Raft Fishing Bait Guide: Tiers, Crafting, and Trader Reputation

Surviving on a flimsy wooden raft in the middle of the ocean means fishing is less of a hobby and more of a job. Common fish keep you alive, but the rare catches require proper Fishing Bait. Here is how to get it, where to find it, and which fish each tier can hook.

Where Fishing Bait Comes From

Fishing Bait arrived in Raft with Version 1.0 and cannot be crafted directly. The item is sold at the Trading Post in three separate tiers, with higher variants gated behind your standing with the trader. Each purchase costs 1x Trash Cube.

To build a Trash Cube, drop materials into the Recycler until the combined value reaches 150. The Recycler is not picky about what you feed it, so this is also a tidy way to clear out the stack of old planks cluttering your storage.

Fishing Rods You Will Need

Bait is useless without a proper rod. Two recipes cover every situation:

• Wooden Fishing Rod: 6x Plank, 8x Rope
• Metal Fishing Rod: 3x Scrap, 1x Bolt, 8x Rope

Both versions accept every bait tier, so the metal rod is more about durability than function.

Bait Tiers and the Fish They Catch

Bait quality directly controls what you can pull from the water. Higher tiers unlock species that simply will not bite on cheaper options.

• Simple Fishing Bait: Glowshrimp, Netnibbler, Sharp Charp
• Advanced Fishing Bait: Foamspitter, Pufferlisk, Trap Snapper
• Expert Fishing Bait: Lionfish, Lunarfish, Pentapus, Pink Pike, Rainbow Lobster, Sharkeater

Even with top-tier bait, the ocean still tosses random junk and common fish your way. Expect to reel in items like:

• Candle Bottle
• Lucky Cat
• Old Shoe
• Scrap Mechanic Duck
• Raw Catfish
• Raw Herring
• Raw Mackerel
• Raw Pomfret
• Raw Salmon
• Raw Tilapia

Reputation and Trader Tiers

Upgraded bait is locked behind reputation at the Trading Post, and rare fish are the currency that buys it. Submitting a Tier 1 rare fish grants 10 reputation points, while a Tier 2 rare fish grants 100 points each.

The unlock thresholds are straightforward:

• 300 reputation opens Tier 2 stock.
• 3,000 reputation opens Tier 3 stock.

One detail matters for multiplayer: reputation is tied to the host of the world, not the individual player. Everyone shares the same standing, so plan accordingly if your crew rotates between different hosts.