Key Takeaway
To catch the fish in the Pale Reach, you’ll need an Ice fishing rod, an Ice trawl net, and some basic pots. Two Ice fishing rods and an Ice trawl net are immediately available from Bleak Pontoon—which is at the very northern tip of the Pale Reach region.
Now that there’s some more content, it’s time to resume your eldritch angling adventure! The Pale Reach DLC for DREDGE has 23 new fish for you to catch—and all of them contribute to the new spots in your fish encyclopedia. However, you’ll need some new equipment to capture them.
Table Of Contents
This article is about how to get all fish in the Pale Reach DLC. For help finding all fish in DREDGE‘s base game, check out this article!
DREDGE: the Pale Reach—All Fish Locations Video Guide
What You Need to Catch the Fish in the Pale Reach
After you purchase the Pale Reach DLC and load any save file, head to Greater Marrow. The Mayor fills you in on how to access the Pale Reach area. Following this, head south until you find Bleak Pontoon. This is your base of operations throughout your time in the frigid south.
Before you can catch all fish in DREDGE: the Pale Reach, you’ll need a fishing rod and a trawling net that can capture Ice fish. Immediately, there are two available Ice fishing rods: the Barbed Ice Rod and the Glacial Lance.
Although it’s almost twice as expensive as the Barbed Ice Rod (costs $204), we recommend getting the Glacial Lance (costs $391). It has twice the Fishing Speed (The Barbed Ice Rod has a Fishing Speed of +16% while the Glacial Lance’s Fishing Speed is +33%), takes up three cargo spaces instead of four, and can catch fish from Ice as well as Oceanic areas.
However, some of the new fish can only be caught via trawling, so you’ll need the new Ice trawl net. Thankfully, one is available immediately upon reaching Bleak Pontoon.
Sadly, the Brittle Trawl Net is appropriately named. It only lasts for a single day before you need to repair it. With that said, you can get a much better Ice trawl net later on in this DLC. For now, grab the Brittle Trawl Net, as you don’t have any other options for catching trawl-only Ice fish (yet).
In addition to the new Ice equipment, you’ll need some pots for catching the two species of bottom dwellers (and their aberrant versions) in these cold waters. There are no new pots; the basic ones are all you’ll need.
How to Catch Every Fish in the Pale Reach
Now that you’re geared up, it’s time to go ice fishing! There are 23 new fish in the Pale Reach: 11 normal ones and 12 Aberrations. Before you begin fishing and trawling, we suggest that you set up some pots near Bleak Pontoon. This way, they can passively capture the seafloor fauna while you actively catch the rest.
#64 – Icefish
Aptly named, the Icefish is the foremost Ice fish in the Pale Reach. These frigid fry spawn in many places around the glacial seascape, so you’re bound to find them easily.
You can catch them by fishing or trawling with Ice equipment, and they appear during the day as well as at night. If you need a guaranteed spawn location, there’s one at the bottom-left corner of coordinates J, -2.
#65 – Char
Despite being exclusive to the Pale Reach, Char is a species that doesn’t need Ice equipment to be caught. All you need to reel in this fish is a Coastal fishing rod. Char spawn both during the day and at night, so you’ll always be able to find some.
Their spawn locations are fairly common, though not quite as easy to find as that of Icefish. There’s a guaranteed spawn location for Char at the bottom-right corner of coordinates K, -3.
#66 – Wolffish
Wolffish have a misleading name: they’re not swift hunters that chase other fish; they use their large, sharp teeth to crack the shells of slow-moving prey. These calmer-than-expected predators can only be caught with an Ice fishing rod—and only at night.
Since it’s pretty hard to spot Disturbed Water after the sun goes down, you’ll want some coordinates to find these fellows more easily. A good place to snag some Wolffish is at the bottom-left corner of the coordinates G, -7.
#67 – Stargazer
The Stargazer is a…unique-looking fish—to say the least. This funky fellow is only catchable by using an Ice trawl net, but they appear during the day and at night. As long as you have your Ice trawl net deployed, plenty of Stargazers will find their way into your cargo hold as you explore the Pale Reach.
#68 – Lizardfish
Virtually the opposite of Wolffish, Lizardfish are some of the fiercest hunters in the Pale Reach. These ruthless predators can be caught with an Ice fishing rod or an Ice trawl net. On top of that, they can be snared during the day and at night. They’re not too hard to find, but if you need a spot to seek them out, try the bottom-right corner of coordinates J, -6.
