To get a fishing rod, you first have to complete the Water Temple, participate in the battle at Khur, and wake up Arciella in the Tent so you can enter the Sand Swamp. Then, travel to the Thunder Highlands and go to the dock at the bottom (the Axu2 Walkthrough - Optional Characters PDF in the game folder has a more thorough guide on how to get there.) Take the ferry to Bablo Isle, then look for the jumping green man just below the main dojo building. He'll give you the rod voucher which you can turn in for a fishing rod in Del Nyan.
As for cooking meals, that's currently mostly limited to saves where Claire and Vespa are dating. If they are, you can cook for Claire in Capital City, in the Castle's Royal Kitchen.