📖 Fish Sticks 101: Whip Up Wins Without the Wet Goop

Don't Starve Together: Fish Sticks Ultimate Guide

Crafting, Cooking & Beyond (Updated 2025)

🔍 Instant Answer: Fish Sticks Recipe

In Don't Starve Together, Fish Sticks are made in a Crock Pot using:

  • 1 Fish (any kind)
  • 1 Twig (exactly one! no more, no less)
  • 2 Filler Items (berries, vegetables, monster meat, ice, etc.)

⚠️ Warning: Using more than one twig will result in inedible Wet Goop!

Fish Sticks Stats:

  • 🩸 Health: +40 HP
  • 🍖 Hunger: +37.5
  • 🧠 Sanity: +5
  • ⏱️ Spoilage: 10 days
  • 🔥 Cook Time: 40 seconds

🚀 Quick Start: How to Cook Fish Sticks (Step-by-Step)

1

Build a Crock Pot

Unlock it via the Food tab (requires a Science Machine first). Craft with:

  • 3 Cut Stone
  • 6 Charcoal
  • 6 Twigs

Place the Crock Pot near your base or an Ice Box for convenience.

Crock Pot
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2

Gather Ingredients

You'll need fish and twigs:

  • Fish: Use a Fishing Rod at ponds (for Freshwater Fish/Eels) or ocean (for ocean fish)
  • Twigs: Collect from saplings or twiggy trees
  • Fillers: Berries, carrots, monster meat, ice, etc.
Fishing
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3

Load the Crock Pot

Insert your ingredients in any order:

  • At least 1 fish (any kind)
  • Exactly 1 twig
  • Up to 2 fillers

Pro tip: You can safely use up to 2 Monster Meats as fillers here!

Crock Pot
UI Image
4

Cook and Wait

Once ingredients are added:

  • Hit "Cook" to start the process
  • Wait ~40 seconds for cooking to complete
  • The Crock Pot emits light while cooking (enough to fend off Charlie at night)
Cooking
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5

Collect Your Fish Sticks

When cooking is complete:

  • Click the pot to collect your Fish Sticks
  • Eat them for +40 HP healing, +37.5 hunger, and +5 sanity
  • Store extras in an Ice Box (slows spoilage) or use Bundling Wrap for long-term storage
Fish Sticks
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⚡ Quick Tips:

  • Twig count: Always use only one twig – a second twig results in Wet Goop.
  • Avoid corn: Don't use corn as filler when making Fish Sticks; it can randomly produce Fish Tacos instead.
  • Monster meat: You can use up to 2 monster meats as fillers without getting Monster Lasagna.
  • Light source: A cooking Crock Pot provides enough light to survive night in a pinch.

⚠️ Common Pain Points & Cooking Mechanics (FAQs and Fixes)

"Why Did I Get Wet Goop?!" – Twig Troubles

▼

A very common frustration is ending up with Wet Goop (failed food) when attempting Fish Sticks. The culprit is usually twigs misused.

The Rule: Exactly 1 twig is required. More than one twig = Goop.

Twigs count as "inedible filler" in Crock Pot math; Fish Sticks specifically forbids extra inedibles beyond the one twig (the game treats additional twigs as invalid filler, yielding Wet Goop).

Fix: Double-check your ingredients. If you put in two twigs (or something non-food like Petals), you'll need to start over. Stick to one stick!

Remember: 1 fish + 1 twig + up to 2 fillers = Fish Sticks

But: 1 fish + 2 twigs + anything else = Wet Goop

Crock Pot Logic: Recipe Priority and Conflicting Dishes

▼

The Crock Pot can cook dozens of recipes, so understanding recipe priority helps avoid unwanted dishes:

  • Each valid recipe has a priority value
  • Fish Sticks have priority 10
  • If your ingredients could make multiple dishes, the highest priority recipe wins
  • If priority is tied, the game picks randomly between possible dishes
Example: Fish Sticks vs Fish Tacos

Both have priority 10. If you include:

1 fish + 1 twig + 1 corn + 1 filler

You might get either Fish Sticks OR Fish Tacos (50/50 chance)

Solution: Don't use corn when making Fish Sticks

Example: Fish Sticks vs Monster Lasagna

1 fish + 1 twig + 2 monster meat

This makes Fish Sticks, not Monster Lasagna, because the twig prevents Monster Lasagna from triggering!

