Sons of the Forest: How To Make A Fishing Trap

Setting up fish traps to catch fish in Sons of the Forest is one of the very first things that the players will do as soon as they reach the Forest. In order to get the proper diet, the players will have to use fish in their meals by catching them. Sometimes the fishing traps won’t work due to insufficient resources. The fishing trap can be crafted from different items found around the area through exploration. 

How To Make A Fishing Trap 

There are no pre-made fishing traps in Sons of the Forest. In order to use one to catch fish, you will have to make it from scratch. You can consult the book guide you have to see what items you might require to build the fishing trap. It is important to make the fishing traps nearby a body of water instead of dry ground. 

In order to make the fish trap, you will just require 25 wooden sticks in the game. These sticks do not have to be extraordinary sticks, and you will find them lying around in the game. 

After that, you just need to find the perfect spot to place your fishing trap and look for it in your inventory. Make sure to always place your fishing trap near the water. After that, you just need to open the guidebook, press X, and place the trap by hitting E again and again. Below, you will see a detailed process of placing the fishing trap in the game. 

Placing The Fishing Trap 

After you have successfully crafted the fish trap, the next step is to place it. Like any other animal trap, you will be required to use your guidebook in order to place the fish trap. First, you need to find an optimal spot that will definitely be near a body of water. 

• After collecting the 25 Wooden Sticks, you will need to use your survival guide to place the trap.  
• After taking it near the body of water, you need to perform the following steps. 
• Open the guidebook in Sons of the Forest. 
• Keep pressing the X button in the game. 
• After that, you will be able to open the Traps tab, which will show you all the traps you have made so far. 
• Select the place you want to build your fish trap. 
• After that, you will see a ghost outline of the frame that you will be able to place anywhere you want. 
• Place this outline where you want your trap to be. 
• Next, go towards this outline and keep pressing E until your character builds the trap.

In case you did not manage to find enough sticks and your trap is only built midway, don’t worry, as the progress will be saved. You can go out and collect sticks and come back again to start from the point you left your trap at. Simply Press E until the trap is completed, and you are ready to go fish hunting.

Fortunately for the players, they will be able to acquire sticks quite easily as they are found everywhere in the Forest. Unlike rare items like 3D printers, getting sticks is quite easy. However, if you cannot find enough sticks to build the fish trap, you can always use your axe on a tree to get some. For that, you just have to go near a tree and open your inventory by clicking on “I.”

After that, you would be able to select the axe from your inventory and use it to chop up the small trees into sticks. Your guidebook can be accessed by pressing the B key. In your Traps Section, not only will you be able to see and build the fish traps but other traps like small animal traps as well. Therefore by setting up enough traps, you will be able to survive in the Forest by cooking meat and eating it. 

How To Use The Trap 

 Keep in mind that it will take quite a lot of time to get the fish from the water. After placing the fish trap near the body of water, you just need to wait a bit. Meanwhile, you can go and explore and do missions and collect other items. You can also collect items that will help you cook a meal with fish in it.

After that, you can come back and see if there is a fish in the trap or not. In order to claim the fish, you just need to interact with it. The best place to use the fishing trap is definitely in the river going in a downward direction. You will be able to see fish on the surface of the water there. Place your trap there, and you will be able to collect plenty of fish to get you through the hard nights of Sons of the Forest. 

Fish Trap Not Working 

In case you are unable to catch fish using the fish trap, there are always alternate methods for it. There is no doubt that placing and crafting the fish trap itself is quite an easy job. The real challenge lies in catching the actual fish. Sometimes, you might not be able to get fish easily in the game.

Many players on Steam Forums, Discord, And Reddit have reported that even after waiting for hours on end, they are not able to catch any fish. So if you are one of the players who have tried placing their fish traps in rivers, water streams, ponds, and even oceans and you still don’t get any fish, then you can try another method of getting fish.

The first method requires you to go near a water source. For the first method, I recommend going near a water stream or a river. In water streams, you will actually be able to catch many fish as they are quite visible on the surface of the water. The same goes for rivers, and you will be able to obtain most of the fish from these areas. In streams, you will have small areas where the fish can be caught quite easily. In these streams, you will be able to see fish swimming, and you can use your weapons to catch them.

To catch fish in the game, consider crafting a spear using a long stick and a knife. Unlike using the axe, press the attack button instead of holding it to keep the spear in hand. Aim for the fish in the stream and press the attack button when close, being cautious not to hold it, as it might lead to losing the spear in the water.

After successfully killing the fish, press the pickup button to retrieve them from the stream. Avoid holding the pickup button to prevent your character from eating the fish raw. Use the caught fish in your meals for maximum protein.

An alternative method involves keeping Kelvin alive. Interact with Kelvin, choose the “Get” option, then select “Fish” followed by “Follow Me.” Lead Kelvin to a water source, and he will collect fish for you. Be patient, as it takes time, and note that ordering Kelvin to get fish prioritizes this task over other responsibilities.

Cooking The Fish 

After you have collected enough fish, it’s time for you to cook them. While you will be able to eat the fish raw, it is better to cook them instead.

You can roast the fish easily, just like you can roast the meat by simply placing them on fire. But first, you will have to build a fire in the game. 

Building a fire 

In order to build a Campfire, you will need to collect some sticks and leaves. Fortunately for the players, they will be able to build a campfire with as little as two sticks in the game. All you need to do is collect the sticks and leaves and then follow the steps I have mentioned below to build a fire.

Keep in mind that your resources matter a lot when it comes to how long the fire will stay. If you have built a fire using as little as two sticks, then you cannot expect it to burn around all day. For the campfire to stay for a longer period of time, it will require more complex construction. But for now, you can make do with this basic fire to cook the fish that you have just caught using the fish trap. 

1. Collect two leaves and two sticks by venturing around the area in the Forest. 
2. Open your inventory, select the sticks, and look for an optimal spot to place your fire. 
3. After selecting the spot where you want your campfire to be, you need to break some sticks by left-clicking. 
4.  Doing so will allow you to make a pile of them on the ground. 
5.  Now, you need to hold the E button in order to take out and use your lighter on the sticks. 
6.  After that, you need to place leaves on the fire to keep it burning. 

To take out your fish and cook it on the fire, you can hold the E button and see fish along with other options that you will be able to put on fire.

You need to select the raw fish from the options and place it on the fire. Now, you need to wait for it to cook to be able to enjoy it. Wait for a few seconds for the fish to be cooked in the game. 

Summing It Up 

 With this, I conclude my detailed guide on how to set up a fish trap in Sons of the Forest to catch fish and cook them in the game. The major takeaways from this guide would be that you will require 25 sticks to set up the trap, and it is important to place it near a body of water.

Water streams work best for catching fish in the game. You will be able to place the fish trap by pressing E while your character constructs the trap. In case you are unable to catch fish by using the fishing traps, I have mentioned other methods as well, like using a spear or axe to hunt fish or getting help from Kelvin to catch fish for you.

After that, you will be able to cook it by building a fire through sticks and leaves. The most important thing is to always cook the fish instead of eating it raw. This will allow you to get maximum protein out of it. Before you go, check out our guide on System Requirements for Sons of the Forest.