Rust Fishing & Bait
Which bait to put on your Handmade Fishing Rod for each fish, how deep to fish and what each catch cuts into. For catches while you are away, bait a Survival Fish Trap on the shore.
- Best bait value
- 10
- Small Trout, Yellow Perch, Raw Bear Meat, Raw Big Cat Meat, Raw Beef, Raw Crocodile Meat, Raw Mutton, Raw Snake Meat and Raw Wolf Meat. Hooks 6 of 9 fish, all but Anchovy, Herring and Sardine.
- Easiest fish
- 3
- Anchovy, Herring and Sardine. Any depth, bait 0 to 5. Stronger bait skips them.
Best bait for each fish
| Fish | Bait needed | Depth m | Best bait value | Best bait | Cut into |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | any | 5 | |||
| 0 to 5 | any | 5 | |||
| 0 to 5 | any | 5 | |||
| 3+ | any | 10 | |||
| 3+ | any | 10 | |||
| 5+ | any | 10 | |||
| 5+ | any | 10 | |||
| 5+ | 4.5+ | 10 | |||
| 5+ | 5.5+ | 10 |
The fight is how hard a fish pulls on the line; reels is how fast it comes in against the baseline of ×1. Cook a fish, then bake it with Wheat, Egg, Mushroom and Potato into a Fish Pie at the Cooking Workbench.
Every bait by value
Small Trout10
Yellow Perch10
Raw Bear Meat10
Raw Big Cat Meat10
Raw Beef10
Raw Crocodile Meat10
Raw Mutton10
Raw Snake Meat10
Raw Wolf Meat10
Raw Chicken Breast5
Raw Deer Meat5
Raw Horse Meat5
Raw Pork5
Grub3 stack to 10.53.5
Raw Human Meat3
Worm3 stack to 7.52.5
Anchovy2 stack to 42
Herring2 stack to 42
Sardine2 stack to 42
Beehive Nucleus2
Higher value hooks bigger fish; the best in bold. Any berry, fruit or vegetable also works as basic bait (value 1). Raw Fish is the weakest at 0.5. Berries stack up to 5 on the hook.
Overfishing
- Overfishing
- Catch 25 fish in the same 16 m square and the spot is overfished for 30 minutes: every catch within 16 m of it is junk. Junk does not count towards it. The count halves after 15 minutes without a catch there and starts again after 30 minutes. Move more than 16 m away to keep catching fish.
Rust fishing: common questions
- What is the best fishing bait in Rust?
- The top single bait is worth 10: Small Trout, Yellow Perch, Raw Bear Meat, Raw Big Cat Meat, Raw Beef, Raw Crocodile Meat, Raw Mutton, Raw Snake Meat and Raw Wolf Meat. Some baits stack on the hook: 3 Grubs count as 10.5 and 3 Worms as 7.5. Higher bait unlocks bigger fish and raises the catch chance.
- How do you catch a shark in Rust?
- A Small Shark needs bait worth 5 or more (13 baits qualify) and at least 5.5 m of water. It fights hard and reels in at ×0.9.
- What is the easiest fish to catch in Rust?
- Anchovy, Herring and Sardine. They bite at any depth on bait worth 5 or less, and pull less than other fish. Stronger bait skips them.
- How deep does the water need to be for fishing in Rust?
- Most fish bite at any depth. In the ocean, Small Shark needs 5.5 m and Salmon needs 4.5 m.
- Why do I only catch junk when fishing in Rust?
- Catch 25 fish in the same 16 m square and the spot is overfished for 30 minutes: every catch within 16 m of it is junk. Junk does not count towards it. The count halves after 15 minutes without a catch there and starts again after 30 minutes. Move more than 16 m away to keep catching fish.