Work the Water, Set the Trap: Fishing and Small-Game Updates
OCTOBER 12-26, 2026 / DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
Fishing and trapping have grown into distinct activities with their own placement rules, equipment and collection work. The latest notes matter because some early instructions have changed: fishing baskets belong in suitable shallow water, while animal traps belong on dry land.
Fish from the shore, place baskets in the water
Go Fishing lets a colonist carrying a fishing rod target a reachable water tile. Attempts take time, can fail, and train Fishing when Odyssey supplies that skill or Animals when it does not. A rod is useful equipment, not a guarantee of food. The artwork pass corrects grip positions and aims the pole toward the water while addressing duplicate native-pole visuals.
Freshwater baskets require shallow river, lake or pond water under their own tile. Ocean baskets require shallow ocean or sea water. Deep water, bridges and the wrong water type are rejected for fishing-basket placement. Move an older shore basket with Reinstall at; its existing catch can remain collectible, but it will not generate new catches from the bank.
Baskets hold up to five catches and display occupied artwork. The documented timing includes a six-hour minimum soak followed by a small periodic catch chance, so a basket can remain empty longer than expected. With Odyssey, eligible fish follow the local native fish lists. Without an available native list, the mod supplies its fallback fish. Frogs and crayfish belong to freshwater bycatch; crabs and shrimp belong to ocean catches.
Let hunters collect the result
Current basket collection uses hunters. Check Hunting work, the pawn's allowed area, access to the shallows and a storage filter that accepts the catch. Earlier notes describing collection as Hauling-only are superseded by the later trap updates. Filling every available storage cell can leave a catch waiting even when the basket itself works.
Wooden and steel animal traps use plant or meat bait for herbivores or carnivores. These cages require dry land; dry bridge surfaces remain usable. Empty traps can be moved with native uninstall or reinstall controls. Empty or release a live catch before relocation. A trap awaiting relocation pauses catching and rebaiting.
The Trapper trait supports the trapping chain through faster kit crafting and improved capture retention. Hunter automation has also received deployment and collection fixes. Check the trap's mode and the animal before choosing taming, release or slaughter; a trap remains a wildlife interaction with conditions, not a free tame-animal dispenser.
The idle-pawn fix
In .136, a supplied save exposed colonists repeatedly selecting fishing work when its only rod was carried by someone else. They entered a short Wait job and tried again. Automatic fishing now checks tool eligibility before claiming the job, allowing other work to be selected when no usable rod can be obtained. Let an existing short wait finish after loading, then observe the next work choice. Placement, collection and the corrected selection path still need live testing alongside the isolated checks.