Where To Get the Super Rod in Pokémon Crystal

You can get the Super Rod from a fisherman living in a small house in the middle of Route 12. This route is south of Lavender Town and east of Vermilion City, but neither of these access points are available when you first get to Kanto.

So the easiest way to get to Route 12 is by starting at Fuchsia City and working your way east through Routes 15, 14, and 13, until finally getting to Route 12 from the south.

Just note that you’ll only be able to acquire the Super Rod in the post-game in Crystal. So before you can even reach Kanto you’ll need to defeat the Elite Four at least once.

Prerequisites

The fisherman who’ll give you the Super Rod is located on the eastern edge of the Kanto region on Route 12.

To reach Kanto for the first time, you must complete these prereqs:

Obtain all eight Johto Badges.
Defeat the Elite IV and Champion Lance at the Indigo Plateau.
Receive the S.S. Ticket from Prof. Elm in New Bark Town.
Board the S.S. Aqua to sail to Kanto’s Vermilion City.

Once you head to Kanto you’ll land in Vermilion City.

From there, go north to Saffron City, west to Celadon, and then ride down the Cycling Road (west of Celadon) to reach Fuchsia City. This will allow you to pick up the Super Rod shortly after you arrive in Kanto.

Getting the Super Rod (Step-by-Step)

Leave Fuchsia City through the eastern gate toward Route 15.

Approaching Fuchsia City’s eastern exit.

Tip: There are many trainers and some patches of tall grass on the way, so make sure your Pokémon are in good health before leaving Fuchsia City.

Follow Route 15 eastward into Route 14.

Route 15, Fuchsia City entrance.

Walk a few paces south upon entering Route 15, then continue in a straight line eastward.

Route 15, west side.

You get to choose between facing a bunch of trainers or walking through the tall grass. Either way, stay alert and heal when necessary.

Tip: Trainers in this area have Pokémon in the Lv. 27 to 36 range.

You’ll eventually cross into Route 14.

Entering Route 14 from Route 15.

Follow Route 14 as it turns northward.

Tip: The trainers on Route 14 have Pokémon in the Lv. 29 to 35 range.

Route 14, south.

It’s a straight line to Route 13 from this point onward. Just follow the road!

You’ll then need to traverse the wooden maze on Route 13 until you exit eastward to Route 12. It’s easy to get disoriented by the repetitive surroundings in the maze though.

So here’s the most straightforward way through the maze:

Path through Route 13 maze. / Pokémon Crystal — (Click for full-size)

Tip: Trainers on Route 13 have Pokémon ranging from Lv. 23 to 34. Watch out for larger teams!

Once you’re out of the maze just follow Route 12 northward, walking along the water.

Route 12, south section.

Keep going north until you find a house with a lavender roof in the middle of Route 12. Head inside when you find it.

Approaching the lavender roof house on Route 12.

Talk to the fisherman inside the house sitting at the table.

He’ll simply ask whether you like fishing or not. Tell him you do, and he’ll reward your enthusiasm with the Super Rod.

Obtaining the Super Rod.

What Does the Super Rod Offer?

The Super Rod’s main feature is hooking higher-level Pokémon when fishing around the watery regions in Johto and Kanto.

Rod Tier	Hooked Pokémon Levels
Old Rod	Level 10
Good Rod	Level 20
Super Rod	Level 40

It also lets you catch rare Pokémon in certain fishing spots that you just couldn’t hook with the Old and Good Rods. These include powerhouses like Dragonair and Seadra.

Best Super Rod Fishing Spots

There are only 10 different fishing encounter tables in Pokémon Crystal.

Each encounter table comprises multiple routes and locations in the game world where you’ll be able to find the same Pokémon species at similar rates.

To save you time in your journey to hook ‘em all, I’ve chosen to highlight only the best fishing spots based on Pokémon rarity and variety.

Pokémon Caught with Super Rod	Fishing Locations
Krabby Kingler Staryu Corsola	Cherrygrove City, Olivine City, Cianwood City, Cerulean City, Dark Cave. Routes 14, 19, 34, and 40.
Tentacruel Shellder Chinchou Lanturn	New Bark Town, Olivine City (harbor), Vermilion City, Pallet Town, and Cinnabar Island. Routes 20, 21, 26, 27, and 41.
Magikarp Dratini Dragonair	Route 45 and Dragon’s Den.
Tentacool Magikarp Qwilfish	Routes 12, 13, and 32.
Krabby Kingler Horsea Seadra	Whirl Islands.

Pokémon in bold can only be hooked in these locations.

Note: The rates at which you’ll encounter these Pokémon will also vary throughout the day.

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Nelson Chitty

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Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.

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