This Skyrim Fish Hatchery guide tells you everything you need to know about breeding fish and other aquatic creatures so you don’t have to fish as much as you might otherwise. It will also cover how to gain access to Windstad Manor.
Buying Windstad Manor and Crafting a Fish Hatchery in Skyrim
Before you can build the Fish Hatchery in Skyrim, you’ll need to gain access to Windstad Manor. And before you can do that, you’ll need to complete the Laid to Rest quest in Morthal.
Once you’ve completed that questline, Jarl Igdrod Ravencrone will be delighted with the help you’ve provided. You’re one step closer to the Fish Hatchery. Her steward, Aslfur, will allow you to purchase Windstad Manor for 5,000 gold.
Windstad Manor is further north of Morthal, past Movarth’s Lair and Ustengrav. As with other houses added by the Hearthfire DLC, you’ll first need to construct the following:
Small House Template House Floor House Walls House Door House Roof
There are stones, clay, and logs near the location, and there’s even a blacksmith’s forge ready so you can craft the other materials that you need.
Once you’ve built up the manor, you can craft the Fish Hatchery. It requires:
3x Quarried Stone 3x Sawn Log 4x Nails
You’ll then find it at the edge of Windstad Manor along the lakeshore.
Breeding Fish in Skyrim
Now that you have a Fish Hatchery constructed in Skyrim, you can add several types of fish and other aquatic creatures to it for breeding. After a few days have passed, you’ll notice that more of them have bred. This is a great way for you to farm food that’s useful in Survival Mode.
Here are some of the aquatic creatures and fish that you can add to your Fish Hatchery. You only need one of each for breeding:
Abacean Longfin Angelfish Angler Arctic Char Arctic Grayling Brook Bass Carp Catfish Cod Cyrodillic Spadetail Direfish Glass Catfish Goldfish Histcarp Lyretail Anthias Pearlfish Pogfish Pygmy Sunfish River Betty Scorpion Fish Silverside Perch Spadefish Tripod Spiderfish Vampire Fish
Note that certain kinds of fish and creatures require other items to be added to the Fish Hatchery for breeding. For example, clams require clam meat, salmon need salmon roe), and slaughterfish require slaughterfish eggs.
You can catch some of these at the fishing locations spread across Skyrim, then bring them to your Fish Hatchery. We’ve collected all of the fishing locations, including maps and a full fish list, in this guide. If you still need to find the fishing rod and want to know how to fish, we’ve got you covered here.
Now that you know how to build a Fish Hatchery in Skyrim, you’ll never be without food in or out of survival mode. For more tips, tricks, build guides, and quest walkthroughs, head over to our Skyrim guides hub.
