Nets, Baits, and Zombies: Mastering Fishing Traps in Project Zomboid Build 42

Nets, Baits, and Zombies: Mastering Fishing Traps in Project Zomboid Build 42

Fishing Net Trap Calculator

Project Zomboid Build 42

Materials Needed:

Knowledge Required:

Fishing Net Trap Info

Fishing Net Trap
  • Weight: 0.5
  • Capacity: Can hold up to 2 catches
  • Check Interval: Every ~1 in-game hour
  • XP: 0.25 XP per check (if something caught)
  • Durability: Can break after multiple uses

Project Zomboid B42 Fishing Trap Calculator - Based on game information as of Build 42

Note: This simulator approximates game mechanics but may not perfectly match actual in-game results

Surviving the zombie apocalypse isn’t just about fighting the undead – it’s also about fighting hunger. Project Zomboid Build 42 (B42) has overhauled many survival systems, including crafting and fishing. One hot question among survivors is: Can you craft fishing traps in B42, and if so, how? The short answer: Yes, you can craft fishing net traps in Build 42 – but only if your character has the right know-how and materials. In this deep dive, we’ll explore everything about fishing traps (a.k.a. fishing net traps) in B42, from crafting requirements and new mechanics to real player tips on using them effectively.

Whether you’re a veteran angler from Build 41 or a newcomer in B42’s unstable wilderness, this guide will net you all the details on crafting and using fishing traps. Let’s cast our lines and get started!

What Are Fishing Traps in Project Zomboid?

Fishing traps (often called fishing net traps in-game) are passive fishing devices that you can place in water to catch small aquatic creatures over time. They function similarly to land-based traps for small game: set them up, leave them for a while, then come back to check your catch. Instead of actively fishing with a rod, a net trap works while you do other things – a “set it and forget it” food source. In Build 42, fishing traps are particularly valuable because of new survival systems and food scarcity tweaks.

Key characteristics of fishing net traps:

  • They catch little fish and other small aquatic critters (e.g. bait fish, crayfish, mussels) that can be eaten or used as fishing bait.
  • They require crafting or finding; you won’t start with one by default (even Fisherman characters must craft or loot them).
  • They use the Fishing skill (not Trapping skill), and checking a fish trap yields Fishing XP (just a small amount per check, e.g. 0.25 XP per catch cycle according to the game files).
  • Like other traps, they can break after some use, requiring repair or replacement.
  • New B42 mechanics like chum and fish behavior can affect their success (more on this later).

In short, a fishing net trap in Project Zomboid is the equivalent of a crab pot or minnow trap in real life – a woven net left in water to passively snag any curious fish or crustaceans. It’s a great way to gather food with minimal effort, especially if you’re busy fortifying your safehouse or tending crops while the trap does the work. But to use one, you’ll first need to craft it (or get lucky and loot one). So, can we craft these in Build 42? Let’s find out.

Crafting Fishing Net Traps in Build 42

Yes, you can craft a fishing net trap in Build 42 – but it isn’t available to just any character from the start. Crafting one requires specific materials and either a particular occupation/trait or a magazine to learn the recipe. Build 42’s new crafting/profession system still uses the same gating mechanism from Build 41 for fishing traps (at least as of B42 unstable), meaning you must have fishing knowledge in advance or find it in-world.

Crafting Requirements at a Glance

To craft a Fishing Net Trap, you will need the following:

  • Materials:

  • Twine – 10 units (equivalent to 2 full twine items) – OR –

  • Wire – 5 units (an alternative material to twine)

  • Tools: None required (no special tools; a standard survivor can weave it by hand)

  • Knowledge: One of the following recipe unlocks:

  • Fisherman occupation (selected at character creation), or

  • Angler trait (selected at character creation), or

  • Read “Angler USA Magazine Vol. 2” (an in-game magazine item).

In other words, if your character didn’t start with a fishing-related background, you’ll need to hunt down the Angler USA Magazine Vol.2 to learn how to craft a net trap. This magazine is one of the new “recipe mags” introduced in PZ’s crafting overhaul – similar to how “The Hunter Magazine” series teaches animal trap recipes.

Let’s break down each requirement in detail.

Materials: Twine or Wire (Netting Supplies)

Crafting a net trap is essentially making a net, so you need a lot of cordage or wire. The game offers two options:

  • Twine (10 units): Twine is a common loot item (found in homes, warehouses, tool sheds, etc.) used for crafting. Each twine item in PZ typically has 5 units of length, so you’d need two full twine pieces to total 10 units. Twine is lightweight (only 0.1 weight per piece) and is also used for other recipes (fishing rods, animal traps, etc.), so it’s a valuable resource. Tip: Don’t use up all your twine on walls or other crafts if you plan to fish; save at least 2 twine for a net trap. Players often prioritize saving twine early on specifically to craft a fishing net trap. If you’re struggling to find twine, note that in vanilla PZ you cannot craft twine (there’s no way to make it from natural materials without mods), so looting is your only option. (There are mods like “Thread and Twine” or Hydrocraft that allow twine crafting, but in vanilla you must scavenge for it.)

  • Wire (5 units): Wire is an alternative material for the net trap. You might use wire instead of twine if you have it – perhaps representing a crude chicken-wire trap. You’ll need 5 units of wire (wire also comes in “units” in PZ, similar to twine’s length). One piece of Wire item might count as 1 unit (depending on how the game measures it), so presumably 5 wire pieces are required. Wire is commonly found in garages, hardware stores, or on electronics (sometimes scrapped from fences or by dismantling). Using wire yields the same fishing net trap item. There’s no functional difference in the trap’s performance whether you use twine or wire; it’s just a crafting alternative. In fact, the game explicitly allows either: the recipe is coded to accept 10 units of twine or 5 units of wire as the components.

Why 10 twine vs 5 wire? Probably for balance – wire might be considered sturdier so you need less of it, or it’s a nod to different trap styles (rope net vs. wire mesh). In any case, gather whichever you can. If you have both, twine is usually easier to come by in quantity than wire, but either works.

Are any other materials needed? Surprisingly, no sturdy sticks or nails are required for the net trap. You might expect to need a wooden frame or weights, but Project Zomboid simplifies it: just twine/wire is enough. This means you do not need planks, knives, or any other item for the trap itself – just a lot of string or some wire. (The trap presumably includes small stakes or a hoop internally, but the game doesn’t make you craft those.) The only other “ingredient” needed is the knowledge to put it together.

We’ll discuss knowledge next, but first, here’s a summary of the recipe in table form for clarity:

Recipe: Craft Fishing Net Trap Materials Required Tools Required Knowledge Required
Fishing Net Trap (1) - Twine ×10 units (=2 twine items) OR
- Wire ×5 units 		None - Fisherman occupation OR
- Angler trait OR
- Read Angler USA Magazine Vol.2

(If multiple conditions are listed, any one of them is sufficient.)

As shown above, the materials are straightforward. So the real gate is whether your character can figure out how to craft it.

Knowledge: Occupation, Trait, or Magazine?

In Build 42, crafting a fishing net trap requires prior knowledge – your character must “know” the recipe. This is determined by your chosen profession/traits at start or by reading a skill magazine. This system is actually carried over from Build 41, though B42 adds more magazines. Here are the ways to know the fishing trap recipe:

  1. Fisherman (Occupation): If you chose the Fisherman profession in character creation, congrats – your character “grew up fishing” and automatically knows how to make and fix fishing gear. The Fisherman occupation inherently grants the same benefits as the Angler trait (and more). Fisherman gives you a head-start in Fishing skill and unlocks all fishing recipes from the get-go. That should include crafting fishing rods and net traps without needing magazines. Essentially, a Fisherman character doesn’t need to hunt for the Angler magazines; they already have the practical knowledge.

