How to fish in Stardew Valley (2024)

There’s tons of content inStardew Valley to keep you busy, but one of the most fun — and financially rewarding — is fishing. There’s a wide variety of different fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods to catch in the game, as well as some other exciting surprises along the way.

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But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; the first step is mastering the basics before you venture out into open waters, and on that front, we’ve got you covered.

Table of contents

  • Stardew Valley fishing: A step-by-step guide
    • How to get fishing pole in Stardew Valley
    • How to play fishing minigame in Stardew Valley
    • How to put bait on a fishing rod in Stardew Valley
  • All fish in Stardew Valley
    • Seasonal fish
    • Legendary fish
    • Night Market fish
    • Extended Family quest Legendary fish
    • Crab Pot fish
    • Miscellaneous captures

Stardew Valley fishing: A step-by-step guide

There are different levels of fishing poles inStardew Valley, the first of which is the Bamboo Pole. You can then work your way up to the higher tiers, including Fiberglass Rods and Iridium Rods.

How to get fishing pole in Stardew Valley

The morning of the second day of Spring, you’ll wake up to a letter from the town fisherman, Willy, inviting you to come and meet him down at the dock. Fortunately, this event happens early on, as the game always begins in Spring. Travel to the beach area to start a short cutscene for the fishing pole.

How to fish in Stardew Valley (1)

Upon taking him up on his offer, Willy will give you the Bamboo Pole, allowing you to catch fish. Hooray!

Once you get your fishing skill to level 3, you can get the next best rod from Willy: the Fiberglass Rod, which you can purchase for 1,800 gold. The Fiberglass Rod unlocks the ability to put bait on your line — more on that later. The final fishing rod you’ll have access to is the Iridium Rod, which will run you a steep 7,500 gold and will unlock after you reach fishing level 6. The Iridium Rod allows you to add bait as well as various fishing tackle, but again, we’ll cover that below.

How to play fishing minigame in Stardew Valley

Okay, so you’ve finally got your fishing rod, but how do you actually use it? With your rod equipped, walk up to a body of water. The three main fishing locations in Pelican Town include the ocean, the river, and the lake. Here’s what you need to do to start fishing in Stardew Valley:

  1. Find a body of water.
  2. With your fishing rod equipped, hold down the button ‘Use tool’ button.
  3. A meter will appear to determine how long you’ll cast it. Hold and release the button at your desired length.
  4. Wait for a bite, displaying an exclamation point near your character, and press the ‘Use tool’ button.
  5. A bar appears, and you must keep the smaller green bar hovering over the fish to capture it (tapping the ‘Use tool’ button works best).

Holding the ‘Use tool’ button with the fishing rod brings up a meter that allows you to gauge how far you want to cast your line (holding it longer results in a longer throw). To cast, simply release the button at the right time, and you should be all set.

How to fish in Stardew Valley (2)

When you get a bite on the line, you’ll hear a sound cue and see a little exclamation point animation pop up. Hit that same button again to start the fishing mini-game. A bar will appear with a smaller green bar inside and a meter to the right. The goal here is to fill the meter on the right by hovering the green bar over the fish icon as it moves upside down. When you press (or hold) the button, the bar goes up, and when you release it, the bar goes down. The key to a successful catch, nine times out of ten, will require you to tap the button to keep the bar hovering.

How to fish in Stardew Valley (3)

The key here for beginners is patience and practice because theStardew Valley fishing mini-game is notoriously difficult, especially at the start of the game. It seems counter-intuitive, but the more fish you catch, the more you’ll level up your fishing skills, which will cause your green bar to grow bigger and actually make things easier. If all else fails, Willy sells a practice fishing rod at his shop on the beach, permitting you to get a better feel for it before moving on and up.