Exploit: You can safely use up to 2 Monster Meats in Fish Sticks

Ingredient Freshness and Spoilage Mechanics

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Understanding spoilage can help you maximize the shelf life of your Fish Sticks:

Ingredient Freshness
  • Cooking dishes inherits the average freshness of ingredients used
  • Using stale fish or spoiled ingredients = partially spoiled Fish Sticks
  • Fresh ingredients = fresh Fish Sticks
  • Cook raw ingredients on fire first to reset spoilage before crockpotting
Fish Sticks Spoilage
  • Fish Sticks spoil in 10 days (timer starts upon completion)
  • In DST, finished dishes spoil even if left in the pot
  • Rain makes food spoil faster if left outside
Storage Solutions:
  • Ice Box: Slows spoilage by 50%
  • Bundling Wrap: Preserves 100% freshness until unwrapped
  • Tin Fishin' Bin: Keeps fish fresh indefinitely (for live fish only)

Pro tip: Raw fish has an even shorter lifespan: a Freshwater Fish flop will die and turn into a Fish Morsel after ~1 day, and that morsel spoils in ~6 days.

Seasonal Challenges (Winter Ponds, Frog Rain, etc.)

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Obtaining fish can be tougher in certain seasons:

❄️ Winter

Challenge: All surface ponds freeze, preventing fishing

Solutions:

  • Venture into caves (cave ponds never freeze)
  • Do ocean fishing (sea never freezes)
  • Stockpile fish in autumn
  • Use Ice Box to preserve fish through winter

Note: Pengulls appear in winter but drop meat/eggs, not fish

🌧️ Spring

Challenge: Frog Rains make pond fishing dangerous

Solutions:

  • Avoid pond fishing during heavy frog spawns
  • Use frog rain to your advantage by setting traps
  • Lead frogs to merm/pig defenders for mass frog legs

Note: Rain makes food spoil faster - keep Fish Sticks sheltered

☀️ Summer

Challenge: Heat and wildfires

Solutions:

  • Carry a Thermal Stone or wear Summer gear when boat fishing
  • Never leave Fish Sticks on the ground (they can burn)
  • Consider an Ice Flingomatic to protect cooking stations

Note: Ponds function normally in summer

🍂 Autumn

Benefit: Easiest season for fishing

Tips:

  • Great time to fish and stock up
  • Dry or ice-box fish for winter
  • Make bulk Fish Sticks and preserve for harder seasons

Strategy: Do bulk fishing in autumn for winter fights

"I have no fish, what now?" – Alternative Healing and Fish Sources

Alternative Healing Options

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Trail Mix

Heals 30 HP, requires berries and Birchnuts

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Butterfly Wings

Cooked wings heal 8 HP each on the go

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Healing Salve

Heals 20 HP, made with Spider Glands, ash, and rocks

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Pierogi

Heals 40 HP, requires egg, meat, vegetables

How to Get Fish

🐟 Pond Fishing
  • Locate clusters of ponds (Marsh or Grassland)
  • Fish with a rod in evenings (when frogs are less active)
  • Rotate between multiple ponds (there's a cooldown)
  • Can yield several fish per pond
🌊 Ocean Fishing
  • Craft a Sea Fishing Rod (2 bone shards, 2 silk)
  • Build a Tackle Receptacle for lures and bobbers
  • Use appropriate lures for different fish types
  • Medium/large ocean fish yield Fish Meat (full fish value)
  • Works in winter (ocean doesn't freeze)
🐸 Merm Farming
  • Merms drop fish when killed (often fish morsel + frog legs)
  • Bait them into tentacle traps or use pigs to fight them
  • Set up Pig Houses near swamp for automatic farming
  • Wurt can trade with the Merm King for various resources

📊 Health and Hunger Efficiency: Is Fish Sticks "Worth It"?

Fish Sticks shine as an early-game healing food. Here's how they compare to alternatives:

Food Health Hunger Sanity Spoil Time Key Ingredients
Fish Sticks 40 37.5 5 10 days 1 fish, 1 twig, 2 fillers
Pierogi 40 37.5 5 20 days 1 egg, 1 meat, 1 vegetable, 1 filler
Trail Mix 30 12.5 5 15 days 1 birchnut, 1 berry, 1 twig, 1 filler
Honey Nuggets 20 37.5 5 15 days 1 honey, 1 meat, 2 fillers
Surf 'n' Turf 60 37.5 33 10 days 2 fish, 2 meats (high-value combo)

Is It Worth Making Fish Sticks?

