Ocarina of Time Fishing Guide: Catch the Hyrule Loach and Earn Every Reward

Fishing in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time rewards patience and careful control. The Fishing Pond in Lake Hylia is available to both child and adult Link, and landing the biggest fish in each stage earns a different prize. Catching the elusive Hyrule Loach adds another reward to the list.

The key to bringing in a fish is to match its movement while reeling. That basic technique applies to ordinary catches and the Loach alike. Finding the Sinking Lure can make the rare fish easier to target, though its location may vary between visits.

How to reel in a fish

Get the fishing rod from the pond attendant, then stand at the water’s edge and cast toward a fish. If your lure lands too far away, press B to reel it back in and cancel the cast. When it’s close enough, use left and right to move the lure and draw a fish’s attention.

Once a fish takes the hook, hold ZR to reel. Watch which way it swims and steer in that same direction: hold left when it moves left, or right when it moves right. Keeping the direction aligned helps you tire the fish out and pull it closer.

A tired fish doesn’t stay exhausted for long. After a few seconds, it will start struggling again, and it will usually resume swimming in the direction it was heading before it paused. If it was moving left before it got tired, be ready to hold left again when it picks up speed. Keeping track of that pattern makes the fight more predictable and reduces the chance of losing control.

The same approach works whether you’re aiming for a routine catch or a fish large enough to beat the pond record. Stay focused on the fish’s direction as it changes, and keep reeling while holding the matching direction. The Loach takes longer, but the controls don’t change once it’s hooked.

Locating the Hyrule Loach

The Hyrule Loach can appear in the pond, but it may take several visits to find one. Some players report that it appears on every third visit; the guide’s author encountered it on a third visit, while suggesting that its appearance may instead depend on chance. Check the pond’s center, near the bottom, for a long brown fish. From a distance, it may look smaller than expected, and it stands out from the green fish found elsewhere in the pond.

If the Loach isn’t visible, leave the area and return to check again. Each attempt requires paying for the fishing mini-game again, so repeated searches can cost rupees. The guide doesn’t establish a guaranteed schedule for when the fish will appear.

Finding the Sinking Lure

The Sinking Lure is a useful tool for targeting the Hyrule Loach. Its location can vary: it has been found in the pond near the shore and near the waterfall at the pond’s southern edge. Look for a conspicuous red and orange lure in the water.

The pond attendant calls the Sinking Lure illegal. Even so, the guide’s author says the attendant still awarded rupees after a Loach caught with it was brought in. The Loach itself is caught with the same directional reeling technique as other fish, but it has more energy and can take several minutes to land. The author caught one on the first attempt after getting it to bite, suggesting that the longer struggle is the main challenge.

Cast toward the Loach when it leaves the middle of the pond. It may surface for air or swim closer to shore; those moments give you a better opportunity to reach it with the lure. Other fish may go for the bait first, so take care to cast in the Loach’s direction. Once it takes the hook, keep matching its movement and stay with the fight.

Every fishing reward

The pond’s prizes depend on both Link’s age and the catch. As child Link, beat the record for the largest fish to earn a Piece of Heart. Return as adult Link and beat the record again to receive the Golden Scale. Catching the Hyrule Loach earns 50 rupees.

The Loach can’t be kept in the tank at the entrance because it’s considered rare, and it likely won’t be heavy enough to set a new size record. Treat it as a separate objective: land a record fish as child Link, land another as adult Link, then catch the Loach for the rupee reward.

More Ocarina of Time guides

For other side activities and collectibles, see the guide to all 7 Kakariko Village Cucco locations in Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Happy Mask Shop side quest, and all the Big Poe locations.

The route through the fishing mini-game is straightforward once you know the controls: match the fish’s direction, watch for the Loach near the pond floor, and make separate trips for the child and adult record prizes. Those three goals cover every reward listed here.