How to fish in Stardew Valley: seasonal & legendary fish, rod guide, more

Catching fish is one of the quickest ways to make money in Stardew Valley, as well as being a key part of the Community Center bundles. Fishing is a crucial skill you need to learn if you want your farm to thrive.

While Stardew Valley is a farming game, it’s not all just watering crops and feeding animals. Activities like mining and fishing are also important, especially if you’ve taken the Community Center route and need to complete the bundles.

Catching fish is one of the most popular features in the life-simulation title as it’s highly addicting and also makes a good chunk of cash fairly swiftly. Here’s everything you need to know, from how to throw a line to the rarest water-dwelling creatures in the game.

Contents:

• How to fish in Stardew Valley
  • Casting
  • Fishing mini-game
  • How to get a perfect catch

• Types of fishing rod in Stardew Valley
  • Bait types
  • Tackle types

• Where to fish in Stardew Valley
• Fishing Skill in Stardew Valley
  • Levels & rewards

• All fish & locations in Stardew Valley
  • Spring fish
  • Summer fish
  • Fall fish
  • Winter fish
  • Year-round fish
  • Legendary fish
  • Crab Pot fish
  • Night Market fish

How to fish in Stardew Valley

First thing’s first: to fish in Stardew Valley, you’re going to need a rod. Head to the beach and then speak to Willy on the pier. He’ll tell you that it’s important to him to carry on the skill into the next generation and gifts you the Bamboo Pole.

To start fishing, you need to equip the rod, stand by a body of water and press the Use Tool button (square on PlayStation, X on Xbox, Y on Nintendo Switch, left mouse button on PC).

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It isn’t as simple as just throwing your line in the water and waiting for a bite, though – you need to play (and win!) a mini-game of sorts in order to catch anything.

Casting

Where and how you cast your line matters when fishing. When first throwing it out, a meter will show up by your character’s hand: this determines how far it’ll go across the water, with red being close and green further away. In most cases, you’ll want it to go as far as possible.

Once a fish has bitten, an alert sound will play and “HIT!” appears on-screen. Quickly press the Use Tool button again to hook it and initiate the catching mini-game.

Fishing mini-game

When throwing your line, you’ll notice a moving green bar with a fish inside appear in the middle of the screen. The aim is to keep the fish inside the green section at all times until the progress bar fills up and it’s caught. If it swims out of the area, the bar decreases and if it drains completely, you lose.

To move the bar, you can either tap the Use Tool button or hold it: tapping keeps it in place while holding raises it upwards quickly. Different types of fish have different movement patterns, so stay on your toes. The mini-game can take a few tries to get used to – don’t get discouraged!

How to get a perfect catch

To get a perfect catch when fishing in Stardew Valley, you need to make sure the fish doesn’t leave the green bar at all when reeling it in. If it goes outside the box for even a split second, it’s impossible to achieve one.

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If successful, you’ll get a higher quality fish as well as increased experience points towards your Fishing Level, so it’s worth trying to get the best catch, especially when you’re at a lower level.

Types of fishing rod in Stardew Valley

There are four types of rod in the game, each with its own improvements. All of them can be bought from Willy’s Fish Shop, though you’ll need to reach a certain Fishing Level to use the better ones. You can also buy a Crab Pot that catches shells and crustaceans overnight.

Bait types

The Fiberglass and Iridium poles can both hold bait, which is used to attract fish quicker. Some baits have additional benefits, too.

Tackle types

Like bait, tackle is attached to the Iridium Rod. It also makes fish easier to catch, and each type has its own additional benefit. They last for 20 uses before breaking.

Where to fish in Stardew Valley

You can fish in 14 locations in Stardew Valley. Some creatures only show up in certain places so it’s important to know where each fishing spot is if you’re wanting to complete your Collections menu.

Fishing Skill in Stardew Valley

The Fishing Skill tree has 10 levels, each with its own rewards and unlocks. It is increased by using a fishing rod or the Crab Pot, and raises your Proficiency, bobber height, and fish size, and decreases bite delay.

Levels & rewards

All fish & locations in Stardew Valley

There are almost 100 fish in the game, all with various locations, times, seasons, and weather conditions. Some even require you to be a certain Fishing Level before they start spawning.

Spring fish

Summer fish

Fall fish

Winter fish

Year-round fish

Legendary fish

There are five Legendary fish, meaning you can only catch them once per save file. It’s up to you what you do with them, whether you want to keep them as trophies or display them, but they all sell for a lot of money if you’re in need of cash.

Crab Pot fish

While the Crab Pot isn’t necessarily a fishing rod, you can catch certain types of sea creatures with it. Once you’re at Fishing Level 3, you can put them into any body of water and leave them overnight to see what you get. Ocean and freshwater have different fish so make sure you put a Pot in both.

Night Market fish

These three fish can only be caught at the Night Market event on Winter 15–17. You’ll go on a submarine ride and have the chance to go fishing. If you miss the opportunity, you’ll have to wait a whole year so make sure you remember!