✅ Pros
  • Excellent healing (40 HP) – tied with Pierogi
  • Relatively simple ingredients (no eggs required)
  • Can use monster meat as filler safely
  • Good early-game healing option
  • Some players rank it S-tier for healing
  • Fast to make and easy to gather materials
⛔ Cons
  • Shorter spoilage time than Pierogi (10 vs 20 days)
  • Requires fishing (seasonal challenges)
  • 37.5 hunger isn't huge for a fish-based dish
  • Late-game, Surf 'n' Turf provides better healing
  • Only 5 sanity gain

For most survivors, Fish Sticks hit the sweet spot of cheap ingredients, quick cooking time, and high healing, making them an excellent emergency healing option. Use an Ice Box or Bundling Wrap to preserve them longer.

Verdict: Fish Sticks are definitely worth making, especially if you have a reliable fish source. They're one of the best healing foods in the early to mid-game. In late game, consider upgrading to Surf 'n' Turf for premium healing needs.

🧠 Advanced Strategies & Expert Tips

Efficient Fish Acquisition & Farming Tricks

Merm Farming
  • Create an "artificial pond" area
  • Place Craftsmerm Houses (Wurt's craft) near your base
  • Periodically kill merms for fish
  • Setup pig-merm conflict zones for passive farming
Ocean Trawling
  • Use the "Ocean Trawler" net (from Winona/Warly update)
  • Deploy and leave overnight to catch sea creatures
  • Sail out and collect before contents rot
  • Passive way to gather seafood
Lunar Island Techniques
  • Visit Pearl on Lunar Island
  • Trade empty bottles for Fish Food (3 Fish Foods per bottle)
  • Use Fish Food with Ocean Fish Pens
  • Corral live ocean fish near your base
Bait Tactics
  • Use specific lures for different fish types
  • Try Feather Lure or Glow Lure at dusk
  • Target deep Bass from ocean with heavy lures
  • Match bait to target fish (berries for Kittykit fish, etc)

Combat Uses and Healing Timing

Boss Fight Tactics

Fish Sticks are integral to many combat routines due to their quick, high heal:

  • Tank a hit from Deerclops, then eat a Fish Stick to recover 40 HP
  • Eat between boss attack cycles (after dodging)
  • Lighter than healing salves (stacks to 40)
  • Great for caves, bosses, and adventures
Team Strategy

Coordinate healing in multiplayer:

  • Designate a team chef (backline player)
  • Chef carries extra Fish Sticks in Bundling Wraps
  • Frontline fighters (Wolfgang/Wigfrid) can fall back for healing
  • Prepare Fish Sticks in advance of major fights
  • Fish Sticks don't spoil in bundles (perfect for long expeditions)

Pro Tip: Because eating takes time (character performs an animation), always eat Fish Sticks right after dodging an attack. This maximizes your DPS time while still getting healing when needed.

Drying Racks vs Fish Sticks – Preservation Trade-off

Drying Fish Method
  • Place fish morsel on drying rack
  • Turns into Small Jerky in 1 day
  • Small Jerky heals 8 HP, 12.5 hunger, 10 sanity
  • Lasts 20 days (twice as long as Fish Sticks)
  • Jerky stacks up to 40
  • Better for long-term food stockpiles and sanity
Hybrid Approach
  • Dry half your fish for sanity/long-term storage
  • Cook the other half as Fish Sticks for healing
  • Small Jerky gives only one-fifth the healing of Fish Sticks
  • But jerky provides double the sanity
  • Jerky is great for exploration (stackable, long-lasting)
  • Fish Sticks are better for immediate healing needs

Important: Unlike monster meat, fish has no downside when dried. Dried fish is just as good as dried morsel. Utilize drying racks especially in summer when crock pots might overheat.

Cooking at Scale (Batch Cooking Efficiency)

As you progress, you might find yourself cooking dozens of Fish Sticks for your team:

  • Kitchen layout: Construct multiple Crock Pots around a single Ice Box
  • Placement pattern: Arrange 5-6 pots in a star or ring formation
  • Parallel cooking: Cook 5 Fish Sticks simultaneously in 40 seconds
  • Ingredient bundling: Pre-bundle stacks of ingredients (5 fish + 5 twigs + 10 monster meat)
  • Coordination: Have team members gather specific ingredients
  • Storage: Use Ice Box or Bundling Wrap to preserve finished Fish Sticks
Kitchen Layout Diagram
(Crock Pots around Ice Box)

👥 Character Synergies & Conflicts

Wigfrid
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Wigfrid

Great Synergy - Fish Sticks are meat dishes, so Wigfrid loves them (she can only eat meat).

