The fishing rods you choose in Fish It! (Roblox) directly shape your entire gameplay experience. Every new rod boosts your luck, reel speed, and catch weight, making it easier to find Mythic and Secret fish while earning more coins. This complete guide breaks down the official rod progression path, where to find each rod, what quests are required, and which baits work best with them.
By following this progression route, you can smoothly advance from beginner to endgame without wasting money on unnecessary upgrades.
How Rod Progression Works
Each rod in Fish It! comes with unique stats — mainly Luck, Reeling Speed, and Max Weight Capacity.
- Luck affects your chance of catching rarer and mutated fish.
- Reeling Speed determines how fast you pull in your catch.
- Weight Capacity limits how large or heavy fish you can reel in before the line breaks.
As you move up the rod tiers, these stats improve significantly, making high-end rods essential for catching Mythic and Secret fish.
→ Learn how fish rarity and weight affect income in the Money Guide
Rod Progression Path Overview
| Rod Name | Unlock Method | Location | Cost / Requirement | Recommended Bait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Rod | Default | Spawn Island | Free | Basic Bait |
| Lava Rod | Free Quest | Kohana Volcano | Talk to Lava Fisherman | Lava Bait |
| Midnight Rod | Rod Merchant | Spawn Island | 100,000 Coins | Midnight Bait |
| Steampunk Rod | Rod Merchant | Spawn Island | 500,000 Coins | Chroma Bait |
| Hazmat Rod | Traveling Merchant | Random Spawn | ~2,000,000 Coins | Corrupt Bait |
| Ares Rod | Tropical Grove | Hidden Waterfall Room | 3,000,000 Coins | Aether Bait |
| Ghostfinn Rod | Lost Isle | Questline (Treasure + Statue Room) | Quest Unlock | Mutation Bait |
| Element Rod | Ancient Jungle / Sacred Temple | Transcendent Quest | Quest Unlock | Singularity Bait |
1. Starter Rod — Learning the Basics
The Starter Rod is the first tool every player receives. It’s perfect for learning the fishing system, but it has extremely low Luck and Weight stats.
Use it only until you earn enough to travel to Kohana Volcano, where you can immediately replace it with the Lava Rod.
- Recommended bait: Basic Bait
- Best location: Spawn Shoreline (Starter Island)
- Goal: Save enough money to travel and unlock Lava Rod.
→ See all beginner fish spots in the Fish Locations Guide
2. Lava Rod
The Lava Rod is one of the easiest early-game upgrades. You can obtain it for free by traveling to Kohana Volcano and speaking to the Lava Fisherman NPC.
Once you interact with him, he immediately rewards you with the Lava Rod. It’s a huge step up from the starter version, providing +30% Luck, +2% Speed, and 100 kg max weight.
This rod allows you to start catching mid-tier fish and earn coins quickly.
Stay in Kohana Volcano for a while to build funds for your next purchase.
- Recommended bait: Lava Bait or Midnight Bait
- Best location: Kohana Volcano (same island as NPC)
- Next goal: Save for the Midnight Rod
→ Check how to farm efficiently in the Money Guide
3. Midnight Rod
The Midnight Rod is available at the main Rod Store on the spawn island.
It’s a strong upgrade with +100% Luck, +10% Reeling Speed, and 10 kg weight limit.
This rod opens access to better fish in deeper zones and supports AFK fishing more efficiently than early-game rods.
The Midnight Rod is often used to grind coins for later gear like the Steampunk or Hazmat Rods.
- Recommended bait: Midnight Bait
- Best location: Esoteric Depths or Volcano Outskirts
- Next goal: Purchase the Steampunk Rod.
4. Steampunk Rod
The Steampunk Rod costs around 500,000 coins and is one of the best investments during the mid-game phase. It provides +225% Luck, +20% Speed, and supports 25 kg weight.
At this point, your Luck bonus begins to generate consistent Mythic and Shiny catches, especially when paired with high-tier bobbers and enchants.
- Recommended bait: Chroma Bait
- Ideal enchants: Empowered or Leprechaun II
- Best location: Esoteric Depths
- Next goal: Get the Hazmat Rod from the Traveling Merchant.
→ Read about best enchant combinations in the Enchant Guide
5. Hazmat Rod — Limited-Time Powerhouse
The Hazmat Rod can only be purchased from the Traveling Merchant, making it a rare and exclusive upgrade. The merchant’s inventory changes regularly, so you may need to check multiple times before it appears.
