| Rod | Bobber Fishing Rod, given by Uli in Ordon Village; Lure Fishing Rod, rented at Hena’s Fishing Hole |
|---|---|
| Where | Bobber: nearly any water. Lure: Hena’s Fishing Hole in Upper Zora’s River (after Lanayru Province is freed from the Twilight) |
| Costs | Bobber fishing is free. Lure rod and canoe: 20 Rupees; with Hena as guide: 100 Rupees |
| Fish | Greengill, Hyrule Bass, Ordon Catfish, Hylian Pike, Reekfish, Hylian Loach (plus the forbidden Skullfish and Bombfish) |
| Rewards | Fish for Sera’s cat (Slingshot), Reekfish scent (Snowpeak trail), Empty Bottle, Piece of Heart, Sinking Lure, Frog Lure (Rollgoal), full wallet for clearing all 64 Rollgoal levels |
Fishing in Twilight Princess HD comes in two forms. Bobber fishing is free, works at almost any pond or river, and records your catches in the Fish Journal. Lure fishing happens only at Hena’s Fishing Hole, from a rented canoe, and your best catches go into Hena’s tank. For a 100% file you need both: the bobber rod for the Sera’s cat fish, the Reekfish and the Empty Bottle, and the lure rod for the Piece of Heart. The Sinking Lure and the Hylian Loach are optional extras that complete the angler’s set.
Table of Contents
Quick reference
| Fish or prize | Rod | Where | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Greengill | Bobber and lure | Almost every pond, stream and river; the starting fish of Hena’s tank | Smallest fish; the one used for Sera’s cat |
 | Hyrule Bass | Bobber and lure | Hena’s Fishing Hole, Eldin Spring | Jumps when hooked; ease off the reel |
 | Ordon Catfish | Bobber and lure | Hena’s Fishing Hole, Ordon Village stream | Popper Lure works well |
 | Hylian Pike | Bobber and lure | Hena’s Fishing Hole, rivers, Lake Hylia | Spinner Lure or Frog Lure |
 | Reekfish | Bobber, with Coral Earring | Zora’s Domain, pool below the waterfall | Required story item; smell it as Wolf Link to track Yeto |
 | Hylian Loach | Lure only (Frog or Sinking Lure) | Hena’s Fishing Hole, northern lily pads, summer only | Legendary fish; Hena is amazed |
 | Skullfish | Bobber | Bobber fishing only | Forbidden: not logged in the journal |
 | Empty Bottle | Bobber | Closed-off corner by the bridge, Hena’s Fishing Hole | One of the four bottles |
 | Sinking Lure | Bobber | Bank spots at Hena’s Fishing Hole | Needs Bass, Pike and Catfish caught by lure first |
 | Frog Lure | Reward | Rollgoal inside Hena’s hut | Clear the first 8 Rollgoal levels |
 | Bag of Rupees (random catch); Piece of Heart (see Hena’s section) | Lure rod (or Clawshot) | Rock arch in the middle of Hena’s Fishing Hole | Piece of Heart for the collection |
Bobber fishing
Getting the Fishing Rod
The Fishing Rod comes from Uli in Ordon Village once you have rescued her cradle from the monkey on your second day. The moment you catch your first fish with it, the Fish Journal appears in your menu. It lists each species you have caught with the number caught and your biggest size. Fish landed on the lure rod at Hena’s do not count towards it, and neither do the forbidden Skullfish and Bombfish.
Casting, the bite and the landing
Put the rod on one of your item buttons, find water that actually holds fish (look at the surface in first-person view), then enter fishing mode and cast. The float stands upright and slowly settles. A bite shows as the float dipping; wait until it is dragged under by at least half its length, then pull back to set the hook. Strike too soon and the fish has not taken the bait; wait too long and it swims off with it. Once hooked, keep pulling back while Link reels the fish in. Bobber catches are released automatically and usually leave a Heart or a few Rupees behind.
Bait: Bee Larvae and Worms
Bait raises the bite rate and is stored in an Empty Bottle. Bee Larvae come from knocking down a beehive (the one in Ordon Village and another behind Hena’s hut are the easy ones) and scooping up the remains: each scoop gives 10 larvae. Worms come from defeating a Bomskit in Hyrule Field just outside Faron Woods, or from digging in soft mounds as Wolf Link: each scoop gives a single worm. Assign the bait to a second item button and press it with the rod out to hook it on. If you press it while bait is already on the hook, Link eats it instead.
Hooks: Bone Hook and Coral Earring
The rod starts with the Bone Hook, which has no special effect. Prince Ralis gives you the Coral Earring in the Kakariko Village graveyard when you show him Ashei’s Sketch of the Snowpeak beast, because he recognises the red fish it holds. The earring is a hook made of Zora coral that replaces the standard hook on your rod. You need it to catch the Reekfish, and the Sinking Lure also requires you to own it.
Fish and where to catch them
Greengill
The common fish. Try the stream and spring at Ordon Village for the Greengill that Sera’s cat wants (talk to Sera in Sera’s Sundries after you have the rod), and the small pond beside Hena’s hut. It is also the only fish in Hena’s tank until you add others by lure.
Ordon Catfish
Found in the Ordon Village stream and, more reliably, in Hena’s Fishing Hole around the rock arch in the middle. Long whiskers and a flat head set it apart. The Popper Lure is its usual pairing.
Hylian Pike
A slim, pointed fish seen in Hena’s Fishing Hole, in the rivers of Hyrule and in the open water of Lake Hylia. The Spinner Lure or the Frog Lure draws it from a distance.
Hyrule Bass
A chunky fish in Hena’s Fishing Hole and in Eldin Spring. It often leaps clear of the water when hooked, so ease the line for a moment when it jumps.
