Crimson Desert Guide

Can't reel in fish with a controller? Fixes for the right stick not working

Right stick does nothing when reeling in a fish, or the line keeps snapping? Try a wired connection, Steam Input and a firmware update, or skip the reel entirely.

Mechanics · Updated

Steps

  1. Check you're doing the reel in the right order. Press the right trigger when a fish bites to hook it, hold the left trigger and pull the opposite way to the fish until it tires, then rotate the right stick to reel it in.
  2. Plug the controller in with a cable. On a wireless Xbox controller, the right stick often stops working for reeling. Several players found it works as soon as the controller is connected by cable, even if the cable only goes to a USB charger rather than the PC.
  3. Update the controller firmware. For Xbox controllers on PC, connect it by USB and run the update in Microsoft's Xbox Accessories app from the Microsoft Store. This fixed it for one player, but not for another.
  4. Check Steam Input. Patch 1.04.00 fixed right-stick rotation actions not working on Xbox controllers with Steam Input enabled, so update first. After that, turning Steam Input on in the game's controller settings in your Steam library fixed it for some players. One also set the analog response curve to Aggressive.
  5. Try the other direction. One player on a Switch controller with the Classic control scheme could only reel by turning the stick counter-clockwise, even though the prompt says clockwise.
  6. Skip the reel if nothing works. Wade in deep, cast very close to yourself and reel as soon as it bites, grab fish by hand while swimming, or get The Claw, a unique rod that reels in by itself.

The problem: you hook a fish and tire it out, but when it’s time to reel in, the right stick does nothing. The reel icon doesn’t even react, and the fish eventually gets away or the line snaps. It happens most on PC with Xbox controllers, and the Steam forums have several threads about it.

The short answer: if you’re on a wireless Xbox controller, plug it in. That’s the fix players confirm most often. There’s no single fix that works for everyone, though, so below is everything that has worked, plus ways to avoid the reel altogether.

How reeling is supposed to work

  1. Cast, and when a fish bites, press the right trigger to hook it. The game doesn’t make this obvious.
  2. Hold the left trigger and steer against the direction the fish is swimming until it tires.
  3. Rotate the right stick to reel it in.

If you’re doing all that and the stick still doesn’t respond, it’s the controller problem below.

Wireless Xbox controller: use a cable

Plenty of players with wireless Xbox controllers (Elite Series 2 included) found that reeling only works when the controller is plugged in. Oddly, it doesn’t have to be plugged into the PC. Two players said connecting it to a USB charger at the wall was enough, and one noted it also helps with the arm wrestling minigame. One player said a wired connection fixed fishing but not pulling trees back to launch yourself.

This didn’t help a player using a Switch Pro controller, so it seems to be mostly an Xbox controller issue.

Update the controller’s firmware

Connect the Xbox controller by USB and open the Xbox Accessories app (free on the Microsoft Store). If a firmware update is available, install it. One player said this fixed reeling and tree catapults for them. Another updated an Elite controller and it made no difference wirelessly, so treat this as worth a try, not a guaranteed fix.

Steam Input settings

Pearl Abyss fixed a bug in patch 1.04.00 where right-stick rotation actions, like Nature’s Snare and reeling in a fishing rod, didn’t work on Xbox controllers with Steam Input enabled. Make sure your game is up to date.

After that, Steam Input itself is hit or miss. One player fixed reeling by turning on Steam Input in the game’s controller settings in the Steam library. Another said it changed nothing. A third suggested using Steam Input with the analog response curve set to Aggressive for reeling and tree catapults.

Switch controller: try counter-clockwise

A player on a Switch controller, using the Classic control scheme, could only reel by turning the right stick counter-clockwise, even though the prompt says clockwise. Worth a quick test if clockwise isn’t doing anything.

Line keeps snapping instead?

If the stick works but the line snaps with “poor control” or goes slack after the first failed reel, players recommend:

  • Cast short. Stand as deep in the water as you can, throw the bait close to you and reel the moment it bites. Several players skip most of the minigame this way.
  • Clear the path. Rocks or a shallow shelf between you and the fish can make the line break. Move to a spot with open water.

Skip the reel entirely

  • Grab fish by hand. Swim near a fish and a prompt appears to catch it. Players who gave up on the rod say this works well, though it didn’t work for everyone with the Perch in A Wife’s Encouragement.
  • Use fish traps. Fishing vendors usually have fish traps nearby that you can throw into the water.
  • Get The Claw. This unique fishing rod reels the fish in for you once it’s tired, so you don’t have to spin the stick. You can get it from the night-time wandering merchant Patrigio by raising his trust to 100 (about 20 copper pouches as gifts), which opens up from around Chapter 3. You can also steal it from a fisherman at Bounty’s Net, southwest of the Spire of Insight. You’ll need a mask equipped, and you have to make him drop it first.

Sources

This guide summarizes answers from these community threads. Credit goes to the players who worked it out.