How to Make a Fishing Rod in Minecraft

Fishing is one of the main Minecraft gameplay features. It is a relaxing and slow-paced mechanic that provides players with additional ways to obtain certain loot items. From junk items and fish to treasure items, such as enchanted books, gear, or saddles in Minecraft, you can get them via fishing. It is also a great option for you to get XP in-game and do some high-level enchanting using the enchanting table. So, there are tons of advantages to fishing in Minecraft. And what does every player need to fish? Well, a fishing rod, of course! So, we will show you how you can make this useful tool and how to use the fishing rod (even apart from fishing) in Minecraft.

What is a Fishing Rod in Minecraft?

The fishing rod is a tool that allows you to fish in Minecraft. By doing so, you can catch a variety of items, and not just the fish. If you would like to learn more about fishing mechanics in Minecraft, we recommend going through our in-depth guide linked here. This tool can also be enchanted with different Minecraft enchantments to make it better and more powerful.

Believe it or not, a fishing rod is also used in PvP. It lets players hook other players and mobs and pull them towards you. It can provide the players with a great advantage. We will be talking more about fishing rod uses in the last section of this article, so keep reading.

Items Required to Make a Fishing Rod

There are a couple of different ways to get ahold of a fishing rod. Those include trading with Minecraft villagers, fishing it out, looting the Ocean Ruins chests, or killing a drowned that’s holding this tool. However, the best and most reliable way of obtaining the fishing rod in Minecraft is by crafting it yourself on the crafting table.

So, let’s first see what items you need for this recipe, as well as how to get them in-game. If you already know how to get these items, you can just skip right to the recipe below. To craft a fishing rod in Minecraft, you need exactly 3 sticks and 2 pieces of string. So, let’s see how to get sticks and strings in Minecraft.

1. Sticks in Minecraft

1. First, you need to locate a tree. Trees are common in almost every single Overworld biome in Minecraft. There are 8 different tree variants you can come across in this dimension: oak, birch, spruce, dark oak, acacia, jungle, mangrove, and cherry blossom.

2. Go up to one of the trees and start punching the logs with your hand. You can also use an axe if you have already crafted one.

3. Make sure to grab at least two logs, since we will also need them for the crafting table.
4. Open your inventory with the E key and break the logs down to planks in the 2 x 2 crafting grid in the upper right corner.

5. Then, place two planks vertically in the crafting grid to make four sticks.

2. Strings in Minecraft

The best way of acquiring string is by killing spiders. Spiders are hostile mobs in Minecraft that spawn in dark areas or when a spider monster spawner is activated.

1. So, first, venture into a nearby cave or wait for nighttime in Minecraft.
2. You will see many different hostile mobs spawn around you but focus only on the spiders.
3. Go up to one of them and they will become hostile. Start punching the spider with your hands or a weapon, such as a sword or an axe.
4. One spider gives you one string. You need two pieces of string to make a fishing rod, so killing a couple will do the job.

Minecraft Fishing Rod: Crafting Recipe

Once you have the sticks and the string, it’s time to craft the fishing rod in Minecraft. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. First, we need a crafting table. Open your inventory and place four planks in the 2 x 2 crafting grid. Click on the crafting table and move it to your inventory.

2. Place the crafting table in your world and right-click to open its UI.

2. Now, you first need to place three sticks in a diagonal, as shown in the image.
3. Then, place one string in the last cell of the middle and the bottom row.
4. Finally, click on the fishing rod on the right and move it to your inventory.

How to Use a Fishing Rod in Minecraft

Now that you have made your fishing rod, let’s see what you can do with it in Minecraft. We will mention some obvious uses for this tool, as well as other ones that you may not even know about. So, let’s start fishing!

1. Fishing, Obviously!

Fishing is the primary use for a fishing rod in Minecraft. With this tool, you can throw the bobber in the water, wait for an underwater mob to bite the hook, and then reel in your reward. Besides fish, you can catch some junk items and even treasure items that will come in handy in the gameplay progression of the game.

2. Hooking Entities

Now for something you may have not known about Minecraft’s fishing rod. Yes, with this tool, you can hook up other entities, mobs, items, and even players. To do that, follow the step-by-step process below:

1. The bobber travels at an arc, so look a bit higher than the entity you want to hook.
2. Then, right-click with the fishing rod selected on your hotbar.

3. Once they’re hooked, you can right-click again and that particular entity will get pulled towards you just a bit.
4. It may be a little tricky to hook the entity, especially if they’re moving. So if you miss your mark the first time, just try again until you get it right.

Although this is a funny and amusing feature, you’ll notice something bad. The fishing rod’s durability decreases drastically as compared to fishing. So, if you’re using an unenchanted fishing rod, it will quickly lose its durability, so keep a close eye on it. Moreover, even if that rod has Mending, you are not gaining any XP while reeling entities in, so it won’t get repaired instantly. This mechanic can also be pretty OP on PvP Minecraft servers, though, so that’s why you may see people use it there.

2. As a Crafting Ingredient

The fishing rod can also be used in two similar crafting recipes in Minecraft. So, let’s go over them in brief:

• Carrot on a Stick: This tool is used for riding a pig. You cannot control the pig’s movement like you can a horse’s, so you will need a carrot on a stick. Using this, the pig will move in the direction you’re pointing at and that’s the only way you can ride this mob.
• Warped Fungus on a Stick: This is basically a carrot on a stick but for striders instead of pigs. The same mechanics apply to it, as you can ride and boost the strider with this item equipped. Follow the recipes above to craft either of these.

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