Russian Fishing 4: Beginner-to-Advanced Guide

A practical guide to Russian Fishing 4 (RF4): tackle basics, the four fishing styles, earning silver early, progressing through the water bodies, skills and crafting, and the habits that separate snapped lines from trophies.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the August 20–25, 2026 patches (world reset, spinning adjustments). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Heads-up: The August 20, 2026 patch reset the game world on all water bodies, so fish may have changed where they live and which baits and lures they prefer. Treat older spot/bait guides (videos, spreadsheets) with suspicion until the community re-maps the waters. Also, an Autumn Sale runs until October 5, 2026 (09:00 UTC) with 25% off Premium and Gold.

Quick Start

• It's free to play, with no story. You progress by leveling up, earning silver from selling fish, and buying better tackle and access to new waters.
• Start at the beginner waters (Mosquito Lake and Winding Rivulet; Elk Lake is also open to all levels) and use a simple float rod with worms or maggots. Catch everything to level up.
• Match your tackle to the fish. Line, leader, hook, rod and reel all have load limits. The weakest part breaks first.
• Set the drag (friction brake) below your line's rating. Most beginners break lines because the drag is too tight.
• Watch the load indicators while playing a fish. Ease off (stop reeling, let the drag work) when they climb into the red.
• Keep a keepnet. Store your catch and sell it at the base/fish buyer. Trophy and rare fish are worth much more.
• Use multiple rods on rod stands for float and bottom fishing to cover more spots and baits.
• Feed your spot. Groundbait and feeders bring fish in and hold them there.
• Fish change with time and weather. If a spot dies, change depth, bait or time of day before you give up.
• Save Gold (the premium currency) for things that last, not for consumables.

The Four Fishing Styles

Style | Gear | How it works | Good first targets

Float | Match/bolognese or telescopic rod, float, hook, bait | Set the depth so the bait sits just off (or on) the bottom. Strike when the float dips or lifts | Roach, perch, crucian carp, bream

Bottom (feeder/carp) | Feeder or carp rod, quiver tip or bite alarm, feeder/method rig | Cast a baited rig with a feeder full of groundbait and wait for a bite on the tip | Bream, carp, tench, ide

Spinning | Spinning rod, baitcast or spinning reel, lures | Active retrieves: steady, stop-and-go, twitching, jigging | Pike, perch, asp, zander, trout

Marine | Heavy rods and reels, boat | Deep-water fishing in the sea (e.g. the Norwegian Sea) | Sea species. Needs higher levels and serious gear

Spinning note: The August 20, 2026 patch made "additional adjustments aimed at improving spinning effectiveness", so lure fishing is worth another try if you gave up on it earlier.

Tackle Fundamentals

Every rig is a chain. Know what each part does:

• Rod: Has a test/casting weight range and a maximum load. It limits how heavy a lure or feeder you can cast and how much pressure it can take.
• Reel: Has a drag (friction brake) limit, gear ratio (retrieve speed vs. power) and mechanism strength. Until the August 20, 2026 patch, swapping in a reel mechanism with a different gear ratio only took effect after restarting the game. That's fixed now.
• Main line: Mono, fluoro or braid, each with a breaking strength. Braid is strong and sensitive but more visible, and many anglers add a fluoro leader.
• Leader: Protects against teeth (pike) or line visibility. Use steel/titanium leaders for pike.
• Hook size / lure: Match them to the target fish's mouth and the bait size. Big hooks miss small fish, and small hooks straighten on big ones.
• Wear: Tackle wears out and needs repair or replacement. Check the condition before a trophy session.

Rule of thumb: Build a rig where the drag slips before the line breaks, and the line (the cheapest part to replace) goes before the rod or reel does.