The Hazmat Rod features +380% Luck, +32% Reeling Speed, and 300,000 kg maximum weight — making it one of the best pre-endgame rods.
If you spot it in the merchant shop, buy it immediately. This rod dramatically increases your mutation and secret fish rates.
- Recommended bait: Corrupt Bait
- Best location: Volcano or Esoteric Depths
- Next goal: Save for the Ares Rod.
→ Stay alert for merchant updates on the Codes & Updates Page
6. Ares Rod
The Ares Rod (sometimes referred to as the “AIS Rod”) can be purchased for 3,000,000 coins inside the Tropical Grove island.
To find it, enter the waterfall cave near the Grove and follow the tunnel until you reach a hidden chamber.
This rod provides an enormous Luck boost and significantly higher Reeling Speed, making it ideal for farming Mythics, Secrets, and Mutations.
Before going for the Ares Rod, make sure to buy Scuba Gear (75,000 coins) because it’s required for reaching deeper zones and future quests.
- Recommended bait: Aether Bait
- Ideal enchants: Empowered + Mutation Hunter II
- Next goal: Unlock the Ghostfinn Rod.
→ Learn about advanced mutation farming in the Mutations Guide
7. Ghostfinn Rod
The Ghostfinn Rod is one of the most sought-after items in Fish It, but unlike others, it cannot be bought with coins.
To earn it, you must complete the Lost Isle Questline, which involves the following tasks:
- Catch 300 Rare or Epic fish in the Treasure Room.
- Catch 3 Mythic fish at the Sisyphus Statue.
- Catch 1 Secret fish anywhere on the Lost Isle.
- Earn a total of 1,000,000 coins.
Completing this quest rewards you with the Ghostfinn Rod, which offers +610% Luck, +118% Speed, and supports 600,000 kg fish.
It’s considered the second-best rod in the entire game, right below the Element Rod.
- Recommended bait: Mutation or Aether Bait
- Ideal enchants: Mutation Hunter II + Gold Digger
- Best location: Lost Isle (Treasure & Statue Rooms)
→ Follow the step-by-step island guide in the Lost Isle Section
8. Element Rod
The Element Rod currently holds the title of the best rod in Fish It. To obtain it, you must first own the Ghostfinn Rod and complete a challenging Transcendent Questline at the Ancient Jungle / Sacred Temple.
The quest requires:
- Catching 1 Secret fish in Ancient Jungle.
- Catching 1 Secret fish in Sacred Temple.
- Creating 3 Transcendent Stones, each made by sacrificing a Secret Fish.
Once completed, the Temple Guardian rewards you with the Element Rod — a tool that offers unparalleled stats, Luck, and efficiency. It’s currently the endgame goal for serious players.
- Recommended bait: Singularity Bait
- Best location: Ancient Jungle, Sacred Temple
- Ideal enchants: Empowered + Mutation Hunter II + Gold Digger
Bait Progression Path
Just like rods, baits (or bobbers) follow a progression route. The higher-tier bait you use, the more Luck, XP, and Mutation Chance you gain. Below is the general bait progression path:
- Starter Bait – Default beginner option.
- Midnight Bait – Affordable and balanced.
- Chroma Bait – Improves Luck significantly.
- Corrupt Bait – Adds Mutation Chance and Weight bonus.
- Aether Bait – Late-game option for Mythic farming.
- Singularity Bait – Best-in-slot bait; available from the Traveling Merchant for around 8.2 million coins.
→ Explore the full bait list in the Bobbers & Bait Page
Recommended Rod Progression
| Stage | Rod | Key Focus | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early | Lava Rod | Free early boost | Kohana Volcano |
| Mid | Midnight / Steampunk | Stable money farm | Esoteric Depths |
| Late | Hazmat / Ares | High luck + enchants | Tropical Grove |
| Endgame | Ghostfinn | Quest reward | Lost Isle |
| Ultimate | Element Rod | Final rod | Ancient Jungle |
Final Tips for Efficient Progression
- Don’t skip the Lava Rod. It’s free and offers a huge early advantage.
- Balance rods and baits. Upgrading both together keeps your Luck multiplier consistent.
- Always use enchants. Empowered, Mutation Hunter II, and Gold Digger are game-changing for profit.
- Join events. Event fishing boosts rewards and drop rates.
- Track Traveling Merchant spawns. Many rare rods and baits appear there first.
- Prepare early for the Ghostfinn Quest. It takes time, but the reward is worth it.