#69 – Toothfish
You can only catch the predatory Toothfish with an Ice fishing rod, but it spawns day and night, so it won’t be too tough to track down. Toothfish are the second most common Ice fish in the Pale Reach; you’ll find this species pretty soon in your chilly journey. With that said, there’s a guaranteed spawn location for Toothfish at the bottom-left corner of coordinates J, -2.
#70 – Goblin Shark
It wouldn’t be DREDGE without shark fishing! The Pale Reach has two such apex predators—the first of which is the Goblin Shark. You’ll only catch this terrifying species with an Ice fishing rod. Goblin Sharks appear during the day and at night; however, their spawn locations are less common than most other species here. The soonest you can spot a Goblin Shark is at the top-right corner of coordinates G, -5.
#71 – Colossal Squid
The Pale Reach has no giant squids—only colossal ones! These huge cephalopods are some of the largest fish in the game, so you’ll need a lot of space to haul them in. Specifically, you’ll need a sufficiently-sized Ice trawl net, as that’s the only way to catch Colossal Squids.
They are active during the day and at night, so as long as you have your trawl net deployed, you’re sure to capture one sooner or later. The location doesn’t matter either, as Colossal Squids are equally likely to pop up anywhere in the chilly southern stretch of the map. This is consistent with other trawl net-only fish.
#72 – Sea Stars
Sea Stars are one of two bottom-dwellers in these sub-zero waters. This means you’ll need to deploy a pot to catch them. Sea Stars live at depths deeper than 164 feet, so pay attention to the depth gauge as you’re placing pots around the glacial seascape. As with other pot-only fish, the day and night cycle doesn’t matter—nor does the exact location.
#73 – King Crab
The method for catching King Crabs is the same as for Sea Stars. All you need to do is drop a pot or two at a depth below 164 feet, and you’ll catch some King Crabs in no time! As before, the time of day and specific location don’t matter.
#78 – Sleeper Shark
Last but not least, the rarest of all fish in DREDGE: the Pale Reach, the Sleeper Shark! Don’t mind the big gap in the encyclopedia entry numbers, as this long-lived species is an Exotic Fish, which means there’s only one of them in the game. You’ll need an Ice fishing rod to capture the Sleeper Shark; however, you can do so during either the day or at night. Its spawn location is the bottom-right corner of coordinates G, -7.
Catching the Pale Reach’s Aberrations
Aberrations can be caught the same way you can catch their normal variants. All you need is patience and a high Aberration Bonus. However, there’s another trick that saves you lots of time: using Mixed Bait.
How to Check and Increase Your Aberration Bonus
Whenever you open your Cargo menu, you’ll see your Aberration Bonus in the top-left corner—immediately below the other ship stats.
The Aberration Bonus is the exact percentage chance you have to catch Aberrations via fishing and trawling.
NoteTo increase your Aberration Bonus, you need to equip parts that directly raise it. While hovering over any piece of equipment, you’ll clearly see its Aberration Bonus next to its other stats. Keep in mind that not all pieces of equipment can raise your Aberration Bonus.
Specifically, the cryptic, creepy, and macabre bits of gear do so—such as the Sinew Spindle. With that said, if you’re after Aberrations, make sure to equip the Sign of Ruin, as its entire purpose is to increase your Aberration Bonus.
Using Mixed Bait to Increase Your Chance of Catching Aberrations
As in the base game, using Mixed Bait can make your life a lot easier when hunting Aberrations. Instead of seeking out these weird and warped fish, make them come to you!
Here’s how Mixed Bait works: you toss it into the sea and it creates Disturbed Water where it lands. The fish that can spawn in this newly created surface disruption is any species from that area except the ones that can only be caught via trawl net or pot. To put it another way, any fish that can be caught with a fishing rod in that particular area may spawn from Mixed Bait-induced Disturbed Water.
On top of that, Mixed Bait attracts fish regardless of the time of day. In this manner, you can potentially catch day-only fish at night and night-only fish during the day. This allowed us to catch every Aberration in only a few minutes.
You can buy Mixed Bait from the Travelling Merchant at Bleak Pontoon for $42.50 each. They initially have only two Mixed Baits. However, they will get two new ones every day if you buy both of the initial Mixed Baits.
While you can get a lot more Mixed Baits from the Airman in DREDGE, he’s in the heart of Twisted Strand—which is very far from the Pale Reach and all of its fish.
There are few tasks as satisfying as completing an encyclopedia in a video game. With the Pale Reach DLC bringing DREDGE‘s fish catalog up to 174, you’ll have lots of fishy fiends to hunt. To speed up the process, make sure you’ve got an optimal engine setup. Once you do, you’ll be able to outpace even the most aggressive oceanic threats!