  2. Angler (Trait): If you didn’t want to spend the points on the full Fisherman job, you might have taken the cheaper Angler trait instead. Angler is a positive trait that gives +1 Fishing skill and some basic fishing know-how. However, by itself Angler does not cover the net trap recipe fully. According to player findings, the Angler trait currently teaches you how to craft and repair fishing rods, but not the fishing net trap. In other words, Angler trait alone isn’t enough for net traps in B42 – you’d still need the magazine for the net. This was a bit of a surprise for some players who picked Angler expecting to craft nets immediately. One player reported: “The angler trait only teaches the recipe for fishing rod and how to fix them. The Angler Part 2 magazine will have the net recipe as well.”. So, Angler is useful (it covers rods, which are arguably more crucial early on), but it won’t unlock the net trap. Fisherman vs Angler: The Fisherman occupation presumably does include net crafting knowledge (being a more comprehensive background), whereas Angler trait alone does not. If you’re planning a character specifically to use fish traps without searching for magazines, invest in the Fisherman profession. If you already started with just Angler trait, don’t worry – just keep an eye out for the magazine.

  3. Angler USA Magazine Vol. 2: For any character who didn’t start with Fisherman, the primary way to learn the fishing trap recipe is by reading the Angler USA Magazine, Volume 2. This is an in-game item (a magazine issue dated May 1993 in lore) that, when read, teaches you the crafting recipes related to advanced fishing. Specifically, Volume 2 teaches “Make Fishing Net” (the net trap) and “Get Wire Back”. (“Get Wire Back” refers to reclaiming wire from a broken net trap – more on that in a bit.) The Angler USA magazine series is new to recent builds: Volume 1 covers basic fishing rod crafting, while Volume 2 covers net traps and trap maintenance. You can find these magazines in bookstores, libraries, houses, or magazine racks across the map. They’re somewhat rare, but not impossibly so. For example, Volume 2 can spawn in fishing stores, storage units, garages, and even on bookshelves in houses (with varying probabilities). If you loot every magazine you come across, you’ll eventually find it. Once read, your character permanently learns the fishing net trap recipe (and the ability to salvage wire from traps). If you’re in multiplayer, one person can read it and then craft traps for the team, or pass the magazine around so everyone learns it.

Tip: Keep an eye out for “Angler USA Magazine Vol.1” as well, since that teaches rod crafting/repair. Volume 1 plus Volume 2 together essentially cover what the Fisherman occupation gives you. According to the PZ Fans item list, Volume 1 = “Make Fishing Rod; Fix Fishing Rod,” and Volume 2 = “Make Fishing Net; Get Wire Back”. Collecting the set will turn any survivor into a competent improvised fisherman.

In summary, if you have Fisherman, you’re set (no pun intended) – you can craft fishing traps from day one. If you have Angler trait, you’ll still need to find the Volume 2 magazine to craft net traps. If you have neither, you must find that magazine; otherwise you simply won’t see the option to craft a fishing net trap, even with the materials in hand. The crafting recipe is hidden until learned.

This knowledge gating is part of Project Zomboid’s approach to advanced crafting in Build 42. The devs have stated that recipes and professions are being rebalanced; currently many recipes are still using the old Build 41 system where magazines or starting traits unlock them. In future updates, Build 42 might further revamp this (e.g. perhaps allow learning via skill levels or new professions), but as of now, the above conditions apply. According to the official wiki, recipes like the fishing net trap are still based on B41’s system in the unstable B42 and will be updated later depending on the crafting system improvements. So don’t be surprised if this changes down the line – but we’ll focus on the current implementation.

A Note on Skills: Interestingly, crafting a fishing net trap does not appear to require a minimum Fishing skill level. Even a level 0 fisherman can craft it if they have the knowledge. The Fisherman occupation starts with a boost (usually Level 3 Fishing skill in B41), which helps with fishing success but isn’t needed just to craft. This means a newbie survivor who finds the magazine on day 1 could technically craft a net trap at Fishing skill 0 (though their efficiency in catching fish will be lower). There’s no Carpentry or other skill requirement either. It’s purely knowledge-gated. That said, leveling your Fishing skill will improve your yields once you start using the trap, and the act of checking traps will slowly raise your Fishing XP. So you might want to do a bit of rod fishing first to get Fishing level 1 or 2, but it’s not required for the crafting itself.

Step-by-Step: Crafting Your First Fishing Net Trap

Assuming you’ve gathered the materials and unlocked the recipe, here’s how you craft the trap in-game:

  1. Gather Materials: Collect either 10 units of twine or 5 units of wire. (You don’t need both; one or the other suffices. Twine is most common – check tool sheds, garages, and warehouses. Wire can often be found in electronic stores or garages too. If you have some electronics skill, dismantling electronics yields wire sometimes, though that can be slow.)
  2. Ensure Knowledge: Make sure your character knows the recipe. If you started as Fisherman, you’re good. If you have the Angler trait or no fishing trait, double-click that Angler USA Vol.2 magazine in your inventory to read it (it takes a short while to read, as with any skill magazine). Once the book icon appears indicating you’ve learned recipes, you can proceed.
  3. Open Crafting Menu: Right-click in an appropriate area or open the crafting panel. The fishing net trap falls under category “Survivalist” or “Fishing”. In the crafting menu, it will be listed as “Make Fishing Net Trap” (once you have the recipe). If you have all ingredients on your person, it will show as craftable.
  4. Craft the Trap: Hit craft. The character will spend a little time (a short progress bar) assembling the net trap. No tools are needed in the character’s hands. When done, you’ll have a Fishing Net Trap item in your inventory (weight 0.5).
  5. Optional – Multiple Traps: If you have enough materials, you can craft multiple net traps. Each requires another set of 10 twine or 5 wire. Having more than one trap can multiply your catch (we’ll discuss strategy for using multiple traps later).

That’s it – you now have one (or more) fishing net traps ready to deploy. The hardest part was likely acquiring the twine and the recipe. If you looted a pre-made fishing net trap somewhere, you get to skip all these steps. (Fishing net traps can spawn as loot in some places like fishing supply stores, camp supply areas, garages, etc., though they’re not very common. For instance, they can appear in storage crates in garages or tool stores with low probability. If you “got lucky” and found one, as some players have reported, you can use it without any crafting at all – but knowing how to craft spares is still important.)

Now that you have a fishing trap in hand, it’s time to put it to use. Crafting was just half the battle – let’s see how to deploy these traps and what to expect from them, especially in Build 42’s evolving fishing system.

Using Fishing Traps: How, Where, and When

Crafting a net trap is only worthwhile if you use it effectively. Build 42 made fishing more interactive (with visible fish splashes, a reeling minigame for rods, and new fish species), but fishing traps remain a simple, mostly passive mechanic. They operate a lot like small animal traps in previous builds, with a few unique quirks. This section covers:

  • Placing the trap (where can you set fishing net traps up?).
  • Trap mechanics (timing, how catches are determined, capacity).
  • Bait and no-bait (do you need to bait fish traps? How B42’s chum system ties in).
  • Checking and collecting catches.
  • What you can catch (new B42 contents).
  • Trap maintenance (durability and breakage).
  • Optimal strategies for using traps (time of day, multiple traps, etc).

Let’s break it down.

Where Can You Place a Fishing Net Trap?

Fishing traps must be placed in a body of water. In Project Zomboid, that means any river, lake, pond, or similar water source in the world. You cannot place a fishing net trap on dry land (that’s what rabbit traps and others are for). You also can’t use them in small indoor water sources (e.g. you can’t put it in a swimming pool or well – those aren’t coded as fishing areas).

