Net A Fish Fisherman Guide: Upgrades and Fusion Farming

Find Your Fisherman on the dock near Pet Pool. He catches fish automatically, and his overhead countdown tells you when the next catch is due. His catches go into Fish Cooler, where duplicate stacks can become fusion materials.

1. Approach the Fisherman and press E at Upgrade.
2. Read his current rarity limit, fish per catch and catch interval. The panel also tracks catches and fusion duplicates.
3. Buy an upgrade whose next effect matches your goal, provided you have enough cash and meet its Rebirth requirement.
4. Open Fish Cooler to manage the catches and use your accumulated duplicates for Fish Fusion.

The initial setup catches 1 fish every 60 seconds, from Common through Uncommon, at Shore range. Building duplicate stacks is his main use, but he can also discover new species, including Bone Pike and Jaguar Tigershark.

Protect your fusion stock before leaving him to fish. Auto-Sell can immediately sell catches within its selected rarity threshold. Keep that threshold below the fish you want to save, or select NOTHING while collecting materials. Use the Cooler and Auto-Sell guide for inventory controls and mutation-retention settings.

For a setup that combines the Fisherman with your other automatic catch sources, see Helpers and Online AFK Setup.

The Fisherman menu contains Fishing Rod, Bigger Bucket, Quick Hands, Range, Tackle Box, Shiny Hook and Deep Bait. Scroll down to reach the last three upgrades.

Each listed price buys the next level from the stated current level; it is not the total cost of reaching that level. Read the current-to-next effect alongside the price, especially for Fishing Rod: some purchases retain the same named rarity limit.

Fisherman Range applies to his casting distance and fish size. It is separate from the Spear Gun’s Range upgrade. Buying it here improves the Fisherman, not the other device.

• Fishing Rod

  Effect

  Raises the maximum catch rarity.

  Maximum level

  34 levels

  Next upgrade price

  600 $ (Level 0 → 1; Uncommon → Rare)

  1600 $ (Level 1 → 2; both rarity labels read Rare)

  4000 $ (Level 2 → 3; Rare → Epic)

  44000 $ (Level 5 → 6; Epic → Legendary)

  200000 $ (Level 6 → 7; both rarity labels read Legendary)

  1100000 $ (Level 7 → 8; Legendary → Mythic)

  15000000 $ (Level 8 → 9; Mythic → Apex)

  400000000 $ (Level 9 → 10; Apex → Demigod)

  1000000000000000 $ (Level 12 → 13; Forbidden → Cosmic)

  6.0E+19 $ (Level 16 → 17; Empyrean → Supreme)

  1.0E+21 $ (Level 17 → 18; Supreme → Zenith)

  Catch-rarity limit

  Monarch (Level 11/34)

  Required Rebirth

  9 Rebirth (Next upgrade from level 11/34)

• Bigger Bucket

  Effect

  Increases fish brought back per catch.

  Maximum level

  34 levels

  Initial fish per catch

  1 fish (Level 0)

  Added fish per catch

  1 fish/level

  Next upgrade price

  840 $ (Level 0 → 1; 1 → 2 fish)

  12000 $ (Level 3 → 4; 4 → 5 fish)

  25000 $ (Level 4 → 5; 5 → 6 fish)

  280000 $ (Level 6 → 7; 7 → 8 fish)

  1500000 $ (Level 7 → 8; 8 → 9 fish)

  21000000 $ (Level 8 → 9; 9 → 10 fish)

  560000000 $ (Level 9 → 10; 10 → 11 fish)

  420000000000 $ (Level 10 → 11; 11 → 12 fish)

  1400000000000000 $ (Level 12 → 13; 13 → 14 fish)

  8.4E+19 $ (Level 16 → 17; 17 → 18 fish)

  1.4E+21 $ (Level 17 → 18; 18 → 19 fish)

• Quick Hands

  Effect

  Shortens the interval between catches.

  Maximum level

  34 levels

  Catch interval

  60 seconds (Level 0)

  54 seconds (Level 1)

  30 seconds (Level 5)

  24 seconds (Level 6)

  18 seconds (Level 7)

  16 seconds (Level 8)

  14 seconds (Level 9)

  12 seconds (Level 10)

  11 seconds (Level 11)

  10 seconds (Level 12)

  9 seconds (Level 13 preview)

  6.5 seconds (Level 16 upgrade row; the top summary rounds to 6 seconds)

  6 seconds (Level 17)

  5.5 seconds (Level 18 preview)

  Next upgrade price

  690 $ (Level 0 → 1)

  51000 $ (Level 5 → 6)

  230000 $ (Level 6 → 7)

  1300000 $ (Level 7 → 8)

  17000000 $ (Level 8 → 9)

  460000000 $ (Level 9 → 10)

  350000000000 $ (Level 10 → 11)

  1200000000000000 $ (Level 12 → 13)

  6.9E+19 $ (Level 16 → 17)

  1.1E+21 $ (Level 17 → 18)

• Range

  Effect

  Casts farther to reach larger fish and increases fish size. (Fisherman)

  Maximum level

  15 levels

  Added range

  3 studs/level

  Fish-size bonus per level

  8 %

  Range bonus

  0 studs (Level 0; Shore)

  45 studs (Level 15/15, MAXED)

  Fish-size bonus

  0 % (Level 0)

  120 % (Level 15/15, MAXED)

  Next upgrade price

  1100 $ (Level 0 → 1; range +0 → +3 studs; size +0% → +8%)

  16000 $ (Level 3 → 4; range +9 → +12 studs; size +24% → +32%)

  32000 $ (Level 4 → 5; range +12 → +15 studs; size +32% → +40%)

  360000 $ (Level 6 → 7; range +18 → +21 studs; size +48% → +56%)

  2000000 $ (Level 7 → 8; range +21 → +24 studs; size +56% → +64%)

  27000000 $ (Level 8 → 9; range +24 → +27 studs; size +64% → +72%)

  720000000 $ (Level 9 → 10; range +27 → +30 studs; size +72% → +80%)

  540000000000 $ (Level 10 → 11; range +30 → +33 studs; size +80% → +88%)

  1800000000000000 $ (Level 12 → 13; range +36 → +39 studs; size +96% → +104%)

• Tackle Box

  Effect

  Increases the size of fish caught by Fisherman; larger fish are worth more.