How to put bait on a fishing rod inStardew Valley

Once you’re in the big leagues with the more advanced fishing rods, some other elements will come into play. The first of these is bait, which allows you to catch fish more frequently, causing them to bite faster. Bait can be acquired through the following techniques:

  • Willy’s Fish Shop
  • Craft bug meat (kill monsters in the mines)
  • Found in treasure chests (can fish these items up)

Putting the bait on your rod is pretty simple. All you’ll need to do is pick up the stack of bait in your inventory and hover over the fishing rod. Then, select the “use” button (right-click or the face button in the western position on a controller) to add the bait to your rod. You can take the bait off of your rod by hovering over your fishing rod in your inventory and engaging the “use” button again.

How to fish in Stardew Valley (4)

The Iridium Rod allows you to add tackle as well, including items like bobbers, spinners, and weights that give you different advantages and will enable you to catch some of the game’s more challenging fish. Any tackle can be added to your Iridium Rod using the same technique you used to add bait.

All fish in Stardew Valley

Since Stardew Valley showcases various seasons and locations, there is a vast array of fish types out there. We’ll break down each type, including standard seasonal, Legendary, Legendary II, Night Market, and Crab Pot fish.

Seasonal fish

Fish TypeSeasonLocationTimeWeather
AlbacoreFall and WinterOcean6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Any
AnchovySpringOceanAny timeAny
Blue DiscusAll seasonsGinger Island pond and riversAny timeAny
BreamAll seasonsRiver6 p.m. to 2 a.m.Any
BullheadAll seasonsMountain LakeAny timeAny
CarpAll seasonsMountain Lake, Secret Woods, Pond, SewersAny timeAny
CatfishSpring, Summer (Secret Woods), and Winter (only with Rain Totem)River, Secret Woods, Pond, Witch’s Swamp6 a.m. to 12 a.m.Rain
ChubAll seasonsCindersap Forest River and Mountain LakeAny timeAny
DoradoSummerCindersap Forest River6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
EelSpring and FallOcean4 p.m. to 2 a.m.Rain
FlounderSpring, Summer, and all seasons on Ginger IslandOcean and Ginger Island oceans6 a.m. to 8 p.m.Any
GhostfishAll seasonsThe Mines (Floors 20 and 60) and Ghost dropsAny timeAny
HalibutSpring, Summer, WinterOcean6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Any
HerringSpring and WinterOceanAny timeAny
Ice PipAll seasonsThe Mines (60th floor)Any timeAny
Largemouth BassAll seasonsMountain Lake6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
Lava EelAll seasonsMountain Lake, Cindersap Forest pond, Ginger Island pond and riversAny timeAny
LionfishAll seasonsGinger Island oceanAny timeAny
LingcodWinterRiver (Town and Forest) and Mountain LakeAny timeAny
Midnight CarpFall, Winter, and all seasons on Ginger IslandMountain Lake, Cindersap Forest pond, and Ginger Island pond and rivers10 p.m. to 2 a.m.Any
OctopusSummer and all seasons on Ginger IslandOcean and Ginger Island oceans6 a.m. to 1 p.m.Any
PerchWinterRiver (Town and Forest), Forest Pond, Mountain LakeAny timeAny
PikeSummer and WinterRiver (Town and Forest) and Forest PondAny timeAny
PufferfishSummer and all seasons on Ginger IslandOcean and Ginger Island oceans12 p.m. to 4 p.m.Sun
Rainbow TroutSummerRiver (Town and Forest) and Mountain Lake6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Sun
Red MulletSummer and WinterOcean6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
Red SnapperSummer, Fall, Winter (only with Winter Totem)Ocean6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Rain
SalmonFallRiver (Town and Forest) and Forest Waterfalls6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
SandfishAll seasonsThe Desert6 a.m. to 8 p.m.Any
SardineSpring, Fall, WinterOcean6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
Scorpion CarpAll seasonsThe Desert6 a.m. to 8 p.m.Any
Sea CucumberFall and WinterOcean6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
Sea Cucumber (Purple variant)Summer, Fall, and all seasons on Ginger IslandOcean and Ginger Island oceans6 p.m. to 2 a.m.Any
SlimejackAll seasonsMutant Bug LairAny timeAny
ShadSpring, Summer, FallRiver (Town and Forest)9 a.m. to 2 a.m.Rain
Smallmouth BassSpring and FallRiver (Town) and Forest PondAny timeAny
SquidWinterOcean6 p.m. to 2 a.m.Any
StingrayAll seasonsPirate Cover (Ginger Island)Any timeAny
StonefishAll seasonsThe Mines (20th floor)Any timeAny
SturgeonSummer and WinterMountain Lake6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
SunfishSpring and SummerRiver (Town and Forest)6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Sun and Wind
Tiger TroutFall and WinterRiver (Town and Forest)6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
TilapiaSummer, Fall, and all seasons on Ginger IslandOcean and Ginger Island rivers6 a.m. to 2 p.m.Any
TunaSummer, Winter, and all seasons on Ginger IslandOcean and Ginger Island oceans6 a.m. to 7 p.m.Any
Void SalmonAll seasonsWitch’s SwampAny timeAny
WalleyeFall and Winter (Rain Totem pole only)River (Town and Forest), Forest Pond, Mountain Lake12 p.m. to 2 a.m.Rain
WoodskipAll seasonsSecret Woods pond and Forest FarmAny timeAny