Generally, if you can fishing rod fish at a given location, you can place a net trap there as well. For example:

  • The large Ohio River that runs along West Point, Riverside, and Muldraugh’s northwest edge.
  • The various lakes and ponds scattered around (like the lake north of West Point, ponds near farmhouses, or the country club lake).
  • Streams or creeks on the map (if they are defined as fishing zones – some narrow streams might be fishable).
  • New areas in B42: Build 42 expanded the map with possibly more water bodies (for instance, if there are new towns or areas with lakes). Any new water should work the same.

To place the trap:

  1. Go to the water’s edge. You should stand adjacent to the water (one tile away). Make sure you have the fishing net trap item in your main inventory (not in a bag, ideally).
  2. Right-click on the water. In the right-click context menu, if you’re at the correct spot, you’ll see an option like “Place Fishing Net Trap” (it might be under the Fishing submenu or directly visible). Select that.
  3. Position the trap. Similar to placing a campfire or tent, you’ll see a ghost outline of the trap in the water. Click to place it in the desired tile in the water. Usually you place it in the shallow water near shore.
  4. Finalize placement. Your character will walk and put it there. Once placed, it becomes a world object (you might see a little bobber or net graphic in the water).

There’s no need to add bait to a fishing net trap after placing – it’s ready to start catching on its own. Unlike animal traps (which usually require you to add bait like carrots or peanut butter for a rabbit trap), the fishing net trap does not have an interface to add bait. It passively attracts small aquatic life on its own. Think of it like a minnow trap where the funnel and shiny netting itself act as the lure, or perhaps it’s assumed you left some food scraps in it by default. Either way, you do not have to (nor can you) bait a fishing net trap in the current game mechanics.

(One exception: there is a concept of “chum” in Build 42, which we’ll cover later. Chumming the water nearby can effectively act like bait on a larger scale, drawing fish to the area – but you don’t directly apply chum to the trap; it’s thrown into the water.)

You can place multiple fishing net traps in the same area of water. There’s no spacing requirement like with land traps. For land animal traps, the game has rules about keeping them far from your base and somewhat spaced out from each other to increase success. Fish traps seem to be exempt from those distance rules – fish don’t care if another trap is a few feet away. Players have confirmed that you can set several net traps side by side in one pond and each will function normally without interference. So if you have the resources, feel free to cluster 2–3 traps in your favorite fishing spot for higher yield.

Case in Point: One survivor shared a photo of three fishing net traps lined up in a small pond near Irvington. They asked if placing them together was okay, and others replied that “You can place the traps next to one another and they will work just fine.” There is no penalty for trap proximity in water.

How Fishing Traps Work (Timing and Mechanics)

Once your trap is in the water, it immediately begins its cycle of trying to catch something. You do not need to leave the area or turn your back for it to start working (unlike animal traps which only check when you’re far away). You can technically stand right next to your fishing trap and time will still progress its catch cycle – though practically you’ll likely wander off to do other tasks and come back later.

Here are the known mechanics for fishing net traps, based on game code observations and player reports:

  • Hourly Catch Check: The fishing net trap attempts to catch something roughly every in-game hour. Essentially, the trap “rolls the dice” each hour to see if a fish or creature blunders into it. This is analogous to how traps for animals work (they check periodically). So, the longer you leave the trap in the water, the more chances it has to catch something.

  • Catch Capacity: The net trap can hold multiple catches (up to 2) before you need to empty it. It’s been observed that a fishing net trap can accumulate at least two creatures/fish over time. After that, it likely won’t catch a third until you check it. Think of it like the trap getting “full.” For example, if you left a net trap unattended for, say, 6 hours, it might have caught two little fish in the first two hours and then sat there full for the next four hours, not catching more until you empty it. So, it’s wise to check it periodically to keep it going. However, you don’t need to check it constantly every hour – checking too frequently could just yield one fish at a time. Many players find a once or twice per day check (every morning and/or evening) is sufficient and efficient. This way, you often get the maximum of 2 per trap if luck allows, without letting it sit idle full for too long.

  • No “stepping away” needed: With animal traps, you typically have to be 75+ tiles away for animals to approach. Fish traps do not have this requirement. You can be fishing with a rod on the same dock where your net trap lies, and the net will still catch fish. One player speculated that “the net works the same way traps do, the only difference being you don’t need to step away.”. This means you can set up a base right on the water and have a trap just off your backyard pier catching food while you’re home – the fish won’t be scared off by your presence (at least not in the binary way rabbits would be). However, note that Build 42 introduced a nuance: loud noises can scare fish. Loud sounds like gunshots, car engines, or generators can temporarily drive fish away from an area. If fish are scared, your trap might not catch anything during that time. So while you don’t need to leave the area for fish to approach, try not to constantly fire weapons or run a generator right next to your trap if you want better results. (If your safehouse has a generator by the dock, consider moving the generator further inland or only running it when necessary, so the fish come back).

  • Time of Day & Season: In Build 41, fishing with a rod had best chances at dawn and dusk (04:00–06:59 and 18:00–20:59 gave a +10% success bonus), and winter greatly reduced catch rates. For traps, the exact math is less documented, but it’s likely they also are affected by general fish activity. Fish tend to be less active (harder to catch) in winter and somewhat more active at those magic hours. In B42, fish activity is actually visual – you can see splashes that indicate fish presence. If you see no splashes in a pond (say it’s the middle of a winter day), your net trap might still roll for catches, but chances are low because there are effectively no fish around at that moment. Conversely, if you see a lot of splashes near your trap (morning or when you’ve used chum), chances are much better that each hourly check snags something.

So, optimal use would be to set your trap and check it around dawn or dusk if possible. You don’t necessarily need to only have it in water at those times (since it’s always in water), but understand that in the dead of night or noon you might get fewer bites. Nonetheless, because it rolls every hour, over a full day cycle it should even out somewhat. Seasonal effect: from November to February fish populations drop (in B41 it was ~-20% abundance in winter), meaning your trap might go many hours with nothing in deep winter. In summer, it will be more consistently catching. Plan your food stores accordingly – you might not be able to rely on fish traps as your sole food source in the winter months (just as in real life ice fishing or trap fishing is harder).

  • Checking the Trap: To check your fishing net trap, go near where you placed it and right-click, choose “Check Fishing Net Trap”. Your character will pull up whatever is caught. This will produce items (fish, etc.) that either go into your inventory or onto the ground near the trap. Each check will also very slightly improve your Fishing skill (if something was caught, you get a small XP; sometimes even an empty check might give a token XP, but usually success yields XP). The game code suggests checking a trap yields a flat 0.25 XP (likely only if it had something) – not much, but it’s something.

After checking, if the trap did catch something, those fish/critters are removed from the trap (you’ve taken them out), and the trap is now effectively empty and ready to catch anew. If the trap had reached its 2-fish capacity, emptying it lets it resume working immediately. If the trap was empty, checking it just tells you nothing was caught yet (and no XP is gained in that case).

Pro tip: Try to time your checks so that you’re not constantly interrupting the trap. Since it works hourly, maybe check after 6–12 hours of in-game time. Many players just check traps each morning. For example, set the trap at night, go to sleep, and check in the morning – you might have one or two fish waiting. This aligns well with how one would use real traps (overnight soak).

  • Multiple Traps: If you have more than one net trap placed, you can check each one. Each operates independently. It’s possible to come back and find trap A caught 2 fish, trap B caught 1, trap C caught none, etc., depending on random chance. Using multiple traps obviously increases your odds of food, at the cost of more materials initially. If you have the means, it’s highly recommended to deploy a few. One player proclaimed the fishing net as “the best trap in the game” because it can yield multiple catches, implying that a single net trap over time can out-produce a single rabbit trap. Three net traps working in parallel could theoretically feed you quite well with minimal effort – at least in non-winter seasons.