Reekfish
Only in Zora’s Domain, in the pool at the foot of the waterfall beside Mother-and-Child Rock. You need the Coral Earring on the hook. Landing one is part of the story: after you catch it, Wolf Link can follow its scent up the mountain to Snowpeak.
Hylian Loach
See the Hylian Loach section below. A small young Hylian Loach can also turn up on the bobber rod in a few waters, but the real prize is the lure-caught giant.
Skullfish and Bombfish
Two forbidden fish that can be hooked on the bobber rod but are never recorded in the Fish Journal. A Skullfish can drop a Heart like any other catch, and a Bombfish gives you a Water Bomb. Neither affects your fishing totals.
Odd catches: Empty Bottle, Bag of Rupees, junk
The rod also pulls up non-fish items. Bags of Rupees (a small, random amount) and junk such as an old boot are only luck. The Empty Bottle is a fixed one: in Hena’s Fishing Hole there is a small closed-off corner near the bridge (the east side in the normal layout). Cast the bobber rod into it and you can fish up an Empty Bottle. It is the bottle listed in the bottle locations guide.
Hena’s Fishing Hole
Reaching it and what it costs
Hena’s Fishing Hole sits in Upper Zora’s River, reached by Kargarok flight from the river after Lanayru Province is freed from the Twilight. Inside her hut you can rent the Lure Fishing Rod and a canoe for 20 Rupees, with no time limit, or pay 100 Rupees to have Hena join as a guide. Bobber fishing from the shore stays free.
Seasons and weather
Each time you enter the Fishing Hole the season advances: spring first, then summer, autumn and winter in turn. Winter has snow, spring cherry blossoms, summer lush green and lily pads in the northern cove, and autumn red leaves. The day also runs from clear mornings to foggy afternoons and heavy rain; fog and rain turn the water nearly opaque, so fish are much harder to see.
Controls on the water
Steer the canoe, press the cast button to enter cast mode, then cast the lure out. Wiggle the lure a few times, rest a beat, and wiggle again; constant wiggling spooks fish. Reel in at a steady pace. When a fish bites, set the hook, keep reeling, and slack the line while it leaps. As it nears the canoe the word to land it appears: press the land buttons together to hoist it. Your biggest example of each species is displayed in the tank inside Hena’s hut.
The lures
| Lure | Where from | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Swimmer Lure | Lent by Hena | All-round starter; Greengill and Bass |
 | Popper Lure | Lent by Hena | Floats and splashes; Ordon Catfish |
 | Spinner Lure | Lent by Hena | Flashes from afar; Hylian Pike |
| Frog Lure | Rollgoal reward | Hylian Pike and Hylian Loach |
| Sinking Lure | Fished up at the bank | Everything, but banned by Hena |
The pairings above follow the commonly listed ones; any floating lure can catch Hyrule Bass, and larger fish usually prefer the lure listed for them.
Piece of Heart on the rock arch
Paddle to the rock arch in the middle of the lake. A Piece of Heart sits on the ledge above it. Cast the lure rod at it and reel it in, or wear the Zora Armor, swim over and pull it to you with the Clawshot. Take it for the Heart Piece total.
Sinking Lure
The Sinking Lure is the cheat lure: it drops straight down and draws almost every fish. Hena forbids it and, if you are fishing with her as your guide, she snatches it away and ends the session when she spots it, so use it only when you rented the canoe alone. To get it, first catch a Hyrule Bass, an Ordon Catfish and a Hylian Pike with the lure rod so they stand in Hena’s tank, and make sure you already own the Coral Earring. Then go to shore with the bobber rod and cast along the cliff wall at one of two places: the highest point of the east bank, or the western end of the south bank (these are mirrored in Hero Mode). It can take several casts before you fish it up.
Hylian Loach
When and where
The Hylian Loach lives only in summer, among the lily pads of the northern cove of Hena’s Fishing Hole. Keep re-entering the Fishing Hole until summer comes round, rent the canoe and paddle north. The Loach periodically surfaces for air, and its splash is much larger than any other fish’s.
Catching it
Only the Frog Lure and the Sinking Lure interest it. The Frog Lure is the cleaner choice: the Loach nibbles for two or three seconds before it commits, so wait for the strong pull before setting the hook. The Sinking Lure attracts it from further away but draws every other fish too. When it is hooked it is very strong; drag it close to the canoe before the fight begins, and have the landing buttons ready because the window is short. Landing it is the high point of the Fishing Hole, and Hena is remarkably impressed. Your biggest Loach is displayed in her tank.
Rollgoal and the Frog Lure
Playing Rollgoal
Inside Hena’s hut, look at the game board by the door in first-person view to play Rollgoal. A play costs 5 Rupees and a win pays 10. Tilt the board to roll the ball to the goal inside the time limit without dropping it; rolling over gaps is caught and costs you another 5 Rupees. Each level you clear unlocks the next the next time you enter the hut.
Rewards
Clear the first eight levels for the Frog Lure. Each further set of eight replays the courses mirrored with 20 seconds less on the clock. Clear all 64 levels and Hena fills your wallet to the top, and from then on you can pick any level to play for free. Short, stuttering tilts work best on tight bends, and rocking the ball builds speed up small slopes.
Things to look at in the hut
Hena’s cabin
Using first-person view in the hut gets you extra comments: a photo of the Fishing Hole Man from Ocarina of Time with a Hylian Loach, pictures of Hena and her sisters (one of them is Iza), the lure rack behind Hena that hints at the Frog Lure and the banned Sinking Lure, and a book about the Hylian Loach on the shelves.
For other optional activities see Mini-Games and Secrets.
