In Stardew Valley, fish and fishing skills grant many different beneficial effects on improving your farm. For instance, you may get different items that can help you complete some achievements in the game. Moreover, you can catch various fish in order to cook some special dishes or sell and earn a lot of golds. In addition, you will need those fish while completing the bundles in the Community Center. Now it is time to learn anything about fish and fishing skill in Stardew Valley.
(This guide has been written based on PC gameplay.)
General Information About Fishing
Fish is available in oceans, rivers, lakes and some different locations that you can explore by progressing in the game. There are simply two different ways to catch fish or some items while advancing in fishing skill of your character. In other words, you can catch fish by a fishing pole or crab pots. The former is a way that brings a mini-game for catching a fish. The latter is an easier way and you can catch some fish that you cannot catch by using a fishing pole. Another detail is that you can catch some trashes while you are trying to catch the fish that you desire. In case of catching some, you can use those trashes in order to convert them into a useful item thanks to the Recycling Machine.
In addition to those, except the tools, there are some conditions to catch them. For example, some fish can only be caught at specific times of a day or during a specific season or even during a specific weather. However, there are baits that you can use in order to make the fishing mini-game easier or get more treasures and there is one which is called Magic Bait which makes it possible to catch any fish regardless of weather, time or season. Therefore, the fishing system in Stardew Valley is a bit complicated. Lastly, before getting deeper into the fishing guide, the name and length of the fish which you have caught are shown after catching. Moreover, it is possible to display how many fish you have caught so far and their lengths in the Collections Menu.
The name and length of the fish
Here we are getting deeper into this guide. Let’s start with getting knowledge about those vivid creatures that bring some experience to us.
Mini-game and Types of Fish
In Stardew Valley, when you players aim to catch some fish, you start looking for a place to cast a fishing pole. When you get to the place that you wish, it is time to play a mini-game. As soon as a fish is hooked, a minigame that lets the player catch it begins. In this minigame, a fish-like icon goes vertically up and down. A green bar that you control rises when the left mouse button is pressed and descends when it is not. Unless a Lead Bobber is attached, the green bar bounces when it reaches the minigame’s bottom edge.
When the fish is kept inside the green bar, a catch meter rises; when it is not, it drops. The fish is caught when the catch meter is full. If the meter runs out, the fish flees. In the event of catching the fish without letting it slip out the green bar once, the catch is done perfectly, which means that the quality of the fish that you have just caught has increased.
After a short detail, here’s the types of fish in the mini-game. While you try to catch the fish in the game, you basically realise that some fish are harder to catch. The reason why some are different is the fact that some fish are more precious or rare. Let’s check the 5 types of fish in the mini-game:
- Mixed: These fish use the basic movement pattern.
- Smooth: These fish have a more steady movement pattern.
- Sinker: These fish have a faster downwards acceleration.
- Floater: These fish have a faster upwards acceleration.
- Dart: These fish move more random with a [2 x difficulty]% higher possible amplitude in both directions, moving erratically up and down the fishing bar.
How to Fish
In Stardew Valley, in order to catch some fish, the first thing you have to do is to find a body of water. After deciding which body of water on which you will cast your fishing pole, it is time to play a little mini-game. To cast a fishing pole into a body of water, hold down the Use Tool button which is Left Click button on PC.
Green Bar
After clicking the button, a meter pops up, which shows how far the barb will go. You can release the button in order to cast. The movement keys can also be used to slightly adjust the line’s location mid-cast, giving the player more control over the cast’s aim and enabling them to cast diagonally by one tile, which can enable them to strike bubbles that would otherwise be inaccessible.
A distinct sound and an exclamation mark appear above your character’s head when a fish bites, and the bobber wiggles. The mini-game will begin after you click the Use Tool button.
Hit sound
The radius of action for the fishing line is indicated by a moveable green bar on the mini-game display. In order to complete the fishing mini-game, you must keep the fish icon inside the green bar until it fills the entire progress bar on the right. The progress bar lowers if the fish icon moves above or below the green bar, and the fish flees if the progress bar hits the bottom. As you have already read, after catching the fish, the game shows the length and the name of the fish that you have just caught.
Fishing Poles
There are 4 of these tools that you can use in order to catch some fish.
- Training Rod: This one grants an easier experience to the player. However, there is a handicap for an easier use, which is that you can only catch common fish by this rod. You can buy this rod for 25 golds from Willy’s Fish Shop.
- Bamboo Pole: This pole is common one which you can use until you unlock the better ones. You can buy it for 500 golds from Willy’s Fish Shop. However, in the 2nd of Spring, after receiving Willy’s letter, he gives it to you for free.
- Fiberglass Rod: After increasing your fishing level to 2, you will get a letter from Willy. Then, you can buy this rod for 1800 golds. You can use baits with it.
- Iridium Rod: After increasing your fishing level to 6, you will get a letter from Willy. Then, you can buy this rod for 7500 golds. It is also possible to use baits and tackle with it.
Tackles
- Barbed Hook: The ‘Fishing Bar’ clings to the fish you’re attempting to catch because of the barbed hook.
- Cork Bobber: This tackle increases the size of the ‘Fishing Bar’.
- Treasure Hunter: It boosts the chances of finding treasure chests.
