There’s tons of content inStardew Valleyto 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.
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.
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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’re able to 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 thesecond 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.
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 theocean, the river, and the lake. Here’s what you need to do to startfishing inStardew Valley:
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.
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.
The key here for beginners is patience and practice because theStardew Valleyfishing 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.Baitcan be acquired through the following techniques:
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 may take the bait off of your rod by hovering over your fishing rod in your inventory and engaging the “use” button again.
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
SinceStardew Valleyshowcases 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
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.
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.
Extended Family quest Legendary fish
In addition toStardew Valley’sstandard 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.
Crab Pot fish
Craft or buy a Crab Pot to discover more fish inStardew Valley. They’ll float on any body of water, luring in critters with their bait.
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.
If you want the ultimate angler experience, check out our guide on thebest fish for your fishing pond. There are sure to be even more fish as moreStardew Valleyupdates roll out, so come back to see what other critters you can find.
