How to Get Lily Pads by Fishing in Minecraft: Chances and Biome Restrictions

Key Takeaways

Point	Details
Fishing for lily pads	Fishing for lily pads has a fixed 1.7% chance per cast in both Java and Bedrock editions.
In Bedrock Edition, lily	In Bedrock Edition, lily pads cannot be obtained by fishing in jungle biomes; stick to swamps, rivers, or oceans.
Lily pads are a	Lily pads are a fully renewable resource through fishing, requiring no consumed materials.
Wandering Traders sell five	Wandering Traders sell five lily pads for one emerald, providing a reliable bulk alternative.
Lily pads are the	Lily pads are the only solid block that does not block fishing treasure drops, making them ideal for fishing platforms.

The Direct Answer: Fishing for Lily Pads

If you need lily pads for a water garden, a mob-proof pathway, or a fishing platform, casting a line is the most direct renewable method. Here is the short version of what you need to know.

According to the Lily Pad article on the Minecraft wiki:

Lily pads are obtainable through fishing, with a 1.7% chance per attempt.

The same source notes a critical difference for Bedrock Edition:

In Bedrock Edition, lily pads cannot be obtained when fishing in jungle biomes.

Understanding the 1.7% Catch Rate

The 1.7% chance places lily pads in the "junk" or "trash" category of the fishing loot table, alongside items like sticks, string, and bottles. This means it is not affected by the Lure enchantment on your rod, a detail explored in our Lure Enchantment and Treasure Drops article. Every cast in valid water has this exact flat chance.

To put the math in perspective:

• After 40 casts, you have roughly a 50% chance of having caught at least one lily pad.
• After 270 casts, that probability rises to over 99%.

If you are planning a large project, be prepared to spend some time at the water's edge, or consider the alternative methods below. For more details on the loot table, check out our Minecraft Fishing Mechanics and Loot Guide.

The Bedrock Edition Jungle Restriction

This is a critical distinction between editions. In Java Edition, you can fish for lily pads in any biome, including jungles. In Bedrock Edition, the fishing loot table in jungle biomes is modified to exclude lily pads. This was introduced alongside bamboo as the exclusive jungle fishing junk item.

If you are playing on Bedrock (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, iOS, Android), always fish in a swamp, river, or ocean biome for your lily pads. Swamps are the best bet as they also naturally generate lily pads, giving you a visual indicator that you are in the right place.

Alternative Methods for Acquiring Lily Pads

While fishing is a great renewable source, it is not the only way to get lily pads.

Trading with Wandering Traders

Wandering traders may sell 5 lily pads for 1 emerald.

This is a fantastic way to get a large number of lily pads quickly if you have a steady emerald supply. Wandering Traders spawn in villages and despawn after a while, so having a trading post set up is helpful.

Mob Loot (Bedrock Edition Only)

In Bedrock Edition, wandering traders have a chance of 25% (increased by 1% per level of Looting) to drop 5 lily pads when killed while showing the item as trade offer, if the player holds an emerald.

If you are playing Bedrock, killing a Wandering Trader while they are offering lily pads (and you are holding an emerald) gives you a 25% chance to drop five lily pads. This is boosted by the Looting enchantment. Keep in mind that killing traders can make future trading difficult if you rely on them.

Natural Generation

Lily pads can be found naturally on water in swamps, mangrove swamps, wheat farm rooms of woodland mansions and abandoned camps generating in swamps.

If you only need a handful, exploring a swamp or mangrove swamp is the fastest method. You can collect lily pads directly from the water surface with any tool or your hand.

Why Lily Pads Are a Renewable Resource

Fishing is one of the purest forms of renewable resource gathering in Minecraft.

A renewable resource (as opposed to a non-renewable resource, or finite resource) is a resource that can be obtained in unlimited quantities in Survival without exploiting glitches or using commands.

Methods of acquiring base renewables include: Drops from mobs that either spawn naturally, or can be spawned without consuming any resources (e.g. breezes, shulkers); Gifts from cats; Fishing; Growing things on various types of soil-like blocks (without the use of bone meal); Blocks forming when liquids meet with each other or another block; Rewards from normal trial spawners.

Because fishing requires no consumed materials (the rod takes damage, but is renewable itself), lily pads are considered a "base renewable" resource. You can generate an infinite supply from a single pond without ever needing to explore new terrain or consume other items. This makes them a staple for sustainable builds and self-sufficient bases. For the full history of how fishing evolved, see Key Milestones in Minecraft's Fishing System.

Practical Uses for Lily Pads

Lily pads have several unique properties that make them incredibly useful beyond decoration.

Fishing Platforms: The Lily Pad article highlights a unique property for fishers:

Lily pads are the only solid block that doesn't prevent fishing treasure items from water near it.

This means you can cover an entire lake in lily pads and still fish for treasure items without issue.

Mob-Proof Flooring: Mobs cannot spawn on lily pads, making them excellent for decorative water features in your base without the risk of hostile spawns.

Paths and Construction: Lily pads can be used to make paths over water without having to build bridges or use full blocks. They can also serve as a starting point for building on the ocean surface without having to pillar up from the seabed.