The fishing rod is locked behind a boss fight nobody warns you about
DAVE THE DIVER spent its entire base game having Dave catch fish with harpoons, net guns, and underwater weapons. The In the Jungle DLC finally adds a proper fishing rod, and it opens up 12 species you cannot catch any other way. The catch? You have to earn it by serving a villager's favorite meal, which means first hunting down one of the nastiest fish in the lower lake. Here's exactly how to do it.
How do you get the fishing rod in Dave the Diver: In the Jungle?
The fishing rod comes from Basu, a villager who lives east of Dave's cabin, right on the edge of the lake. He's usually standing outside his house, though sometimes he wanders to his dock out back. If you can't find him, enter his house and walk out the rear door toward the water.
Talk to Basu and ask about his interests. He'll tell you he's obsessed with Piraiba Catfish and ask you to serve it at your restaurant. He never directly mentions the fishing rod as a reward, so most players miss the connection entirely.
Basu's dock conversation
Once you've had that conversation, the objective is simple: catch a Piraiba Catfish, prepare it, and serve it. The moment you deliver it, Basu hands over the fishing rod and opens his shop, where you can buy bait and rod upgrades.
Where to find the Piraiba Catfish
The Piraiba Catfish spawns in the lower section of Utara Lake, at depths between 35 and 75 meters. Swim right from your entry point and look toward the middle of the lake at that depth range. It's hard to miss: the fish is roughly three times Dave's size, dark gray with a white underbelly, and has long prominent whiskers.
The fish has a specific attack pattern: it charges directly at Dave and attempts to suck him into its mouth. If it catches you, a quicktime event starts. Fail that, and you're inside its stomach facing a second quicktime event to escape.
Combat strategy that works:
- Circle the catfish while firing with the sniper rifle to deal damage from a safe distance
- Switch to your shotgun when it closes in
- When it charges, swim directly up or down rather than sideways to dodge its mouth
- Keep an eye on your oxygen throughout the fight
After the catfish is dead, either use your salvage drone to retrieve it or cut meat directly from the body with your knife. Head back to Basu and deliver the goods.
Piraiba Catfish at depth
What fishing spots unlock after you get the rod?
Once Basu hands over the fishing rod, every fishing location on the map becomes accessible. Spots are marked with a fishing rod icon, so they're easy to locate. There's a pond west of the village near the waterfall by the shooting range, three fishing ponds on the jungle map, and Basu's own dock next to the lake.
The rod-only fish are split between two areas: Surga Falls and Setah Forest. Surga Falls requires the machete to access, which you pick up during the main quest just before entering the jungle. Setah Forest is a separate rod-only zone with its own species list.
Fishing spot breakdown
Why does the fishing rod matter for completion?
The Marincabloom app on Dave's phone tracks every fish in the DLC across four categories: Utara Lake Upper, Utara Lake Lower, Lakebed Sea, and Fishing. That last category contains all 12 rod-only species, and none of them appear anywhere else in the game.
For 100% completion of the DLC, you need every Marincabloom entry filled. That means the fishing rod isn't optional content. It's a required unlock if you're going for the full collection.
The Marincabloom app becomes available after you meet Sato in the village. It shows which fish you've caught and which are still missing, but it doesn't tell you how to find them or what conditions trigger their spawns. That's where knowing the specific locations matters.
Marincabloom fish tracker
How does Basu's shop help after you get the rod?
Delivering the Piraiba Catfish to Basu doesn't just unlock the rod. His shop opens at the same time, stocking bait and fishing rod upgrades. The bait options let you target specific species more reliably, which matters when you're hunting down the last few fish for your Marincabloom.
Upgrading the rod through Basu's shop improves your overall fishing effectiveness. Visiting his shop early and regularly is worth doing alongside your diving runs.
Complete rod-only fish list
For reference, here are all 12 fish that require the fishing rod, organized by location:
The DLC contains approximately 82 total fish species across all four Marincabloom categories. The rod-only list above covers the Fishing section entirely.
Surga Falls fishing zone
For everything swimming in the lake and the prehistoric Lakebed Sea beneath it, the full In the Jungle fish list guide covers all 82 species by depth zone with spawn conditions. If you're working on restaurant dishes alongside your collection, the complete new recipe list for Into the Jungle shows exactly what you can cook with your catches. Building relationships with villagers like Basu also pays off beyond the fishing rod, and the villager favorite gifts guide covers every character's preferred dish. For the full collection of In the Jungle strategy guides, that hub has everything in one place.