Fishing has always been a vital part of Terraria. You get to choose between several side professions that hold the potential to help you progress. However, fishing is much more than a simple progression.
The main premise of this activity is simple, you get to fish in liquid bodies with the help of a fishing rod and bait. In return, you get certain fish that grants items and crates. While the item system is easy to understand, the same cannot be said about the crate system.
In Terraria, Crates are randomized loot bags that grant variable rewards. Crates have different variants, each housing a different loot pool. A crate’s content can be revealed by opening it.
With that said, some crates are relatively easier to catch while other requires lady luck to smile upon you. Needless to say, opening a crate is one hell of an experience. However, a wise man once said:
“ To open a crate, one must first possess a crate”
Terraria: Crates
Crates are grab bags that can be caught through fishing. There are different variants of a crate with each providing a different look. Some of these crates can be obtained anywhere while others need a certain biome to surface.
Catch Rate of a Crate
A Crate can usually be caught once every 10 successful catches. However, certain factors can boost this rate. For example, a crate potion can increase the chance to 1 out of 5 while Fishing Power can add to the quality of the crates obtained.
In the end, it is a game of luck and probability. With that said, here are the general catch rates of the main crates in Terraria:
| Names | Catch Rate |
| Golden Crate | 1 / 150 (0.67%) |
| Corrupt Crate | 7 / 750 (0.93%) |
| Iron Crate | 7 / 250 (2.8%) |
| Wooden Crate | 7 / 125 (5.6%) |
Types of Crates
Terraria features a total of 12 crates, each with their own Hardmode variants. While this might sound plentiful, the prerequisites and rarity make them a tough but desirable find. However, certain crates cannot be found in certain biomes.
Therefore, it is better to keep their biomes in mind before committing to the grind.
Pre-Hardmode Crates
The non-Hardmode crates along with their respective biomes and rarities are mentioned below:
| Pre-Hardmode type | Rarity | Biome |
| Wooden Crate | Blue | Any |
| Iron Crate | Green | Any |
| Golden Crate | Orange | Any |
| Jungle Crate | Green |  Jungle |
| Sky Crate | Green |  Sky |
| Corrupt Crate | Green |  Corruption |
| Crimson Crate | Green |  Crimson |
| Hallowed Crate | Green |  Hallow |
| Dungeon Crate | Green |  Dungeon |
| Frozen CrateInterna | Green |  Snow /  Ice |
| Oasis CrateInternal | Green |  Desert |
| Obsidian Crate | Green | Any (caught in  Lava) |
| Ocean Crate | Green |  Ocean |
Hardmode Crates
The Hardmode variants of the crates along with their respective biomes and rarities are mentioned below:
| Pre-Hardmode type | Rarity | Biome |
| Pearlwood Crate | Blue | Any |
| Mythril Crate | Green | Any |
| Titanium Crate | Orange | Any |
| Bramble Crate | Green | Jungle |
| Azure Crate | Green | Sky |
| Defiled Crate | Green | Corruption |
| Hematic Crate | Green | Crimson |
| Divine Crate | Green | Hallow |
| Stockade Crate | Green | Dungeon |
| Boreal Crate | Green | Snow / Ice |
| Mirage Crate | Green | Desert |
| Hellstone Crate | Green | Any (caught in Lava) |
| Seaside Crate | Green | Ocean |
Crates: Exclusive Loot
Certain items can only be obtained from crates. While their low drop rates are a story for another day, it is still better to know what you may and may not encounter in one of such crates. With that said, here are the exclusive drops from crates in Terraria:
- Sailfish Boots: An accessory that enables sprinting for the holder. Obtained from the Wooden and Iron crates.
- Tsunami in a Bottle: An accessory found in Mythril crate that lets the player double jump marginally higher than a normal Cloud in a Bottle.
- Falcon Blade: A Broadsword obtained from a Mythril Crate. The attack damage is low but it more than makes up for it with its attack speed.
- Ginger Beard: A Vanity item found in Iron and Mythril Crates. It’s just a ginger variant of the Santa beard.
- Tartar Sauce: Summons a mini minotaur as a pet and can be found from Iron and Mythril Crates as well.
- Hardy Saddle: Summons a Turtle mount with the ability to swim. It can be found in the Golden Crates.
- Scarab Fishing Rod: A fishing rod with an average power of 30% on PC and 25% on the console variants. It can be obtained from the Gold and Oasis crates.
- Anchor (Hardmode): A Hardmode melee weapon with 70 / 65 damage that is used similarly to a Harpoon. This weapon can be found in Pearlwood and Wooden crates.
- Enchanted Sundial (Hardmode): A Hardmode furniture item that can advance time to sunrise. However, this can only be done once every 7 days. It can be obtained from Pearlwood, Mythril, and, Titanium Crates.
How to Farm Crates in Terraria
The fish rate for crates is generally the same among all biomes. However, that does not make these factors obsolete. Instead, you should put a greater emphasis on your overall fishing power. These can be amplified with potions and baits.