Legendary fish

The Legendary type goes a step above the normal ones, displaying a crown on their icons for their elite status. They can only be caught once with each save file, which is why they are so rare. You’ll need to have a higher Fishing Level, as they cannot be acquired with lower ranks like the Bamboo Pole.

Fish TypeSeasonLocationTimeWeatherFishing Level Requirement
AnglerFallWooden bridge near JojaMartAny timeAnyLevel 3
CrimsonfishSummerThe Beach (East Pier)Any timeAnyLevel 5
GlacierfishWinterSouth of Arrowhead Island in Cindersap ForestAny timeAnyLevel 6
LegendSpringMountain Lake (near a log)Any timeRainLevel 10
Mutant CarpAll seasonsThe SewersAny timeAnyN/A

Night Market fish

The three-day festival, Night Market, gives you the chance to obtain various unique goods. Go to the Submarine to start fishing for exclusive fish, including other types that are available throughout the seasons.

Fish TypeSeasonLocationTime
BlobfishWinter 15, 16, and 17The Beach5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Midnight SquidWinter 15, 16, and 17The Beach5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Spook FishWinter 15, 16, and 17The Beach5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Extended Family quest Legendary fish

In addition to Stardew Valley’s standard Legendary fish, you can get ahold of the Extended Family quest’s Legendary IIs. Go to the same spots as the Legendaries to uncover other variants.

Fish TypeSeasonLocationTimeWeatherFishing Level Requirement
Glacierfish Jr. All seasonsSouth of Arrowhead Island in Cindersap ForestAny timeAnyLevel 6
Legend IIAll seasonsMountain Lake near logAny timeAnyLevel 10
Ms. AnglerAll seasonsWooden bridge near JojaMartAny timeAnyLevel 3
Radioactive CarpAll seasonsThe SewersAny timeAnyN/A
Sons of CrimsonfishAll seasonsThe Beach East PierAny timeAnyLevel 5

Crab Pot fish

Craft or buy a Crab Pot to discover more fish in Stardew Valley. They’ll float on any body of water, luring in critters with their bait.

Fish TypeLocation
ClamOcean
CockleOcean
CrabOcean
CrayfishFreshwater
LobsterOcean
MusselOcean
OysterOcean
PeriwinkleFreshwater
ShrimpOcean
SnailFreshwater

Miscellaneous captures

Sometimes, you’ll catch miscellaneous items that aren’t a fish at all. These objects can be used in multiple recipes or sold through the shop.

ItemsLocation
Cave JellyMines – Level 20, 60, and 100
Green AlgaeAnywhere (except for the Farm Pond in Standard Farm)
River JellyFreshwater
Sea JellySaltwater
SeaweedOcean (Fishing) or Beach (Foraging)
White AlgaeMines, Sewers, Mutant Bug Lair, Witch’s Swamp

If you want the ultimate angler experience, check out our guide on the best fish for your fishing pond. There are sure to be even more fish as more Stardew Valley updates roll out, so come back to see what other critters you can find.

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