  • Leaving Traps in Water: You can leave your fishing net trap in the water indefinitely (except when you pick it up to move it). There’s no need to reset it like a mousetrap; checking it and leaving it suffices. It will continue its cycle until it either breaks or you pick it up. So you can treat it as a permanent installation at your base’s lakeshore, for example.

Speaking of breaks, let’s talk about trap durability.

Durability and Maintenance of Fishing Traps

Fishing net traps are not immortal. They have a chance to break after catching fish, just like other traps (snare trap, stick trap, etc.). Over time, wear and tear (or perhaps a big fish thrashing) will snap the net. In game terms, each catch might reduce the trap’s condition, and eventually it breaks and becomes a different item: “Broken Fishing Net Trap.”

Here’s what to know about trap durability and what to do when it breaks:

  • Trap Breakage: There isn’t an exact number of uses publicly known (since it’s a probability each time), but expect that after several successful catches, you might get a message that the trap broke. When this happens, the trap item in the world is replaced by a Broken Fishing Net Trap (an item that you can pick up). You also won’t catch anything further until it’s fixed or replaced.

  • Broken Fishing Net Trap item: When you pick up a broken trap, it goes to your inventory as a separate item (distinct from a normal fishing net trap). It’s essentially junk, except for one thing: if you have the right knowledge (Angler Vol.2 or equivalent), you can salvage some materials from it. Specifically, with Angler USA Vol.2 read, you unlock the ability “Get Wire Back” from a broken net. This means you can retrieve a bit of wire from the busted trap. The PZ Wiki notes that a Broken Fishing Net Trap “can retrieve some wire back”. In practical terms, you’d likely right-click the broken trap in your inventory and get an option like “Recycle Fishing Net Trap” which yields a few units of Wire (perhaps 1–3 units, not the full 5 you might have used – the exact amount may vary or be random). Essentially, you salvage whatever metal was part of the trap’s frame. Don’t expect to get twine back – twine would be snapped and useless, which is why they only mention wire recovery. So, if you built the trap with twine originally, ironically you still get wire when it breaks (the game assumes some wire component was there). This at least gives you a partial refund in material, especially valuable if wire is scarce.

Important: You need the magazine knowledge to do this salvage. If you never learned the net trap recipe (and thus presumably don’t know how it’s constructed), you won’t see an option to get wire from the broken trap. It will just be a useless broken item. So, another reason to get Angler Vol.2 – even if you looted a net trap and didn’t need to craft one, reading the mag lets you fix or salvage it when it breaks.

  • Can You Repair a Broken Net Trap? Unlike a fishing rod (which you can repair with twine/line and a paperclip/nail), a broken net trap cannot be directly repaired back into a working trap. There is no “repair net trap” recipe that turns the broken trap back to new. The only “fix” is the salvage (wire back) and then you’d have to craft a brand new trap from scratch again using fresh twine or wire. In other words, once it’s broken, it’s done as a trap – you salvage what you can and make a new one. This is why having multiple traps or spare twine is important for long-term use.

  • Mod Option: Some players find trap breakage annoying (especially since in reality you might mend a net rather than build a whole new one). There is a mod called “Traps Don’t Break” that makes traps infinite-use. It was updated to include fishing net traps as of Jan 2022. Of course, using that is up to you (it can reduce realism/challenge). In vanilla, be prepared to replace traps periodically.

  • Durability Strategy: To maximize a trap’s lifespan, you can’t really do much – it’s random chance when it breaks. But you can plan by having materials ready for a replacement. Always keep at least 2 twine spare or some wire so you can quickly craft another when one breaks. If you have the Fisherman occupation, you might even stockpile by crafting 2–3 traps initially; store the extras until one of the deployed traps breaks, then swap in a fresh one. This way you minimize downtime in your food production. Also, if you’ve caught a lot of fish with one trap, consider that a success – don’t be too surprised when it eventually gives out.

Now we have a trap (or a few) in the water doing its thing. Let’s talk about what you’ll actually catch with these traps in Build 42, and how that compares to previous builds.

Catching Crayfish and Bait Fish: What’s in the Trap?

In older builds (Build 41), fishing net traps primarily yielded “Bait Fish”, which were basically small generic fish used as bait for catching larger fish (pike, etc.). They weren’t very nutritious on their own, but could be eaten if needed. Build 42 has spiced this up with more variety in the ecosystem. Players have reported that in B42, net traps catch things like crayfish and mussels, in addition to (or instead of) generic small fish.

New catches in B42:

  • Crayfish: These are basically small freshwater crustaceans (think mini lobsters, often called crawfish or crawdads). In B42, crayfish can appear in your net trap. They are edible – you can cook and eat them – or you can use them as fishing bait on a rod. One survivor noted, “So far, I’ve gotten some Crayfish (which can be used as bait or simply cooked) 
 from the traps.”. Crayfish likely fall under the category of “bait fish” for game mechanics, meaning a fishing rod can use a crayfish as live bait to catch bigger fish. They probably provide a small amount of hunger reduction if cooked (and maybe some proteins).

  • Mussels: Mussels are shellfish that can also show up in traps. These would represent freshwater mussels in the rivers/lakes of Kentucky. The same survivor mentioned getting “mussels from the traps” as well. Mussels can be cooked (perhaps boiled or roasted) and eaten. They might not be usable as rod bait (fish aren’t typically baited with mussels in-game, and the survivor did not specifically say mussels can be used as bait). They’re likely just a small food item – good for a bit of protein. Mussels might require opening them with a knife or cooking to be safe, but game-wise you probably just cook them like any fish fillet.

  • Small Fish (Bait Fish): The classic small bait fish are presumably still part of the catch pool. The Reddit comment saying “I guess they still catch bait fish
” implies that aside from crayfish and mussels, the trap may still yield generic little fish. Possibly the game now specifically names some small fish species (maybe minnows or bluegill), or it might still call them “Little Fish” or “Bait Fish”. In any event, expect some tiny fish that are only a few calories worth of food but serve excellently as bait for larger catches.

  • Junk items: It’s unconfirmed for traps, but with rod fishing you can sometimes catch junk (like socks, garbage, etc.). Net traps might occasionally pick up “garbage” items too, especially if in a polluted area. This hasn’t been widely reported, so it might not happen, or it’s rare. It’s mostly fish and critters.

  • Multiple catches at once: As mentioned, the trap can hold up to 2 items at a time when you check it. It’s possible to pull out two crayfish, or a crayfish and a small fish, etc., on one check. You won’t get, say, a big 5 kg catfish in a net trap – those only come via rod fishing.

Using Catches as Bait vs Food: One of the best uses of the net trap’s yield is as live bait for rod fishing. In Build 42’s fishing rebalance, using a live bait fish gives you a higher chance to hook bigger fish compared to using worms or artificial lures. Live bait (like small fish, including presumably crayfish) provides about a 20% chance to catch a big fish (and 30% medium, 50% small) as opposed to only 15% chance for big fish with worms. In other words, bait fish skew your results toward larger fish which are far more nutritious. So, a common strategy is: use fishing traps to collect bait, then use bait to catch big fish (like bass, pike, catfish). One player suggests exactly this: “always set fishing net trap for bait fish, to catch pike and level fishing skill”. Pike in PZ are one of the larger fish and can weigh several kilograms, providing many days’ worth of food if preserved. So turning a couple of tiny fish from your trap into a giant pike via rod fishing is an efficient food chain.

