If you’ve spent any time messing around with fishing in Where Winds Meet, you’ve probably hit that frustrating wall where your basic rod snaps every time you hook something bigger than a common carp. I spent three days wasting bait on rare golden koi before I figured out the where winds meet fishing rod upgrade unlocks half the hidden fishing spots on the map. Most new players skip this step entirely because it’s not marked clearly on the main quest line, and miss out on rare crafting materials, exclusive currency, and even a hidden side quest that gives a permanent fishing buff. This guide walks you through every step of the upgrade process, what you’ll need to gather, and what perks you’ll unlock once you’re done.
How to Unlock the Where Winds Meet Fishing Rod Upgrade
You won’t get a pop-up quest for this upgrade, so you’ll need to track down the right NPC to start the process first. You have to hit character level 12 and complete the basic fishing tutorial in Pinehollow Village to qualify, otherwise the fisherman won’t give you the quest. I missed the old fisherman the first three times I passed his spot because he’s tucked behind a cluster of willow trees, just off the main path between Pinehollow Village and the Misty Mountain pass. You’ll know you found the right NPC when he complains about his broken rod being unable to catch the legendary fish in the deep water.
He’ll give you a list of three items you need to collect to upgrade your basic rod, no gold required if you gather the materials yourself. If you don’t feel like farming, you can buy all the items from the village general store for 1,200 copper, but that’s a waste of currency you could spend on better bag space early on. The required items are:
- 3 sturdy bamboo stalks: farmed from the bamboo grove just north of Pinehollow Village, respawns every 10 in-game minutes
- 5 spider silk strands: dropped by small forest spiders west of the village, avoid the larger venomous variants if you’re below level 10
- 1 iron reel part: found in the locked chest under the old pier, the key is given as a reward for returning the fisherman’s lost hat to him first
Once you turn in all three items, the fisherman will take 15 in-game minutes to upgrade your rod, so you can run a quick nearby herb farming run while you wait to kill two birds with one stone. Don’t leave the area while he’s working, or you’ll have to come back the next in-game day to pick up your upgraded rod. I made that mistake once, and lost a full day of rare fishing spawns that only appear on clear weather mornings.
Key Perks of the Upgraded Fishing Rod
A lot of players assume the upgrade only makes the rod sturdier, but it unlocks a ton of hidden perks that make fishing one of the most profitable side activities in the game. First, you’ll cut line break chances by 75% for all rare and legendary fish, which means you won’t waste 20+ bait on a single rare catch that snaps your line right before you reel it in. I went from catching one rare fish every three hours to catching 4 to 6 per hour right after the upgrade, which paid for all the material farming time in less than an hour.
You’ll also unlock access to deep water fishing spots that are only marked on the fisherman’s private map, which he gives you as a bonus when you pick up your rod. These spots have exclusive fish that sell for 10x more than common shore fish, and some can be traded for rare crafting recipes that you can’t get anywhere else. I used a few of the rare icy carp I caught in the northern deep water spots to trade for a permanent stamina boost recipe early on, which made exploration way easier.
The last hidden perk most players miss is the increased chance to get treasure chests while fishing. I’ve pulled everything from minor healing potions to a rare epic level 15 ring from chests I caught while fishing in deep water spots, which was a huge boost for my character early on when I was still using green quality gear. The only downside is that the upgraded rod uses slightly more durability per catch, but it’s negligible compared to the rewards you’ll get. You can repair it for less than 50 copper a full durability bar at any village blacksmith.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During the Upgrade Process
I’ve seen dozens of players mess up this upgrade process because they skip small steps that aren’t clearly explained in the game’s quest log. First, don’t try to turn in low quality bamboo stalks you buy from other players, because the fisherman will reject them. You have to gather the bamboo yourself, or buy the high quality variant from the general store that’s marked “fishing grade” in the item description. Regular bamboo is used for building, and won’t count for the quest.
Another common mistake is forgetting to pick up the lost hat quest first before you farm for materials. If you don’t get the hat first, you won’t get the key for the pier chest, and you’ll have to waste time running back to the village to grab the quest before you can get the iron reel part. The hat is floating in the water just south of the pier, and you can grab it without getting in the water if you walk to the end of the broken pier section.
I also don’t recommend trying to farm the spider silk at night, because the spider spawn rate drops by 60% after dark, and you’ll run into more aggressive wolf spawns that can one shot low level players. Wait until in-game daytime, when the spiders are concentrated in the small clearing west of the village, and you can farm all 5 strands in less than 10 minutes. The last mistake to avoid is upgrading your rod right before a storm hits. Fish spawn rates drop to almost zero during storms, so you won’t be able to test out your new rod or take advantage of the rare spawns that appear right after the upgrade unlocks.
How to Maximize Your Upgraded Rod’s Potential
Once you have your upgraded rod, there are a few small tweaks you can make to get even more value out of it. First, pair it with the fragrant bait you can craft from wild flowers and fish guts, which increases rare fish spawn chances by another 30%. You can get the bait recipe from the same fisherman who upgraded your rod, for just 100 copper. I usually stock up on 50 pieces of bait at a time, so I don’t have to run back to the village in the middle of a good fishing session.
You should also focus on fishing during sunrise and sunset in-game, because those are the times when legendary fish spawn rates are at their highest. I caught my first legendary golden koi 20 minutes after getting my upgraded rod, during a sunrise fishing session at the deep water spot north of the fisherman’s hut. It sold for 15,000 copper, which was enough to buy my first mount and a full set of blue quality armor for my level. That one catch alone made the whole upgrade process worth it.
You can also team up with other players who have upgraded rods to unlock group fishing spots that have even higher rare spawn rates, and split the rewards if you don’t want to fish alone. Just make sure you don’t use any bait that attracts aggressive water spirits if you’re fishing in the northern lake, because they can attack you while you’re reeling in a fish and knock you out, making you lose both the fish and your bait. If you see a storm rolling in while you’re fishing, pack up and come back the next day, it’s not worth wasting your rare bait on low spawn chances.
The where winds meet fishing rod upgrade is one of the most underrated early game progression steps you can complete, and it pays for itself almost immediately if you spend even a little time fishing each session. You don’t need to be a high level player or spend real money to unlock it, just a little bit of time farming low level materials and following the small hidden quest steps. Even if you don’t care much about fishing, the rare items and currency you can get from the upgraded rod are more than worth the 30 minutes it takes to complete the whole process. Next time you’re passing through Pinehollow Village, stop by the old fisherman’s spot and knock out this upgrade – you won’t regret it.
