Who could have imagined that fishing would someday be a legitimate activity in Destiny 2? Yet here we are. Fishing is now available in Destiny 2; it is fun and offers excellent rewards.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about fishing, including how to fish, where to fish, and how to farm its top-tier rewards.
How to unlock fishing in Destiny 2
To unlock fishing, you needed to complete a few steps from Week 1 of Season of the Deep’s questline. But in case you never got around to doing that, you can simply visit Hawthorne at the Tower. She’ll introduce you to the essential fishing mechanics to get you started via a short quest that will take you to all three fishing locations currently in the game.
Destiny 2 Fishing locations
There are three different fishing holes in the game:
- The Cistern – Nezzus
- Outskirts – The EDZ
- Miasma – Throne World
After visiting these three locations for the first time, you can return to Hawthorne for 10 free baits and fully unlock fishing in Destiny 2.
Fishing Ponds, Destiny 2
How to get Fishing Tackle and Start Fishing
Fishing requires one resource: Bait.
Bait can be acquired by completing Salvages, Deep Dives, Playlist activities, Public events & Patrols, and collecting Planetary materials. As a general rule of thumb, the longer the activity, the more bait it rewards. As such, completing a Deep Dive can reward you with up to 19 bait, whereas collecting Planetary Materials will reward you only 1 bait. You can carry up to 500 bait at any given time.
Fish can only be acquired from one of the three fishing holes listed above. When it comes to the actual fishing mechanics, I strongly believe that a picture (or video) is worth a thousand words; therefore, I recommend you check this video from EK1 Gaming instead.
Focused Fishing in Destiny 2
Focused Fishing is the meter mechanic that allows you to catch rarer fish. While fishing, you’ll see the Focusing Fishing meter appear, and the higher the meter, the higher your chances of finding rarer fish.
You can increase the Focused Fishing meter by fishing with other Guardians and fishing for as long as possible. For that reason, you’ll want to start fishing as soon as a fishing hole appears. Keep in mind that the same meter applies to everyone fishing on that spot, not only you. To increase your drop rate as much as possible, you should always fish in the weekly featured Pond. You can visit the Fishing Tackle on your inventory to see what fishing pond is featured at any given time:
Fishing Tackle, Destiny 2
Last but not least, when a Public Event, the fishing pond completely disappears, restarting the Focusing Meter…
Exotic Fish in Destiny 2
These are the only two Exotic Fish discovered so far:
| Art | Fish Name | Rarity | Rarity? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kheprian Axehead | Exotic | Exotic | EDZ |
 | Aeonian Alpha-Betta | Exotic | Exotic | EDZ |
More may unlock as we progress through the season, but it is safe to assume the Kheprian Axehead and the Aeonian Alpha-Betta are the only two Exotic Fish we’ll see this season.
How to Catch Exotic Fish in Destiny 2
For the maximum chances of catching Exotic Fish, you need to increase the pond’s Focused Fishing Meter. The higher the meter, the higher your chances of catching rarer fish. This is how you can achieve this:
- Join a large group of Guardians fishing on that same spot
- Fish on the same pond for as long as possible
- Aim for that Perfect catch bonus (by clicking the button as soon as possible)
- Have enough bait (70+) to fish for as long as you can
Remember that the Focused Fishing Meter is shared between all Guardians sharing that same pond. Also, Public Events stop fishing altogether and reset the Focused Fishing meter. You’ll want to hit the pond as soon as the Public Event ends to have the longest possible time to fish and increase the Focused Fishing Meter.
Exotic Fish Rewards
These are the rewards you can expect for depositing Exotic Fish at the H.E.L.M.:
- Exotic items, including Exotic Material and Exotic armor
- Legendary gear, including the returning Reckoning weapons
- Deep Dive Keys
- Sonar Station Reputation
- Glimmer
Legendary Fish Rewards, Destiny 2
Legendary Fish in Destiny 2
| Art | Fish Name | Rarity | Rarity? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Galliard Trevally | Legendary | Legendary | EDZ |
 | Salvagers Salmon | Legendary | Legendary | EDZ |
 | Drangelfish (Baroque) | Legendary | Legendary | EDZ |
 | Temptation’s Haddock | Legendary | Legendary | EDZ |
 | Servant Lobster | Legendary | Legendary | EDZ |
Other notable Legendary fish include:
- Aachen Cichlid
- Agronatlantic Salmon
- Allegrian Jack
- Azimuth Angelfish
- Cod Duello
- Cuboid Cod
- Cup Bearer Catfish
- Cydonian Cichlid
- Deafening Whisker
- Gnawing Hun Gar
- Golden Trevallyhoo
- Gusevian Gar
- Ignition Toad
- Koi Cirrus
- Minueting Mackerel
- No Turning Jack
- Traxian Toad
Legendary Fish Rewards
These are the rewards you can expect for depositing Legendary Fish:
- Legendary gear, including Reckoning weapons
- Deep Dive Keys
- Sonar Station Reputation
- Glimmer
Legendary Fish Rewards, Destiny 2
Rare & Uncommon Fish Rewards
These are the rewards you can expect for depositing rare and uncommon fish types:
- Sonar Station Reputation
- Glimmer
Before you go…
Make sure you prepare in order to maximize your fishing in Destiny 2. Joining a large group to boost that Focusing Meter, having enough bait, and aiming for that Perfect catch will all increase your chances of finding rarer fish, including Exotic Fish.
As of today, Hawthorne shows zero about fishing at the interface. The “quest” you suggested does not seem valid or findable. This whole game seems very much like If you have not been here since day one you do not get to do anything or find much.