Of course, in a dire situation you can simply eat the small catch. Crayfish can likely be cooked on a fire (maybe yielding a “Cooked Crayfish” item). Mussels could be cooked in a pot of water (if the game had recipes for it) or just cooked on a heat source. These small items won’t fill you much – think of them like eating a small piece of meat or a single oyster. But a handful could make a soup or stew more sustaining.

Cooking Tip: Small fish, crayfish, or mussels can be added to stews or soups to make more of a meal. For instance, throw a couple of crayfish into a vegetable soup; each will contribute some protein and hunger reduction. One player mentioned mixing fish with other foods: “mixing the fish in with dry beans (1:3 ratio) to make stew so one good catch would last for several days”. They were talking about a large fish in that case, but the principle stands – use these small catches as ingredients to stretch out meals.

Nutritional Value: As of Build 41 (and presumably 42), “Bait Fish” had very low calories. Crayfish and mussels might be similarly low. They’ll help with hunger moodle in the short term but won’t greatly boost calories. So don’t rely on only tiny fish for long-term calories – you’d slowly starve (in PZ, large fish or trapping rabbits/deer are needed to maintain weight, or farming). But for staving off hunger moodles and providing some protein and variety, they’re excellent. And if you preserve them (see next point), you can accumulate enough to matter.

Preservation: Build 42 expanded crafting to include food preservation methods like drying and smoking. If you catch a lot of small fish, you might be able to dry or smoke them for later. For example, B42 has mentions of a drying rack (the “wilderness bottlenecks” feedback noted needing a saw to craft a drying rack) and presumably the ability to salt or smoke meats and fish. If you have access to these, you could potentially turn small fish into dried fish jerky. However, small items like mussels might not be worth drying – better to cook and eat within a day or two (they likely spoil relatively quickly as seafood typically does).

Now, beyond the basics of what and how, let’s tie in the new B42 mechanics that indirectly affect fishing traps:

New B42 Mechanics: Chum and Fish Behavior

Build 42’s fishing overhaul introduced a few new gameplay elements that, while geared towards active fishing with a rod, are very relevant to fishing trap users too:

  • Chum: This is a craftable item in B42 (essentially a bucket of bait mix) that you can toss into the water to attract fish. Chum is made by combining a bag of sand with some kind of organic material (fish chunks, insects, etc.). One recipe reference suggests mixing sand and various edible ingredients like fish or bugs to make chum. Once you have chum, you can throw it into a body of water. What this does is cause fish to appear (splashes) even if there were none before, effectively drawing fish to that spot “on demand.” Players have confirmed that placing chum in water will generate fish splashes and activity around it, even in a previously empty lake. This can make fishing insanely productive for a short period – one player called chum the “number 1 friend of the fisherman” because of how it creates fish on demand.

Using Chum with Traps: While chum is largely used to help rod fishing (you still need to catch the fish with a rod once they show up), there’s an implication for traps: If chum causes fish to congregate, your traps in that area should also benefit from the increased fish presence. Think of it this way – normally your trap has to wait for a random fish to wander by. If you dump chum, suddenly lots of fish are circling, greatly raising the odds one goes into the trap sooner. There isn’t a direct game mechanic that ties chum to trap success (since trap checks are a simple hourly roll), but indirectly the chance of success per roll is likely higher if fish are abundant. So, a savvy strategy in B42 would be: toss chum into the water near your trap (or even on the same tile as the trap, if possible), then let the trap run. You might find it catches things much faster. For example, if you had zero catches all day in a small pond, adding chum might immediately trigger catches within the next hour or two. At the very least, chum ensures there are fish to be caught. It’s especially useful if you suspect the pond is “fished out” or during off-peak times.

One caveat: chum itself can be “baited” with up to 10 insects to increase its effect. So the optimal usage is a bit complex – likely best saved for active fishing sessions. Also, chum eventually stops working (fish will disperse after you catch a bunch). But nothing stops you from using another chum later. If resources allow, you could maintain an area as a fish-rich zone with periodic chumming, and your traps would continuously reap the benefits. Just note that chum requires things like bugs or rotten fish as ingredients, which you might gather via foraging or from previous catches.

  • Fish Spawning and Sound: As mentioned earlier, fish in B42 are not an inexhaustible abstract resource; they behave more like actual animals. If you overfish one spot, you’ll see fewer splashes until the fish repopulate. Similarly, loud noises will scare fish away from that area (splashes disappear). For fishing traps, this means if you, say, fire a shotgun by the lakeside, you might inadvertently reduce your trap’s chance to catch something for a while (the fish have fled). This is a new consideration that wasn’t present in B41. So the ideal trap location is a quiet one – away from your noisy generators and not a common battleground with zombies. If you must fight near water, try melee or silent kills rather than guns, or expect a temporary lull in your fishing results. Thankfully, fish do return after some in-game hours if the disturbance ceases.

  • Bigger Fish and New Species: While your net trap will only catch small fry, those small fry can lead to catching new large fish species in B42 with a rod. B42 introduced types like Paddlefish (as evidenced by a player catching a 211 cm paddlefish!). If you plan to use traps as part of a larger fishing strategy, be excited that your little trap-caught bait could land you a monster fish via rod that simply wasn’t there in B41. The presence of paddlefish, gar, or other big river fish means fishing has more late-game potential. But none of those big ones will show up directly in a trap – you’ll be using the trap more to gather the bait or supplement your diet while you hunt the big catches with a rod or spear.

Comparisons to Previous Builds (B41 vs B42)

To appreciate the changes, let’s compare how fishing traps worked in Build 41 (the longstanding stable build) versus Build 42 (unstable at the time of writing):

  • Crafting Access: In Build 41, crafting a fishing net trap also required the Fisherman profession, Angler trait, or the appropriate magazine. The magazines might have been a bit different (some older versions only had one “Fishing Magazine” that covered both rod and net). In Build 42, it’s clearly split into Vol.1 and Vol.2, but the principle is the same. So from a crafting standpoint, B42 didn’t make it easier by default – you still need that knowledge. However, B42 did something subtle: it increased the availability of recipe magazines for many crafts. You’ll find magazines for hunting traps, smithing, etc., meaning even if you didn’t start as a Fisherman, the world gives you a chance to learn. In B41, Angler magazine was sometimes hard to come by. In B42, loot balancing might have made it a tad more common (anecdotally, players are finding them). Also, B42’s expanded map areas include more potential spawn locations (maybe new fishing shops or cabins that can carry these mags).

  • Materials: Same in B41 and B42 – 10 units twine or 5 units wire. No change there. Twine was and remains a limiting factor for a lot of crafts (traps, gardening, etc.). B42 has not introduced any way to craft twine (vanilla), so that aspect remains grindy – scavenge for twine rolls whenever possible.

  • Catch Types: Big difference here. In Build 41, when you checked a fishing net trap, you would typically get an item called “Bait Fish” (a generic small fish item). Build 42 expanded this to actual species/items like Crayfish and Mussels. This is not just flavor; it has gameplay implications. Crayfish and small fish can be used as bait (like bait fish were), and mussels provide a new food source. It makes the world feel more alive (you’re catching actual critters, not an abstract fish). It also means you might need to cook them differently; for instance, maybe you can make a unique recipe like “Seafood boil” if you have a bunch of mussels and crayfish (just a roleplay thought – not sure if any new recipes specifically for them exist yet beyond generic cooking). At the very least, it adds variety to your diet and crafting (perhaps a future update might allow using mussel shells for something or trade value).