Sonar Potion
If you’re running low on bait, then try using a Sonar Potion. Upon consumption, you will be blessed with a sonar buff that will let you see the catch appear above the lure once bitten. The total duration for this buff is 9 minutes which might sound enough for a fishing session. However, it is recommended to have a bunch of these will you at all times. With that said, here is how you can craft a Sonar Potion:
| Result | Ingredients | Crafting Station |
 Bottled Water |  Placed Bottle | |
 Sonar Potion |  Waterleaf | or |
 Coral |  Alchemy Table |
Crate Potion
The Crate Potion is an essential expense while fishing for crates. Once consumed, the buff doubles the chance of getting a crate. However, this buff only lasts for a total of 3 minutes. While it can be canceled at any time, there is no benefit of doing so.
Related: What Does It Mean When the Angler Has Left in Terraria?
The main method of obtaining this potion is through the Angler, but it can also be gained through the in-game crafting mechanic. With that said, here is the formula for a Crate potion:
| Result | Ingredients | Crafting Station |
| Bottled Water | Placed Bottle | |
 Moonglow | ||
 Sonar Potion | Waterleaf | or |
 Shiverthorn | ||
 Amber | Alchemy Table |
Fishing Rods: Best to Worst
It is hard to create a masterpiece with a broken tool. While it is common knowledge for a craftsman to never blame his / her tools, there are times when changing to a better one is the recommended choice. With that said, fishing for crates can become pretty simple once you have decent enough fishing power.
The higher the Fishing power, the better the rod is, therefore, here are all the fishing poles in Terraria ranked from best to worst:
| Fishing Pole | Fishing Power | Notes |
| Golden Fishing Rod | 50% | Rewarded from the Angler after completing 75 quests (0.4% chance). |
| Hotline Fishing Hook | 45% | 1/75 Chance of being obtained in Hardmode after 25 quests. |
| Sitting Duck’s Fishing Pole | 40% | Can be bought from the Traveling Merchant for 35 Gold. |
| Mechanic’s Rod | 30% – 35% | Can be bought from the mechanic for 20 Gold. |
| Fiberglass Fishing Pole | 27% – 30% | Can be obtained from Bramble Crate, Ivy chest, or a Jungle Crate. |
| Chum Caster | 25% | A drop from the Zombie Merman and the Wandering Eye Fish. |
| Scarab Fishing Rod | 25% – 30% | Obtainable from the Mirage Crate and Oasis Crate. |
| Fleshcatcher | 22% | Built from 8 Crimtane Bars on an Anvil. |
| Fisher of Souls | 20% | Crafted from 8 Demonite Bars on an Anvil. |
| Reinforced Fishing Pole | 15% | Crafted from 8 of any Iron Bars on an Anvil. |
| Wood Fishing Pole | 5% | Crafted from 8 wood on a Workbench. |
Basic Fishing Requirements
Similar to real life, there is not much to gain by fishing in a small puddle. You need to have a wide enough water body to have any chances of catching a fish. However too wide does not equate to lots of fish.
The body of the liquid needs to be at least 75 tiles wide to be able to fish in it. The recommended size for fishing is the 1000-tile ocean. You might even receive a similar quest from the angler soon.
That said, there are certain requirements you must adhere to in order to obtain a decent yield. These include the very basics that are the prerequisites to initiating fishing in Terraria.
Accessories for Fishing
There are a total of seven accessories that can be helpful during fishing. Every accessory is given as a reward by the angler with the sole exception of one. These include Sextant, Weather Radio, Tackle Box, etc.
Don’t Stand in Water
Standing inside the water body will not register you as “Fishing” unless you move out of it. Even a little bit won’t make do, you need to be on dry land to start fishing. The water body does not have to be the same for it to not work. Instead, standing in any liquid body will not let you fish unless you move out of the submersion.
Use Mounts to Fish
Terraria gives you the option to initiate fishing from the back of your mounts. These also include the marine-specific mounts with the sole exception of the ones that make you submerge underwater since fishing won’t work if you are in a water body.
Fish in a Bigger Lake
As crazy as this sounds, the size of the lake does have an effect on the loot from fishing in it. Therefore, it is recommended to fish in oceans due to their gigantic tile range.
Since the rarity of the loot is decided partially by this factor, it is recommended to pay close attention to your fishing environment.
Factors Affecting Crate Drop Chance
Terraria features an intricate but complex fishing system to make it feel as realistic as possible. There are three basic conditions that determine the quality of the drops from the fishing, all of them are listed below:
- The Fishing Power of the Fishing Pole.
- The Bait Power of the Bait used.
- The Collective power of your equipments and items.
However, there are also bonus environmental factors that affect the overall success meter. They are mentioned as follows:
- A multiplative factor is applied to the current attempt according to the time the player had been fishing. However, this value resets if the player manages to make a successful catch or if he / she gets the short end of the straw enough times.
- As much as it has been already emphasized, the size of the liquid body is extremely important and it should not be less than 300 blocks. If you want to get the maximum out of your fishing sessions then consider fishing in the ocean.
- Certain fishing equipment protect the fishing line from breaking when reeling in. This will forfeit the caught item and you will be left with nothing but regrets. Unlike Minecraft, the items in Terraria require no repairs or upgrades. Therefore, use your best fishing poles wherever possible.
While finding crates is not the best way to go about getting loot in Terraria, it is still extremely rewarding nonetheless. Considering the fact that the fishing process cannot be automated, you will have to make a choice.
If you have chosen to stick with fishing then keep following the steps mentioned in this guide to maximize your earnings with minimal effort. The fishing poles are a great way to fish better items but it is certainly not the end-all-be-all of it.