Baits, Groundbait and Harvesting

• Natural baits: Worms, maggots, bloodworms, bread, dough, corn, peas, boilies (carp), live bait/fish strips for predators. Different fish, different favorites.
• Harvesting: You can collect your own bait (for example, digging for worms) instead of buying it. Harvesting is its own skill and gets better as you use it.
• Groundbait (feed mixes): A base mix, plus flavourings and additives that attract certain species, plus particles. Crafting your own is cheaper and more targeted.
• Lures: Spoons, spinners, wobblers/crankbaits, soft plastics on jig heads. Lure making (crafting) is one of the skill paths.

Progression: Levels, Skills, Waters

Water bodies

RF4 has 18 reservoirs (per the Steam store page), including two free DLC regions (Lower Tunguska River and Norwegian Sea). You unlock them as you level, and travel/stay costs silver. Waters confirmed in recent official posts include:

Water body | Notes

Mosquito Lake | Starter lake. Easy float fishing

Winding Rivulet | Starter river. Current, small predators and bream types

Old Burg Lake | Early lake with bigger fish and more species

Elk Lake | Added June 2025 and open to players of all levels. Arrived with spinnerbaits and skirted jigs, so it's a good early spinning water

Belaya River | River fishing; redesigned in December 2024 and adjusted again in the Aug 20, 2026 patch

Kuori Lake | Northern lake with trout and chars (Kuori Char, Arctic Char, Rainbow Trout). Used for the Sept 20, 2026 competition

Sura River | River; adjusted in the Aug 20, 2026 patch

Copper Lake | Added May 2024 as a commercial fishery aimed at bottom anglers, with medium/light tackle restrictions; adjusted in the Aug 20, 2026 patch

Lower Tunguska River | Free DLC (July 2020). Siberian river, the Yenisei's largest tributary; 26 species, heavy baitcasters and surface lures

Norwegian Sea | Free DLC (April 2023). Marine fishing from a sea boat with a fish finder; 40 marine species

Other long-running waters include Bear Lake, Volkhov River, Seversky Donets, Ladoga Lake and its Archipelago, the Amber Lake, Akhtuba River and Yama River. The in-game map shows exact unlock levels, travel costs and species lists, so check it before you move, because the requirements have changed over the years.

Skills

• Fishing skills grow per discipline (float, bottom, spinning, marine) as you catch fish with that method, and they unlock perks for it.
• Craft skills: Cooking, groundbait making, lure making and bait harvesting. They reduce costs and let you make better consumables.
• Cooking turns fish into food that keeps your character fed during long sessions. It also consumes small or low-value catches that would sell for little. Since the August 2026 patch, auto-filling recipes from the keepnet picks the lowest-weight fish first.

Earning Silver (Early Game)

• Catch volume at the starter waters with cheap float rigs and keep the keepnet full.
• Check the café orders. Each water's café asks for specific fish and pays better than the fish buyer for them, so glance at the list before you pick a target species.
• Move to bottom fishing with 2–3 rods on stands once you can afford feeders. It usually earns more per hour than a single float rod.
• Target trophy-weight fish of common species, since trophies sell for far more. The in-game records show what's possible for each species.
• Don't overspend on flagship rods early. Mid-tier gear with the right line strength catches most fish.
• Enter competitions. Official in-game competitions (e.g. the Kuori Lake event on September 20, 2026) paid out silver and Premium days to the top finishers. The in-game competition system has regular smaller events too.

Time, Competitions and Events

• Game time runs fast. Official competitions last "48 game hours (2 hours)," so one real hour is roughly a full in-game day. A dawn bite window passes in a few real minutes, so be set up before it starts.
• Competition format. Official competitions use the in-game competition system, are open to all regions, and open registration one hour before the start. Typical prizes (from the September 20, 2026 Kuori Lake event): 10,000 silver plus 14 days of Premium for 1st, 8,000 silver plus 12 days for 2nd, 6,000 plus 10 days for 3rd, down to 3 days of Premium for 8th to 10th. That event scored the combined weight of three species.
• Double XP weekends. FishSoft runs occasional weekends where all experience is doubled (one ran August 23 to 26 in a previous year). Save your long sessions for those.
• Recurring sales. Spring, Autumn and Christmas/New Year sales typically cut Premium and Gold by 25%, so there's rarely a reason to pay full price.

