow, and two birds dance
Minecraft Live returns in March with everyone's favorite kind of content: 'exclusive movie content'
An explosion in a desert environment
Survival sandbox Core Keeper gets explosive next week with a whole new skill tree devoted to bombs and grenades
Dead in Antares screenshot
The tough luck continues in Dead in Antares, the newest addition to the long-running series about people trying not to lose their heads in bad situations
Jack Black with mining gear.
'3 hours of my life that I'll never get back': A Minecraft modder did the lord's work, creating a mod that adds Jack Black's voice to the game
The Last Caretaker trailer still
Humanity's last hope is a little robot with can-do spirit in The Last Caretaker, coming to early access this summer
Latest in Features
A vampire with a dark castle and swarms of bats in the background.
We need to decide on a genre name for Vampire Survivors-like games before a really terrible one sticks
Olivia, Alma and a palico
I wish Monster Hunter Wilds wasn't so afraid of letting me play Monster Hunter
SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pads overlapping on a desk
The SteelSeries QcK Performance series has reignited my excitement over the simple pleasure of a quality mouse pad… and trying to click skulls with pinpoint accuracy
OneXPlayer 2 pro on a table
I never thought a handheld PC bloated with Windows could replace my Steam Deck, but after gaming on an old OneXPlayer 2 Pro I can see now I judged it too harshly
A screenshot from the original Assassin's Creed game
Assassin's Creed: Shadows is just around the corner, so come and see the last 17 years of the series' PC graphics at max 4K settings
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 screenshots
I’m not sure what’s weirder: that someone made a sequel to a completely forgettable 37-year-old game I played as a kid, or that it was actually worth the wait