  • They give her 5 sanity which she appreciates
  • Wigfrid calls them "Spears of sea meat," fitting her battle theme
  • Since she has lower max health than Wolfgang, the 40 HP heal is valuable
  • She can easily gather monster meat from battles to use as filler
Wurt
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Wurt

Cannot Eat - Wurt will not eat Fish Sticks (they contain fish meat).

  • Offering Fish Sticks to Wurt results in disgust
  • Her quote on Fish Sticks is "Why you do this to fish?!"
  • However, Wurt is the best supplier of fish to others
  • With her skill tree (added in 2024), she improves merm followers
  • She can help teammates make plenty of Fish Sticks, even if she won't eat them
Warly
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Warly

Mixed Relationship - Warly has some unique interactions with Fish Sticks.

  • Can cook them in his Portable Crock Pot (same recipe)
  • Gets "dish memory" - eating the same dish too soon gives only 70% of stats
  • Should rotate with Pierogi, Barnacle Pita, or Poultices for maximum healing
  • His Chef Pouch keeps food fresh longer
  • Can use seasoning spices on Fish Sticks for buffs:
    • Garlic Powder: defense buff + healing
    • Chili Flakes: warmth and damage buff + healing
Wortox
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Wortox

Low Priority - Wortox rarely needs Fish Sticks for healing.

  • Can heal with souls, so rarely needs foods for HP
  • Should give Fish Sticks to teammates instead
  • Use souls for him, let others have the cooked foods
  • Don't waste limited fish on making healing food for Wortox
WX-78
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WX-78

Standard Usage - No special bonuses but some unique interactions.

  • No direct extra benefit from Fish Sticks
  • When overcharged (in rain/lightning), higher health lets Fish Sticks top it off
  • Warning: If WX is struck by lightning while carrying food, the food spoils faster
  • Have someone else carry Fish Sticks supply if WX plans to tank lightning

🔄 Notable Changes in Recent Updates (Last 18 Months)

June 2024: "Staying Afloat" Update

A major ocean-centric update with fishing improvements:

  • Buffed several fish-based Crock Pot dishes (especially Seafood Gumbo and Surf 'n' Turf)
  • Heavy Ocean Fish now drop more meat when caught
  • Increased spawn rates of some ocean creatures (easier fishing)
  • Added Wurt and Winona skill trees
  • Fish Sticks remained unchanged (already good at 40 HP heal)

March 2024: QoL & Chest Stacking Update

Quality of Life improvements for cooking and storage:

  • Added "Infinite Chest Stack" upgrade for late-game storage
  • Allowed hoarding giant piles of twigs, monster meat, or fish morsels in one chest
  • Made opening certain containers from inventory possible (backpacks, tackle box)
  • Improved accessing ingredients while cooking

Dec 2024 - Feb 2025: Seasonal Events

Winter's Feast & Year of the Catcoon events added temporary fun:

  • Introduced temporary foods and recipes (Feast Cakes, etc.)
  • Year of the Catcoon allowed "adopting" critters with certain foods
  • One requirement for adopting a Kitty Kit was giving it Fish Sticks
  • Fun Easter egg showcasing Fish Sticks as a prized dish even among critters

2023-2025: Character Updates

Several characters received skill trees and updates:

  • Wanda, Wortox, Walter got skill trees
  • Winona and Wurt's skill trees (added June 2024) slightly touch on ocean content
  • Wurt's skills improve Merms and give her incentives to use fish in quests
  • No skills directly modify Fish Sticks recipes
  • Various cookbook display bugs and recipe exclusions fixed

Overall Impact on Fish Sticks

The game updates have generally favored fishing more and more, making Fish Sticks an even more reliable strategy:

  • Ocean has been rebalanced to be more rewarding
  • Higher spawn rates for ocean creatures
  • Reduced dangers like Rockjaw damage
  • Getting fish via boats is less of a hassle than before
  • Fish Sticks remain a great healing option throughout all these updates