  • Fishing System Integration: In B41, fishing was very static. You right-click fish, progress bar, random fish or nothing, line could break, etc. The net trap was simply a passive alternative with a small yield. In B42, fishing has a lot more depth (pun intended): fish populations, visible fish, chum, noise, etc. The net trap now operates within that dynamic system. This means the effectiveness of traps can be more variable. In B41, if you set a net trap in a pond, you’d reliably get a bait fish or two every day or so, regardless of anything else. In B42, if that pond has no fish at the moment (no splashes), you might get zero until conditions change. On the flip side, if you actively manage the pond (chum it, keep quiet, don’t overfish with a rod), your traps can yield far more consistently. So, traps went from a set-and-forget guaranteed trickle of food, to something you can actually optimize by understanding the ecosystem. This is a subtle change, but important for serious survivor strategists.

  • Professions and Skills: Build 42 hasn’t changed the Fisherman occupation or Angler trait much in terms of what they do, except possibly adjusting their cost or side benefits. One new bonus noted: the Angler trait now “improves foraging” slightly (perhaps making it easier to find bugs or bait items when foraging). This means an Angler character might find worms, crickets, etc. more often in search mode, which synergizes with fishing (and even with chumming, since bugs can be used as chum bait). Fisherman occupation likely confers the Angler trait inherently (or similar benefits). These are minor tweaks, but they reinforce the idea that Build 42 is pushing specialized survivor roles – a Fisherman/Angler character can support a group by providing food from water sources more reliably.

  • Future Crafting Changes: Build 42 is known to be focusing on crafting professions like blacksmithing, pottery, etc. Fishing might see further changes – for example, devs might introduce craftable fish traps of different sizes, or require a crafting bench or tool in the future (maybe not, just speculation). The Indie Stone mentioned that recipes will be updated to the new crafting system eventually. Possibly, in final B42 or B43, we might see Fishing as a craft skill with maybe craftable fishing nets requiring a tailoring or crafting bench. But as of now, it’s still the old straightforward recipe. So currently, aside from needing the magazine, B42’s crafting system hasn’t negatively impacted fishing trap usage – if anything, it’s given more learning options (magazines) and maintained it as a survivalist craft.

  • Balance and Effectiveness: In B41, some players considered fishing net traps a bit underwhelming – fine for bait, but not a game-changer for food, especially since winter would shut it down. In B42, because of the addition of new small foods (crayfish can supplement your diet) and interplay with active fishing (bait -> big fish), fishing traps have arguably become more useful and interesting. They are now one piece of a robust fishing system. For example, a B42 player can set 2 net traps in a lake to gather bait and minor food while simultaneously spear fishing or rod fishing for big catches when splashes appear, and then chum if the lake goes quiet, etc. It’s a whole fishing strategy, not just a one-off trap. Therefore, fishing traps feel more integrated into the survival loop rather than a novelty. If we compare to other food sources: farming gives big harvests but takes time; trapping animals yields meat but you need bait and distance; fishing with a rod can give big fish but consumes time and requires you to pay attention; fishing traps are the passive counterpart that works while you do other things. Many long-term survivors in B41 already valued fishing traps as a backup food source (“free calories while I’m busy elsewhere”). In B42, that strategy is alive and well, and arguably improved by the environmental mechanics and synergy with chum and bait-fish fishing.

  • Now let’s compile some real player tips, strategies, and observations about using fishing traps in Build 42. The Project Zomboid community has been experimenting with B42’s new systems and sharing advice on Reddit, forums, and Steam discussions. Here are some of the best practices and tricks to maximize your catch and survive longer:

  1. Secure a Water Source Early: If you spawn or base near a lake/river, prioritize setting up a fishing trap as soon as you can. If you spawn in a town with no nearby water (like Rosewood which lacks a big water source in immediate vicinity), consider traveling or even relocating closer to water if you plan on long-term fishing. Being near water is a huge advantage for survival in B42 (for fishing, trapping, and unlimited water supply when boiled).

  2. Loot or Save Twine for Traps: Don’t frivolously use twine for things like crafting a ton of wooden spears (you can use rip sheets for those) or other minor uses until you have enough for a net trap. Players recommend saving your first couple of twine pieces specifically to craft a fishing net trap if you don’t find one pre-made. Twine can also be used to make animal traps (stick traps for birds, etc.), but fish traps tend to provide a more reliable return on investment in many regions.

  3. Use Multiple Traps: If resources allow, craft two or three fishing net traps and deploy them all. As noted, they can all catch fish simultaneously without reducing each other’s yields. More traps = more chances every hour. If you set up three traps, it’s not uncommon to come back to 4–6 small catches total in a day (if conditions are good). This can really add up and sustain you. Just be prepared for multiple traps also means multiple could break eventually – keep an eye on them.

  4. Quiet Zone: Treat your fishing spot as a peaceful zone. Avoid leading hordes to the water’s edge or firing guns around your trap area. If a helicopter or meta-event drags zombies near your fishing hole, clear them with melee if you can. The calmer the area, the more the fish will stick around. One new challenge in B42 is that zombies can wander into the water now (there’s talk of animals and maybe zombies interacting with water). While zombies won’t eat your fish, they could potentially stumble onto your placed trap (though usually they don’t target items like that). In any case, clear the area so you can check traps safely. The last thing you want is to wade into the river to grab your crayfish and get grabbed by a lurking zombie in the reeds.

  5. Check at Dawn and Dusk: As per fishing wisdom, try to check your traps around dawn or dusk. Not only is this when fish are most active (so you might get a bite just before checking), but it also syncs well with daily routine: you set traps in evening, sleep, check at dawn; or check before it gets dark after a day of them soaking. If you find nothing at dawn, that might mean the night was slow – consider leaving it until later morning or midday to get that second fish if not already at capacity.

  6. Leverage Chum (Advanced): Once you have some basic survival sorted (and especially if you have Volume 2 of The Angler which mentions net traps, you likely also know about chum from Volume 2 or other sources), craft a chum and test it out near your traps. For example, if you haven’t caught anything in a while, throw in chum. You should soon see splashes in the water. This could jump-start your trap results. Some players carry chum whenever they go fishing. One player in a B42.2 discussion enumerated tips and said: “Placing chum, seeded with several baits, produces ‘fish on demand’
 Always make them, always have them on you along with spare fishing line, hooks and normal bait.”. This shows how powerful they consider chum. So, if you want to be a master angler, integrate chum into your trapping strategy too. Keep in mind you need some bait ingredients to craft chum (e.g. bugs from foraging or spare rotten fish bits), but even rotten bait fish can become chum, meaning nothing is wasted.

  7. Use Trap Catches as Bait for Big Fish: We touched on this but to reiterate as a strategy: One of the best ways to feed yourself long-term is to catch big fish (like catfish, bass, pike) because a single 2kg fish can feed you for days when cooked or preserved. To catch big fish consistently, you need good bait. That’s where your fishing traps shine. Always reserve some of your trap catch to use on your fishing rod or spear. For instance, if you have two crayfish from your traps, bait your fishing rod with one and go cast it into the same water – chances are you’ll reel in something much larger. This approach levels up your Fishing skill faster too (catching bigger fish yields more XP). Essentially, the trap sets you up for success in active fishing. This combo approach was rarely utilized in B41 because people might have just dug worms and fished; but in B42, with abundance fluctuations, having guaranteed bait from traps is huge. A player on Reddit frankly stated their routine: “always set a fishing net trap for bait fish, [then use it] to catch pike and level fishing”. It’s a proven strategy.