Premium and Gold

• Gold is the premium currency, and Premium is a timed account boost. Premium improves progression and income, so it's most valuable when you're actively playing a lot.
• Current sale: 25% off Premium and Gold until October 5, 2026.
• What's worth it: Premium during a period when you'll play heavily, plus permanent unlocks and convenience items. Avoid spending Gold on consumables you can craft or buy with silver.
• You can also win Premium days in competitions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Maxing the drag. The line snaps on the first run of a big fish. Set the drag below your line rating and loosen it if the load stays red.
• Reeling against a running fish. Let it run, then reel when it turns toward you. Pump the rod on heavy fish.
• One rod, one bait, one depth for an hour. Game time runs about 24 times faster than real time, so an unproductive real hour is a whole wasted in-game day. If nothing bites after a few real minutes, change depth, bait or spot.
• Using old spot guides after a reset. The August 20, 2026 world reset changed fish habitats and bait preferences.
• Mismatched rigs. A 30 kg braid on a light float rod still breaks at the rod's limit. Balance every part.
• Not repairing tackle. Worn gear fails at the worst moment.
• Ignoring the weather and clock. Many species feed at dawn/dusk or in specific conditions, and some are nocturnal.

Advanced Tips

• Find features: Drop-offs, weed edges, snags and river bends hold fish. On boats, use an echo sounder where available. From the shore, test casts with a sinker/marker to read depth.
• Layer your spot: Bait with groundbait before you fish, then top it up with a small feeder load every cast. Consistent feeding holds big bream and carp.
• Spinning retrieves: Vary speed and pauses. Pike often take on the pause, and perch like twitchy retrieves. Jigs work bouncing along the bottom.
• Use hotkeys on the catch screen. The August 2026 patch added a "Caught Fish Screen Hotkeys" option (on by default) for faster keeping/releasing.
• Track records: Official records and ratings show which waters are producing trophies right now, which is the best way to find fish after a world reset.
• Plan maintenance around restarts. Official server restarts are announced on Steam (usually around 2 hours, and about 6 hours when there's a client update). Don't start a long trophy session right before one.

FAQ

Is Russian Fishing 4 free? Yes. It's free to play on Steam with optional Premium and Gold purchases. Lower Tunguska River and the Norwegian Sea are free DLCs.

Is there an English version and international servers? Yes. The Steam version is in English, and official competitions are open to players from all regions (times are usually given in MSK/CET).

Why does my line keep breaking? The drag is set too tight, a component in the chain is too weak, or you're reeling while the fish runs. Check each part's load limit and balance the rig.

What's the best early money method? Bottom fishing with multiple rods at an early water, targeting trophy-weight common fish, then moving to better waters as soon as your level allows.

Why did my favorite spot stop working? On August 20, 2026 the developers reset the game world for all water bodies. Fish habitats and bait preferences can change after such resets.

What PC do I need? Windows 64-bit only. Steam lists a minimum of an Intel i5 at 3 GHz, 8 GB RAM, a GTX 760 and 40 GB of storage (GTX 1060 recommended).

Which languages are supported? English plus German, Russian, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, Turkish, Italian and Indonesian.

How long has RF4 been around? It entered early access in June 2018 and officially released on Steam on November 10, 2021. The Steam version has 145 achievements.

Should I buy Premium? Only for a stretch when you'll play a lot. The current sale (25% off until October 5, 2026) is a good time if you plan to.

Sources

• Russian Fishing 4 on Steam (store page)
• RF4 Steam news — Patchnotes 20.08.2026, Autumn Sale, Kuori Lake competition, server restarts
• Official RF4 site
• Steam: Russian Fishing 4 - Lower Tunguska River (free DLC)
• Steam: Russian Fishing 4 - Norwegian Sea (free DLC)
• Steam News API: RF4 announcements (Elk Lake, Copper Lake, Belaya redesign, competitions, Double XP)
• Wikipedia: Russian Fishing 4