🔧 Tools, Mods, and Quality-of-Life Enhancements

In-Game Tools & Tips

📖 Cookbook
  • Craftable via the Food tab
  • Records recipes you've discovered
  • Shows stats and ingredient combos
  • Only shows what you've already cooked once
🐟 Tin Fishin' Bin
  • Acts as a fish container
  • Keeps live fish fresh indefinitely
  • Great for fishing in bulk and cooking later
  • Craftable from the Tackle Receptacle
🎁 Bundle Wraps
  • Stores completed Fish Sticks without spoilage
  • Requires Bee Queen loot to craft
  • Cook a stack of Fish Sticks, wrap them, only open when needed
  • Perfect for emergency healing during expeditions
⚡ Crock Pot Placement
  • Use Geometric Placement for perfect kitchen layouts
  • Position crock pots around a fridge or fire pit
  • Add Lightning Rod and Ice Flingomatic to protect cooking area
  • Organize cooking stations for maximum efficiency

Recommended Mods for Cooking

🍲 Craft Pot / Smarter Crock Pot

Shows you exactly what recipe will result from your ingredients:

  • Displays a Fish Sticks icon before you even cook
  • Eliminates guesswork and accidental Wet Goop
  • Works with controllers (Smarter Crock Pot)
  • Huge QoL for beginners learning recipes
🔄 Crockpot Repeater

Allows "one-click" repeat cooking:

  • After cooking a recipe, press Cook on an empty pot
  • Automatically loads same ingredients from inventory
  • Massively speeds up batch cooking
  • Perfect for preparing multiple Fish Sticks quickly
🔍 Show Me / Insight

Displays detailed info on items when hovering:

  • Days until fish spoils
  • How much health a Fish Stick will restore
  • Example: "Fish Sticks: +40 Health, +37 Hunger, +5 Sanity"
  • Helps prevent eating spoiled food
🗺️ Other Helpful Mods
  • Finder: Search for items across containers
  • Combined Status: Show season clock, temperature, etc.
  • Minimap HUD: See ponds and fishing spots easily
  • Item Info for Spices: Shows which spice is applied to foods

Note: Mods are optional. All info needed to make Fish Sticks effectively can be obtained through in-game means or experience. Using mods like Craft Pot can be a learning tool until you memorize recipes.

😂 Community Tricks and Fun Memes

Popular Community Jokes

"Do you like fish sticks?" Joke

There's an old running joke from a 2013 forum meme: "Do you like fish sticks?" – which inevitably someone will reply "Then you're a gay fish!" (a reference to South Park).

This pun was so prevalent that one of the earliest forum posts on Fish Sticks had a user apologizing for making the joke.

Twig Stew Incident

New players often lament, "I tried making fish sticks but got twig stew..."

Of course, there's no twig stew dish; that's slang for Wet Goop. Memes circulate of Warly or Wilson staring at a Crock Pot full of twigs sadly.

The community collectively facepalms remembering their first Wet Goop. If it happens to you, don't worry – even veterans slip up when in a hurry.

Community Wisdom

"Not as good as fish sticks!"

You might catch comments on guides or tier lists like "Fish Tacos are meh – not as good as just making Fish Sticks."

One Chinese guide flat-out states "Fish Tacos: not as good as directly making Fish Sticks".

This has become a common sentiment: many foods requiring specific ingredients simply aren't as value-efficient as Fish Sticks.

Community joke: if unsure what to cook, just make Fish Sticks or Meatballs – tried and true.

Wurt's Protest

Wurt mains sometimes make a show of "destroying" Fish Sticks (dropping them for others, refusing to carry fish dishes) as roleplay.

In one game update stream, developers joked that Wurt might one day get the ability to "spit out" meat dishes fed to her.

Until then, the meme is Wurt shedding a tear whenever a fish is cooked.

Crock Pot Light Trick

It's known but still feels like a cheat: a cooking Crock Pot provides light.

Some players meme that a Crock Pot is the real OP item – "Who needs a Fire Pit when you have 6 Crock Pots burning?"

It's true you can survive night by cooking constantly, but it's not fuel-efficient (and you risk Charlie the moment they finish cooking).

Still, it's a funny pro move to newbie onlookers when you survive dusk with just a Crock Pot's faint light.

🎮 Final Thoughts

With these insights and a pinch of humor, you're well-equipped to master Fish Sticks in Don't Starve Together.

Whether you're healing after a boss fight, converting monster meat into something useful, or just trying to survive winter, Fish Sticks are a reliable staple in any survivor's cookbook.

Remember: one fish, one twig, and a couple of fillers is all it takes to create one of the game's best healing foods!

Happy cooking, and may your fish sticks always be crunchy and never gooey!

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