How to unlock Abyssal and Hadal fishing in Dredge

Dredge Abyssal Hadal Collect All Samples entering stellar basin

(Image credit: Team17)

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Abyssal Fishing Rod
Hadal Fishing Rod

Dredge Abyssal and Hadal fishing rods are needed to reach specific depths and kinds of fish, but early on it's not clear how you get them, as they're on their own part of the research upgrade tree, and it's not clear how to make the jump over. Like the Dredge explosives, these are rewards for a specific quest pursuit, this one starting in Stellar Basin's Northern island. We'll cover a basic outline for the process below, and what you need to know to make the leap forward and unlock Abyssal and Hadal Dredge fishing options.

How to get the Dredge Abyssal and Hadal fishing rods

Dredge Abyssal Hadal Collect All Samples — (Image credit: Team17)

To unlock Abyssal and Hadal fishing rods in Dredge, players actually only need to unlock Abyssal fishing rods, at which point you can use Research Parts you've found to work through the next stage of the Research Tree and get Hadal fishing rods off the back of that initial upgrade. For that reason, we'll cover Abyssal Rods first, and the "Sampling Device" that allows you to catch fishing rods.

Dredge Abyssal Fishing Rod and Collect All Samples pursuit

The first Abyssal Fishing Rod you can get in Dredge is called the Sampling Device, and it's tied to the Pursuit "Collect All Samples". We'll cover how to do it here, and how it works as a whole.

Head to the Old Fortress in North Stellar Basin. It's on the little island above the main Basin itself, map coordinates D-5.
Talk to the Researcher to get the Collect All Samples Pursuit. She wants you to find three types of fish: a Glowing Octopus, an Aurora Jellyfish, and a Firefly Squid. All are found at night, and you don't have to get them in any order.

Dredge Abyssal Hadal Collect All Samples glowing octopus — (Image credit: Team17)

Collect the Glowing Octopus. Appears in glowing, Shallow Fishing Spots at Night on Stellar Basin's interior, usually closer to the tentacle horror in the middle. Can be caught with a rod or crab pot.
Collect the Aurora Jellyfish. This appears at Night all over Stellar Basin - but you can only catch it by Trawling, not with fishing rods. It's a Coastal catch, so make sure your Trawling Net is compatible with Coastal Fishing.
Collect the Firefly Squid. The Firefly Squid is another Nighttime Coastal catch, also found in Southwest Stellar Basin. You can get it either with a rod or a trawler net - look for a telltale glow, like the Octopus.

Dredge Abyssal Hadal Collect All Samples abyssal rod — (Image credit: Team17)

Take all three back to the Researcher. You don't have to do this all at once. In fact, it might be wiser to drop them off the moment you get them, so as to ensure they don't rot before you make it back.
Go to the Research Outpost. The Researcher will ask you to go to the Outpost in Northeast Stellar Basin, on the inside of the circular islands.
Get the Prototype Parts. In the Outpost, select "inspect the equipment on the table" to get the Prototype Parts. They'll take up two squares in your cargo hold, so make sure you have the space for them.
Take the Parts back to the Researcher. Carry those Prototype Parts back to the Researcher in the Old Fortress, and you'll complete the pursuit - gaining the Sampling Device in the process!

The Sampling Device is a fishing rod with Abyssal capabilities, but even the Researcher suggests you upgrade it - something you'll have to do to complete the next quest she gives you.

Dredge Hadal Fishing Rod

Dredge Abyssal Hadal Collect All Samples bottomless lines — (Image credit: Team17)

To get Hadal fishing in Dredge, all you need to do is use a single Research Part to research the fishing rod on the upgrade tree after the Sampling Device, the Bottomless Lines, a fishing rod that has both Abyssal and Hadal capabilities. If you need Research Parts, the Research Outpost with the Prototype Parts in actually has a couple of these lying around that you can use. Once it's researched, head to the Pontoon on the other side of Stellar Basin to buy the Bottomless Lines and install them, and you'll be ready to go fishing for some reel horrors. Pun absolutely intended.

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.