  Unlock Rebirth

  4 Rebirth

  Maximum level

  10 levels

  Fish-size bonus per level

  4 %

  Fish-size bonus

  12 % (Level 3)

  16 % (Level 4 preview)

  28 % (Level 7)

  32 % (Level 8)

  40 % (Level 10/10, MAXED)

  Next upgrade price

  660000 $ (Level 0 → 1; size +0% → +4%)

  180000000000 $ (Level 3 → 4)

  600000000000000 $ (Level 7 → 8)

• Shiny Hook

  Effect

  Increases the chance that Fisherman's catches are Shiny.

  Unlock Rebirth

  8 Rebirth

  Maximum level

  10 levels

  Shiny chance per level

  1.5 %

  Shiny chance

  4.5 % (Level 3)

  6 % (Level 4 preview)

  15 % (Level 10/10, MAXED)

  Next upgrade price

  600000000000000 $ (Level 3 → 4)

• Deep Bait

  Effect

  Increases bite frequency for Historic-or-higher creatures. (Fisherman's catches)

  Unlock Rebirth

  10 Rebirth

  Maximum level

  10 levels

  Historic+ bite-frequency bonus per level

  25 %

  Historic+ bite multiplier

  1.5 x (Level 2)

  1.75 x (Level 3 preview)

  3.5 x (Level 10/10, MAXED)

  Next upgrade price

  250000000000000 $ (Level 2 → 3)

For fusion duplicates

Reach the target rarity first, then improve catch volume. A faster Fisherman is more useful for your chosen fusion stack once his Fishing Rod can catch that rarity. Check the next-effect preview: Rod level 1 → 2 keeps the Rare label, while level 2 → 3 raises the limit to Epic. At Rod level 11/34, the limit is Monarch, and the next upgrade requires Rebirth 9. See Rebirth requirements and unlocks when progression blocks the purchase.

Once your target is within reach, compare Bigger Bucket against Quick Hands. Bucket adds fish to each catch; Quick Hands makes catches happen more often. Choose the purchase that adds more fish per minute for the cash you can spend.

At the initial setup, the $840 Bucket upgrade changes 1 fish every 60 seconds to 2, doubling the rate. The $690 Quick Hands upgrade changes the interval from 60 to 54 seconds, raising the rate from 1 to about 1.11 fish per minute. For early duplicate volume within Common–Uncommon, Bucket is the stronger first purchase. If you need Rare fish instead, the $600 first Rod upgrade addresses that requirement.

For larger fish, Shiny fish or Historic+ bites

• Larger, more valuable fish: Compare Range with Tackle Box. Range adds 3 studs and 8% fish size per level, reaching +45 studs and +120% size at level 15. Tackle Box unlocks at Rebirth 4 and adds 4% size per level, reaching +40% at level 10. Compare their next prices against the size increase you want.
• Shiny catches: Choose Shiny Hook after Rebirth 8. Each level adds 1.5 percentage points of Shiny chance, reaching 15% at level 10. This targets catch quality directly; Bucket and Quick Hands target volume.
• Historic-or-higher bites: Choose Deep Bait after Rebirth 10. It adds 25% Historic+ bite frequency per level, reaching a ×3.5 multiplier at level 10. Fishing Rod remains the upgrade that raises the catch-rarity ceiling.

Late in progression, compare the lower menu options before putting all your cash into the main three. For example, with Rod, Bucket and Quick Hands at level 17, their next prices are $1Sx, $1.4Sx and $1.1Sx. In contrast, Tackle Box level 7 → 8 and Shiny Hook level 3 → 4 each cost $600T, while Deep Bait level 2 → 3 costs $250T. Those purchases can be much cheaper ways to improve the particular catch quality you want.

Use quantity and interval values from the same setup:

Fish per minute = fish per catch × 60 ÷ catch interval in seconds

To compare purchases, calculate the current rate, substitute the next Bucket quantity or Quick Hands interval, and subtract the current rate. The difference is the extra fish per minute that purchase adds. Compare rarity access and fish size separately.

With 8 fish per catch, shortening the interval from 24 to 18 seconds adds about 6.7 fish per minute, a 33.3% increase. These rates describe all fish caught, rather than the rate of one particular species or rarity.

Use the precise interval in the upgrade row when the summary rounds it. At Quick Hands level 16, the top summary reads 6 seconds, but the upgrade row reads 6.5 seconds. For the 17-fish setup, 17 × 60 ÷ 6.5 ≈ 156.9 fish per minute, matching the panel rate.

Fisherman Drills

Open Rebirth → Skill Tree → Crew & Dock → Fisherman Drills for an additional speed bonus. Each level costs 1 skill point. The five total bonuses are 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%, with the fifth level marked MAXED. Learning the first level also opens Spear Training.

Fisherman Drills is a useful point investment when automatic duplicate production is your priority. Use the resulting quantity and interval for catch-rate comparisons. For point allocation across other goals, see the Skill Tree guide.