- Dressed Spinner: It increases the bite-rate.
- Trap Bobber: This one slows down the decrease rate of the catch progress bar.
- Lead Bobber: It prevents ‘Fishing Bar’ from bouncing when it hits the bottom.
- Spinner: It slightly increases the bite-rate.
Baits
There are four types of baits that you fishers can use in order for different purposes. As it has already been mentioned in the section “Fishing Poles”, you can attach those baits to Fiberglass Rod and Iridium Rod. Additionally, you can put it into a crab pot.
- Bait: This one makes it possible for fish to bite faster. It also decreases the chance of catching rubbish items. You can buy it for 5 golds from Willy’s Fish Shop. Moreover, you get its recipe at Fishing Level 2. You get 5 baits in exchange for a bug meat.
- Magnet: It boosts the chance to find treasure chests by 15%. Nevertheless, the bite rate is the same. It is possible to buy it for 1000 golds from Willy’s Fish Shop. The other way that is to get it is to craft it for an iron bar after unlocking its recipe at Fishing Level 9.
- Wild Bait: Once you experience 4-heart event of Linus, you get the recipe of that unique bait which brings the chance to catch two fish at once. It can be crafted for 10 fibers, 5 slimes and 5 bug meats.
- Magic Bait: This special one makes it possible to catch any fish regardless of season, time or weather. You can buy 20 of those baits for 5 Qi Gems or its recipe for 20 Qi Gems. It requires a radioactive ore and 3 bug meats to craft it.
Crab Pot
Your fishing level also increases thanks to catching fish by crab pots. You do not waste any energy while catching something by crab pots. For this reason, the only thing you need to do is to place it to any shores of bodies of water like lakes, ocean, ponds or rivers. Moreover, you need to put a bait in it in order to make it work. A detail about this issue is that you can use any kind of baits, but their additional effects will not be working in crab pots. If you choose the Luremaster Profession at your level 10 fishing skill which will be mentioned in this article also, you do not need to add bait to crab pots.
Lots of Crab Pots
As I have already mentioned, you can increase your fishing skill by crab pots. For this reason, no matter what you harvest (it can be both trash or fish), harvesting a crab pot brings you 5 fishing experience points.
It is time to learn how to get a crab pot in Stardew Valley. You can basically craft it after you hit 3 level in fishing skill. It requires 40 woods and 3 iron bars. However, if you have chosen Trapper Profession, you can craft it for 25 woods and 2 copper bars. Another way is that you can buy one from Willy’s Fish Shop for 1500 golds. Lastly, you get 3 free crab pots when you have completed the Crab Pot Bundle in the Community Center.
Crab Pot Products
Any body of water:
- Broken Glasses
- Broken CD
- Soggy Newspaper
- Driftwood
- Trash
Saltwater:
- Clam
- Shrimp
- Cockle
- Crab
- Oyster
- Lobster
- Mussel
Freshwater:
- Crayfish
- Snail
- Periwinkle
Fishing Skill
Here’s the last part of this guide for fishing in Stardew Valley. Your fishing level can be maximum of 10. Each level of fishing skill grants you adventurers +1 Fishing Rod Proficiency, minimum fish size, bobber bar height and it also decreases the time you waste while waiting for a fish to bite. Lastly, it increases chance to find quality fish. For instance, you have more chance to catch iridium, gold or silver quality fish when you hit 10 level in fishing. Let’s check each level of fishing skill:
Levels
Level 1:
- Casting distance increased by one tile
Level 2:
- You can buy Fiberglass Rod and Bait from Willy’s Fish Shop
- You can craft 5 baits for bug meat
Level 3:
- You can buy crab pots from Willy’s Fish Shop
- You can craft crab pot
- You can cook Dish o’ The Sea
Level 4:
- Casting distance increased by one tile
- You can craft the Recycling Machine for 25 woods, 25 stones and 1 iron bar
Level 5
Level 5:
You are supposed to choose between two different professions
- Fisher: Your fish worth 25% more.
- Trapper: You can craft crab pots with less required resources.
Level 6:
- You can buy Iridium Rod, Lead Bobber, Spinner and Trap Bobber from Willy’s Fish Shop
- You can craft Trap Bobber and Spinner
Level 7:
- You can buy Cork Bobber and Treasure Hunter from Willy’s Fish Shop
- You can craft Cork Bobber and Treasure Hunter
Level 8:
- Casting distance increased by one tile
- You can buy Barbed Hook and Dressed Spinner from Willy’s Fish Shop
- You can craft Worm Bin, Barbed Hook and Dressed Spinner
Level 9:
- You can buy Magnet from Willy’s Fish Shop
- You can craft Magnet
- You can cook Seafoam Pudding
Level 10:
You are supposed to choose between two different professions depending on your choice at level 5
- Fisher
- Angler: Your fish worth 50% more.
- Pirate: This profession doubles your chance to find a treasure chest.
- Trapper
- Mariner: This profession makes it possible for crab pots not to produce junk items anymore.
- Luremaster: Your crab pots do not require bait anymore.
Congratulations! You have come to end of this guide after a long reading! Hope the guide has worked for you in Stardew Valley!
See you until we meet in another Stardew Valley guide!