  8. Cook Smart and Preserve: Don’t just nibble raw bait fish or nibble one crayfish at a time. Instead, use your cooking skill to stretch the meals. Cook multiple small fish together in a stew with some veggies, or add rice/potato if you have, to make a pot of stew that gives many bowls of food. If you get a good haul of small fish and it’s more than you need immediately, consider preserving them. In B42, if you’ve learned the new crafting, you could smoke or dry them if you have the equipment. Otherwise, you can salt them (if salt is available) or just refrigerate/freezer if you have power. In winter, you can leave excess fish outside to freeze (just like nature’s freezer). Also note that fish (and presumably shellfish) can be cut into fillets with a knife – sometimes filleting a fish yields 2 fillets which can be used in recipes. Tiny “bait fish” might not fillet (they might be too small to bother), but something medium like a small bass can.

  9. Rotate Fishing Spots If Needed: If you have multiple water bodies accessible, it might be worth moving your traps occasionally. For example, if Lake A seems to have stopped yielding (perhaps overfished), you could pick up and move to River B for a while, letting Lake A’s fish stocks recover. One player deduced that if you “intend to grind Fishing, you’re going to have to rotate fishing spots to avoid the fish cap”. While they referred to active fishing, traps would also benefit from not sitting in a completely depleted pond. That said, casual use of one trap likely won’t deplete a large lake by itself – this is more if you’re heavily exploiting a small pond.

  10. Be Ready for Winter: As autumn sets in, have a plan for food beyond fish traps. Fish yield will drop, and in the coldest months you might catch almost nothing for weeks. Use the bountiful summer/autumn to dry or smoke some fish for winter, or pivot to trapping animals (which B42 also has expanded – for instance, you might trap squirrels, rabbits, maybe even something like wild turkeys if mods or updates allow). When the lakes freeze metaphorically (they don’t visually freeze in PZ, but fish act like it’s frozen), you should have some canned food or preserved fish stocked. Some players combine fishing with farming so that when one is low, the other yields (fish in summer when crops might struggle from disease, farm in winter indoors when fish are scarce, etc.).

  11. Experience Gain Considerations: Using traps alone will level your Fishing skill but very slowly. Each successful catch via trap gives only a tiny bit of XP (0.25 XP each catch check by code, which might translate to maybe 1 XP per fish or so). Catching a fish with a rod yields more XP, especially for bigger fish. Therefore, for skill training, use traps in conjunction with actual fishing. Traps can help you get to level 1 or 2 slowly, but don’t rely on them to power-level. They shine more as a food source than an XP source. If you do want to level Fishing, take advantage of those skill books (Fishing vol.1,2 etc.) and get out there with a rod in addition to your traps.

  12. Loot Fishing Huts and Camps: B42 map additions might include new cabins or fishing huts. These often spawn fishing gear. If you come across a “Fishing Hut” or camp ground, loot it thoroughly – you could find ready-made fishing net traps (freebies), fishing rods, tackle, and those valuable Angler USA magazines. Some camps might have coolers with fish or a campfire set up to cook them. In multiplayer, coordinate with teammates: maybe one goes out to scavenge fishing gear while another focuses on farming, etc.

  13. Trait Synergy: If you’re making a character in B42 and plan on heavy fishing/trapping, consider complementing Fisherman or Angler with traits like Hunter (for trapping animals as well, since The Hunter magazines can teach you multiple trap recipes) and Outdoorsman (less likely to catch cold or get unhappy in rain while fishing). Also, Cook or Nutritionist could be helpful: Cook gives you a bonus when cooking fish (extra XP and better results), and Nutritionist lets you track if you’re getting enough calories from those fish. The Angler trait now helping with foraging means you’ll find more worms/insects which can be used for both rod fishing and chumming.

  14. Beware of Overconfidence: Fishing traps can give a false sense of security. Don’t rely on them exclusively. They yield small returns and can break at bad times. Always have a backup food source. Keep trapping small game with snares, maintain some crops if possible, and loot non-perishables when you can. Think of the fish trap as one tool in your survival toolbox – a very useful and low-effort tool, but not a singular solution.

To illustrate how one might incorporate fishing traps into a survival routine, let’s walk through a quick scenario:

Survivor’s Log (Analogy): “Living Off the Lake”

Day 10: I’ve set up base at the cabin by the lake. Each evening, I take a walk to the shore with my fishing net trap in hand. Using twine I scavenged from the nearby warehouse, I managed to craft two net traps. I gently place them in the shallows, the sunset glinting off the water. As I head back inside, I can’t help but feel I’ve laid a patient snare for the lake’s bounty, even while I sleep.

Day 11: Dawn breaks. While the coffee (well, herbal tea – real coffee ran out days ago) brews on my propane stove, I stroll down to check the traps. Peering into the clear water, I grin: in the first trap, a wriggling crayfish and a tiny sunfish; in the second, a pair of small perch! Breakfast and bait, all in one. I carefully remove the creatures – gaining a small notch of fishing experience in the process – and reset the traps for the day. Back at the cabin, I throw the crayfish and perch into a pot with some wild greens and rice. A hearty seafood stew is soon bubbling, providing much-needed morale on this chilly morning.

By afternoon, I decide to take advantage of the extra bait fish I have. I bait my fishing rod with the little sunfish I caught and cast it out from the rickety dock. The lake’s surface is calm, but I’ve learned to read the signs – a few splashes indicate where the fish are. Not long after, I feel a strong tug – a large pike has taken the bait! After a brief tussle (thank goodness my line held), I haul in the pike, a solid 5kg of meat. This one catch will feed me for days. I fillet the pike (two big fillets) and smoke one of them over the fire to preserve it.

That evening, I retrieve my net traps again. One is empty (perhaps my activity scared the fish), but the other holds a couple of slippery minnows. I use them to craft a batch of chum – mixing the fish guts with sand from the lakeshore in an old bucket. Tomorrow, I’ll deploy the chum to ensure the fish keep coming.

Day 12: Another check of the traps yields a new surprise: mussels! Three fat freshwater mussels latched inside the mesh of one trap. I recall a recipe from an old cookbook: mussel soup. Combining these with some wild garlic I foraged, I make a tasty broth. I also sprinkle some of the chum off the dock. Within minutes, the water that was still and lifeless starts to ripple with activity – the chum is working, attracting fish from afar. I smile, knowing my net traps are lying in wait. Sure enough, an hour later, I spot a little fish flopping inside one of the trap’s netting. Easy pickings.


 And so it continues. The fishing net traps have become a cornerstone of my routine – a reliable provider of small bites to eat and a catalyst for bigger fishing endeavors. Even when winter’s chill arrives and the lake’s generosity wanes, I’ll have a larder of smoked fish and pickled crayfish to see me through, all thanks to those humble net traps I wove from twine.

(This fictional log shows how a survivor might practically use fishing traps day-to-day in B42, combining passive trapping with active fishing and other survival tactics.)

Summary: Nets Are Worth the Effort in B42

In summary, fishing traps are indeed craftable in Project Zomboid Build 42, and they remain a highly useful tool for the resourceful survivor. To recap the critical points:

  • Crafting a fishing net trap is possible if you have 10 units of twine or 5 units of wire, and you’ve learned the recipe via the Fisherman occupation, Angler trait (partial; magazine still needed for net), or by reading Angler USA Magazine Vol.2. Build 42 did not remove the trait/magazine requirement, so make sure your character has that knowledge one way or another.

  • Build 42’s new crafting system hasn’t drastically changed fishing trap crafting yet – it’s still under the survivalist category and gated by the same means as Build 41. However, B42 expanded the availability of recipe magazines, so characters who didn’t start with fishing skills can still learn to craft traps by finding those magazines. In the future, the devs plan to integrate these recipes into the evolving crafting professions system, but as of B42 unstable, it’s status quo. Professions like Fisherman and traits like Angler still give significant advantages, and now Angler also helps with finding bait through foraging. Use these to your benefit when planning a character.

