How to Craft a Fishing Rod in Minecraft

Key Takeaways

Point	Details
Crafting a fishing rod	Crafting a fishing rod requires sticks and string, both easy to obtain from wood and spiders.
Fishing rods can be	Fishing rods can be found as fishing loot (0.8% enchanted, 0.2% normal) and from killing drowned holding them.
Trading with villagers is	Trading with villagers is a reliable way to acquire fishing rods without materials.
Carrot on a stick	Carrot on a stick and warped fungus on a stick revert to fishing rods when fully used.
Fishing rods are not just for fishing	they can hook and pull mobs, items, and players.
The fishing rod was	The fishing rod was introduced in Alpha v1.1.1 (September 2010) and initially had no function.

The Classic Recipe: Sticks and String

Every fishing rod starts with the same two ingredients: sticks and string. The fishing rod made its debut in Alpha v1.1.1, where it was simply described as being "crafted with sticks and string." That part of the recipe has never changed. To make your own, gather a few sticks (by breaking leaves or crafting from planks) and string (from killing spiders or breaking cobwebs). Open your crafting table and combine them — the in‑game recipe book will show you the exact arrangement once you have the materials.

Crafted with sticks and string.

Once crafted, you’ll have a fishing rod ready to cast into any body of water.

Getting a Fishing Rod Without Crafting

If you’re short on string or just prefer to find your gear, you have several other options. Enchanted fishing rods can be pulled straight from the water while fishing — the chance per cast is 0.8% for an enchanted rod and 0.2% for an unenchanted one.

Enchanted fishing rods are obtainable through fishing, with a 0.8% chance per attempt, while unenchanted ones are obtainable with a 0.2% chance per attempt.

Another reliable source is trading with villagers. Toolsmiths and fishermen may sell fishing rods in exchange for emeralds.

Stone, iron, and diamond tools, as well as shears and fishing rods, can be bought from villagers.

Perhaps the most exciting path is defeating drowned. These underwater zombies have a 3.75% chance to spawn holding a fishing rod in their main hand. When killed, they drop it with an 8.5% chance in Java Edition or 25% in Bedrock Edition — and that chance increases by 1% per level of Looting. Note that the dropped rod is always damaged and never enchanted.

Drowned have a 3.75% chance of spawning holding a fishing rod in their main hand, and in Bedrock Edition, a converted drowned has a 1% chance to spawn with a fishing rod. If killed, they have an 8.5%‌[JE only]/25%‌[BE only] chance of dropping this fishing rod, increased by 1% for each level of Looting applied to a weapon. The dropped item is damaged and never enchanted.

Beyond Fishing: Hooking Mobs and Items

A fishing rod is a tool, not just a fishing implement. You can use it to hook mobs, players, and even certain items (items only work in Java Edition). Reeling in a mob or entity costs 5 durability, while reeling in an item costs 3 durability. The bobber can travel up to 33 blocks away from you; if the target moves beyond that distance, the line snaps.

The fishing rod can be used to hook mobs and some other entities, including items‌[Java Edition only] and players. Reeling in a mob or entity costs 5 points of durability, and reeling in an item costs 3 points. The maximum distance the player can get between the bobber and themselves is 33 blocks.

Multiple players can hook the same entity, and if everyone reels in at once, the entity will fly much farther than normal.

The Fishing Rod as a Crafting Ingredient

Your fishing rod can also transform into other tools. Combine a fishing rod with a carrot to craft a carrot on a stick, which lets you steer a saddled pig. Similarly, a warped fungus on a stick does the same for striders in the Nether. If either of these items runs out of durability, it turns right back into a fishing rod — giving you a second life for your rod.

If a carrot on a stick or a warped fungus on a stick is used to the point of zero durability, it becomes a fishing rod again.

A Piece of Minecraft History

The fishing rod first appeared on September 18, 2010, in Alpha v1.1.1 — the only "Seecret Saturday" update. At launch, the rod had no actual fishing function; it was purely decorative.

Alpha v1.1.1, also known as Seecret Saturday, [sic] is the tenth and the final seecret update, which added sneaking, new paintings and fishing rods. Fishing rod Has no function.

Over the following months, fishing mechanics were added, and by the Halloween Update the rod could catch fish and junk. Today it’s a staple tool for food, treasure, and playful mob pulling.