ModsFinder

Fishing Real

by PricelessKoala

With Fishing Real, a fish that would normally drop as an item is instead spawned as a live mob at the hook.

FabricForgeNeoForgeClient and serverMIT LicenseOpen source1.14.4 – 26.1.2

What it does

The mod changes what a successful catch produces. Where the game would hand over a salmon item, a salmon entity appears in the world instead, and the same happens for other fish that the catch table lists. The conversion is driven by a datapack, so the behavior is set by files rather than by code, and every fish type can be pointed at a different entity.

Conversions are written as JSON files placed in a fishing folder inside a datapack. After the datapack is reloaded, new fish take effect at once. A conversion can also carry NBT data, so an entity such as a tropical fish can spawn with a fixed pattern and color every time. A datapack in the fishingreal namespace can replace any of the four built-in conversions for cod, pufferfish, salmon and tropical fish.

Installation needs Forge Config API Port on Forge and NeoForge. A server running it needs every connecting player to have it too. Files are published for Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, with 14 release versions across 1.14.4 – 26.1.2, under the MIT License, and the source code is public.

Key features

  1. Entity catches

    Caught fish spawn as living entities at the hook location instead of appearing as items in the inventory.

  2. Datapack conversions

    Each item-to-entity pair is defined in a JSON file, so new conversions need no code changes.

  3. NBT support

    Conversions can include NBT data, letting a spawned entity carry set traits such as a specific tropical fish pattern.

  4. Live reloading

    Editing a datapack and reloading it applies new conversions without restarting the game.

  5. Vanilla overrides

    A datapack in the fishingreal namespace can replace the cod, pufferfish, salmon or tropical fish conversion.

Compatibility

Latest build for each game version and loader.

26.x1 of 1 version with builds
26.1.21.10.0Not available1.10.0
1.21.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.21.11.9.1Not available1.9.1
1.211.21-1.9.0Not available1.21-1.9.0
1.20.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.20.41.20.4-1.8.0Not available1.20.4-1.8.0
1.20.11.9.1-backport1.9.1-backportNot available
1.19.x1 of 1 version with builds
1.19.21.19.2-1.6.11.19.2-1.6.1Not available
1.18.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.18.1Not available1.18-1.2Not available
1.18Not available1.18-1.2Not available
1.17.x1 of 1 version with builds
1.17.1Not available1.17.1-1.1.0Not available
1.16.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.16.3Not available1.16.3-1.0.0Not available
1.16.2Not available1.16.2-1.0.0Not available
1.16.1Not available1.16.1-1.0.0Not available
1.15.x1 of 1 version with builds
1.14.x1 of 1 version with builds
ReleaseBetaAlphaNot available

Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.

Requirements

Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.

Required 1

Forge Config API PortNeoForge's & Forge's config systems provided to other modding ecosystems. Designed for a multiloader architecture.
Required

Required by 2 mods

Fishing Real Extra Compatibility1.20.1 – 1.21.1Fishing Real: Collector's Reap1.20.1

Use cases

Custom catches for a survival world

A world owner can replace common catches with mobs such as salmon, cod or tropical fish, so fishing adds living creatures to the world.

Themed fishing packs

A datapack author can map other fish items to chosen entities and distribute the pack as a set of JSON files.

Who it’s for: Players who want fishing to produce living mobs, and server owners or datapack authors who prefer to define catches with JSON rather than code.

How it compares

Full comparison

Quiet Fishing is open source under the MIT License, client-side only, and published for Fabric, Forge and NeoForge across 1.20 – 1.21.10. Simple Auto Fishing is client-side only as well, but it is not open source; it is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 and targets 1.21.3 – 26.3. Fishing Real differs by changing the catch result on both sides, with a datapack that defines each conversion.

ModLoadersGame versionsEnvironmentUpdated
Fishing RealFabric, Forge and NeoForge1.14.4 – 26.1.2Client and server2026-05-28
Quiet FishingFabric, Forge and NeoForge1.20 – 1.21.10Client-side only2025-10-04
Simple Auto FishingFabric, Forge and NeoForge1.21.3 – 26.3Client-side only2026-09-21

Questions

Does Fishing Real need Forge Config API Port?

Yes, Forge Config API Port is required on Forge and NeoForge. It requires Forge Config API Port.

Does the server need Fishing Real installed?

Yes. A server running it needs every connecting player to have it too.

Can a datapack change the built-in fish conversions?

Yes. A datapack in the fishingreal namespace can replace any of the four built-in conversions by supplying its own file under the matching name.

In the catalog

Fishing Real is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 25,772 Utility mods for Fabric. 15,189 mods support Minecraft 26.1.2.

Utility mods36,990Fabric modsMods for 26.1.215,189

More from PricelessKoala

All projects
Clear Water1.12.2 – 1.21.5Spawn Point1.21 – 1.21.1NoSwim1.7.10 – 1.12.2

Similar mods

Mod Menu1.14.4 – 26.3Reese's Sodium Options1.16.5 – 26.3Jade 🔍1.16.4 – 26.3Zoomify (Zoom)1.18 – 26.3FancyMenu1.12 – 26.3Indium1.16.5 – 1.21.1

What the author says

This is a configurable fishing mod. How it works is, whenever you would normally fish up a salmon item, it spawns a live salmon instead! It entirely supports data packs! In fact, the entire mod uses a datapack for the item->entity conversions!
PricelessKoala, on the Modrinth page

Official listing

Owner
PricelessKoala
Published
2022-05-31
Updated on Modrinth
2026-05-28
Facts verified
2026-10-15

Tags

Utility
Open on ModrinthCompare