How to Get a Fishing Rod in Persona 4 Golden

Fishing is a minigame within Persona 4 Golden that more than a few players are likely to miss on their first playthrough. Unlike Persona 5/Royal, there are several quests that require fishing, but players will notice they need to first obtain a fishing rod. Players won't be able to buy this at Daidara Metalworks, and, since getting the fishing rod can take a few in-game days, it's important to start the sidequest as soon as possible.

Updated on August 31, 2024 by Renri Seong: If you're planning on maxing out all Social Links in a Persona 4 Golden playthrough, then you're going to need both fishing rods. Unfortunately, it's not too obvious how you can go about obtaining one. There are several steps for you to take before you can obtain the River Fishing Rod. Fishing can be difficult for new players, but there are ways to make Golden's fishing minigame easier. The following guide has been updated to include every fish you can catch with the River Fishing Rod and the Angler Set.

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How to Get the River Fishing Rod

When Does It Unlock?

You can start the fishing rod sidequest as early as 4/18:

Go to the Shrine in the Shopping District, North and speak to the boy standing near the stone lanterns. He'll want something to drink from the vending machine, so return to the North Shopping District and head towards Konishi Liquor Store. This is right at the top of the street in the North Shopping District, and next to the store is a vending machine. A single drink costs 120 yen.
With the right drink, return to the Shrine and speak to the boy again. He'll give Tatsuhime Ladybugs as thanks.

The drinks in the vending machines restore 5SP, so stock up on them for the first dungeon if possible.

The second part of this quest won't be accessible unless you have a Gem item:

Gems can be obtained by battling the Shadows in Yukiko's Castle in Persona 4 Golden. The Bronze Dice Shadows on floors 4-7 drop Gems.
With the Gem, go to the Shiroku Store during the evening, which is now called Shiroku Pub (only at night). Speak to Old Lady Shiroku, and she'll tell you to leave... Unless he has the Gem. She'll take the Gem and this will give you the options Item Exchange or Talk. Select Talk.
If you have Tatsuhime Ladybugs, you can feed Old Lady Shiroku's fish, Akihiko. Doing so grants you the Fish Hook key item.
The next day, during the afternoon, head towards the Riverbank in the Samegawa Flood Plain. Speak to the Old Man by the river, and he'll give the Protagonist the River Rod.

How to Fish

In order to fish, you'll need bait. Larger fish require rarer bait such as Inaba Jewel Beetles and Genji Beetles, while smaller fish can be hooked on more common bait like the Breadcrumbs or Tatsuhime Ladybugs. Go to the Riverbank or the Shichiri Beach and press Space/X to start fishing. It's highly recommended to read the Beginner Fishing book (available 4/20) and the Expert Fishing (available on 6/28), to make the fishing minigame easier. Fishing also requires Diligence, and having more Diligence means the Protagonist will stay longer.

After selecting bait, press the Space bar when the bobber is pulled underwater.
Then, use the left/right arrow keys (or A/D) to move the cursor along the bar.
Hold down the Space bar when the cursor is in the blue. If the Space Bar is held down in the orange or red, then it'll cause the fish to swim further away and lessen the chances of landing it.

How to Catch the Samegawa River Guardian

How to Get the Angler's Set

The Angler's Set is a key item that's required for catching the Guardian of the Samegawa River. You will need to start "Quest 60: Acquire Samegawa's Guardian." Ask the Old Man about the Guardian and the type of bait in order to unlock the Inaba Jewel Beetles. These can then be caught with the Bug Net at the beginning of August. You can only catch the Samegawa Guardian during rainy weather. The River Guardian can only be hooked with Inaba Jewel Beetles. If you're in the late-game phase, you can catch the Guardian on any day in December or when it's snowing.

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How to Catch the Shichiri Beach Guardian

How to Get Deep-Sea Rod

After riding your scooter to Shichiri Beach 3x, you can start fishing there. Try to fish, and you'll be told you need a stronger fishing rod. To do this, you will need to complete Quest 60: Acquire Samegawa's Guardian. Once the Guardian's caught, show it to the Old Man, and he'll hand over the Deep-Sea Rod.

There are several Quests that require fishing, but the most important one is Quest 15: The Shichiri Beach Guardian. This is the last part of the Fox's Social Link. To hook the Beach Guardian, the Genji Beetle bait is required. They can be caught at the Shrine at night, or you can order them from Tanaka's Amazing Commodities on 8/22.

While not part of the quest, it's highly, highly recommended to read the Expert Fishing before attempting to catch the Sea Guardian. Without the Fast Reel action, it'll be near-impossible to complete the Quest.

Go to Shichiri Beach when it's raining. Like the River Guardian, you will know you've hooked the Sea Guardian when a large splash forms around the bobber. Once you've caught it, speak to the Old Man one last time after catching the Sea Guardian. Then report to the Fox to max out the Social Link. This will allow you to fuse Ongyo-Ki in the Velvet Room.

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Every Fish in Persona 4 Golden

And How to Get Them

There are six type of fish in Persona 4 Golden, but you won't be able to catch all of them until August. You'll also want to make it a habit of catching bugs, since the rarer fish can only be hooked with specific bait. You can eat fish to restore health, but you're better off saving them for sidequests, since there are various tasks that require fish.

Fish	Type of Bait	Location	Weather Conditions
Red Goldfish	Bread Crumbs	Samegawa River Bank	Any Weather
Inaba Trout	Meiou Cricket Yaso Locust	Samegawa River Bank	Any Weather
Genji Ayu	Bread Crumbs Tatsuhime Ladybug	Samegawa River Bank	Any Weather
Amber Seema	Tatsuhime Ladybug Yaso Locust	Samegawa River Bank	Any Weather
Huge Fish	Inaba Jewel Beetle Meiou Cricket	Samegawa River Bank	Cloudy or Rainy
River Guardian	Inaba Jewel Beetle	Samegawa River Bank	Raining or Snowing
Hachiro Octopus	Daimyo Grasshopper Heike Stag Beetle	Shichiri Beach	Any Weather
Meguro Tuna	Heike Stag Beetle Genji Beetle	Shichiri Beach	Any Weather
Shichiri Beach Guardian	Genji Beetle	Shichiri Beach	Raining or Snowing