  • Materials needed for a fishing trap are straightforward but not trivial to obtain in quantity. Twine is common but you need two full pieces (10 units); wire is less common but an option if you have an electronics background or luck looting. No tools are needed to craft it, making it one of the simpler advanced traps to actually assemble once you have the stuff.

  • Usage of fishing traps in B42 is enriched by new mechanics:

  • You can place traps in any fishable water and multiple traps can be clustered without issue.

  • They attempt catches every hour and can store up to 2 catches at a time before needing to be emptied.

  • No manual bait is required for the trap itself, but using chum in the area can greatly enhance fish presence and thus trap success.

  • Fish activity is now variable; expect better results at dawn/dusk and in warm seasons, and slower catches at midday or winter (and be mindful of noise).

  • Checking traps regularly (but not too often) will keep them producing. A good rhythm is morning and evening checks, aligning with high activity periods and giving time for up to 2 catches per trap in between.

  • What you catch has diversified. Instead of just “bait fish,” you’ll catch crayfish, mussels, and other small fish in B42. These can all be eaten or used as bait for rod fishing. Crayfish in particular serve as excellent live bait for larger fish like pike. Mussels provide a new food source that can add variety to your diet. These additions make fishing traps more flavorful (literally!) and tie into the game’s expanded cooking and crafting (e.g., maybe you’ll make a seafood chowder or use shells for calcium in farming mods – who knows).

  • Comparison to previous builds: Build 42 has made fishing traps more integral to a survival strategy. In Build 41 they were a bit niche; now with the interplay of bait and the detailed fishing system, they’re part of a larger fishing ecosystem. The requirement to craft them is the same, but the outcomes and uses are broader. The presence of recipe magazines means even a character who isn’t a Fisherman can eventually set up fish traps, whereas in older builds if you missed the magazine spawn you were out of luck. Also, B42’s balance changes (like fish scarcity in winter, and the ability to preserve food via new crafts) mean fish traps fit into a balanced diet plan rather than being an OP infinite food glitch. They’re fairly well-balanced: useful, but requiring some upkeep and complementary strategies.

  • Real player experiences show that fishing traps can greatly ease the mid-game food crunch. Players advise using them to generate a steady supply of bait and minor protein, which in turn enables major fishing hauls with rods. They note that traps are low-maintenance compared to actively fishing or hunting – “just check them in the morning, set bait (for animal traps) and you’re done; with fishing [rod], you had to spend hours”, one player said, highlighting the convenience of passive food income. Fishing traps share that advantage: they work while you’re busy surviving elsewhere.

  • Combining with other systems: The new **“The Hunter” magazines in B42 allow crafting of land animal traps (snare, stick traps, cage traps). A truly self-sufficient survivor will likely do both – lay fish traps in the water and snare traps in the woods. There’s even a Herbalist magazine for finding bait (insects, berries) and presumably curing illness from undercooked food. All these systems interlock. The end result is that Build 42 is shaping up to reward a holistic approach to living off the land. Fishing net traps are a key piece of that puzzle whenever water is available.

In conclusion, fishing traps in Build 42 are absolutely worth crafting if you have access to water. They provide a reliable trickle of food with minimal effort, and their products (small fish, crayfish) can turbocharge your fishing efforts or be a nice supplement on their own. The new features of B42 make using them even more engaging – you’ll find yourself paying attention to the environment (watching for fish splashes or listening for that telltale zombie moan that could scare off your dinner). There’s a satisfying progression in starting with a simple net woven from twine and ending up with a fish large enough to feed a whole group, all because you had the foresight to craft and use that trap.

So if you’re venturing into Knox Country in Build 42, do yourself a favor: find some twine, grab that Angler magazine, and craft a fishing net trap. Set it in a tranquil pond, and let nature work for you. In a world where every calorie is hard-won and every moment is danger, a few crayfish on the end of a line could mean the difference between life and death – or at least between an empty stomach and a warm, hearty stew. Happy fishing, and stay safe out there!

Next Steps and Further Resources

Interested in learning more or improving your fishing/trapping game in Project Zomboid? Here are some next steps and resources to consider:

  • Read the PZ Wiki – Fishing and Trapping Sections: The Project Zomboid Wiki has detailed pages on Fishing and Trapping. They include tables of fish types, odds, seasonal effects, and the specifics of each trap (including the fishing net trap). Keep in mind the wiki may still be updating for Build 42, but core info on skills and older mechanics is useful. You’ll find exact data like dawn/dusk bonuses and item stats (e.g. weight of a fishing net trap, which is 0.5).

  • The Indie Stone Forums (Build 42 news): Check out the official forums, especially any Build 42 update posts or the “unstable B42 released” threads. Devs and players often discuss new crafting additions. For example, the “B42 Wilderness Bottlenecks” thread highlighted some craft balance issues (like needing a saw for a drying rack) and gives insight into survival crafting devs’ intentions. Knowing these can help you anticipate changes (perhaps a future patch might require a knife or needle for net crafting – who knows).

  • Survival Guides and Videos: There are some great community guides on YouTube and fan sites for Build 42 fishing. For instance, the “Project Zomboid Build 42: Fishing Update Breakdown!” video covers new fishing mechanics like custom hooks and targeting ripples, which can complement trap usage. Also, look for updated trapping guides, since B42 animals might differ. A thorough understanding of both fishing and trapping will let you alternate between them for maximum food yield.

  • Experiment in Sandbox: If you really want to master fishing traps, consider creating a sandbox game with boosted fish abundance or starting in summer. This way you can experiment with traps intensively without fear of starvation. Try scenarios like setting 5 traps with abundant fish and see how many you can catch, or test the impact of chum on trap results. Once you’re confident, go back to your survival game and apply that knowledge under default settings.

  • Combine Skills: Explore how fishing interplays with other skills. For example, leveling Cooking will allow you to make better meals out of your fish (higher cooking skill = more hunger restored from the same ingredients, and ability to make recipes like Fish Pie or Sushi if you have mods). Foraging ties in by providing bait (worms, insects) and herbs that can spice up your fish dishes or cure food poisoning if you undercook something. First Aid might be relevant if you eat a bad mussel and get sick – herbalist knowledge could save you. So, consider reading the Herbalist magazine (to identify wild plants) alongside Angler mags.

  • Join the Community: If you have specific questions (“What’s the exact chance a fishing trap catches something per hour in summer vs winter?” or “Has anyone found a mod to craft twine in vanilla?”), hop onto the Project Zomboid subreddit or Discord. There’s a wealth of anecdotal info from others playing B42. You might even find someone who did the math or datamined the code for trap success rates in B42’s new system.

  • Plan for Future Updates: Build 42 is in unstable (at the time of writing), so keep an eye on patch notes. If a new unstable version drops, skim the changelog for terms like “fishing” or “trap”. The devs might fine-tune things like trap break rates or add new uses (maybe the ability to craft a stronger net trap with higher capacity, who knows). Staying informed will let you adapt your strategy. For example, if tomorrow’s patch makes it so you need a needle and thread to craft a net (purely hypothetical), you’d want to know that before starting a fresh game.

In the meantime, enjoy the fruits of your labor – or should we say the fish of your labor. Build 42 has made surviving in the wilderness more nuanced and rewarding than ever. Those quiet moments at the water’s edge, checking your nets as the sun rises, can be surprisingly peaceful in a game as tense as Project Zomboid. Relish it, but always keep one eye on the tree line
 those zombies might be angling for you too.

Related Guides: For more survival tips, check out our farming guide and first day survival roadmap.