Stardew Valley fishing explained: How to fish, recipes, bait, tackle, more

Fishing in Stardew Valley is one of the main ways to make money, and it’s also an essential skill to learn if you want to complete the Community Center and Billboard Quests. Here is everything you need to know about fishing in Stardew Valley. 

Fishing in Stardew Valley is a little more complex than it seems on the surface. While there are basic mechanics that ensure you get the catch, there are also a few tips you need to know to make sure you are getting the best fish. 

In addition, using a fishing rod isn’t the only way to get fish in Stardew Valley. In fact, there are some fish that can’t be caught using a rod. Here is everything you need to fish in Stardew Valley. 

• Best ways to catch fish in Stardew Valley
• Recipes to buff fishing in Stardew Valley
• Best bait and tackle to use in Stardew Valley

Best ways to catch fish in Stardew Valley

To catch fish in Stardew Valley, you need fishing tackle like a fishing rod or crab pots. 

You can get your first fishing rod in Stardew Valley by visiting Willy in his Fish Shop after he sends you a note. This will usually happen after you’ve spent a few days on your Farm. 

From there, he will show you the basics of how to catch fish. Step by step, here is how to do it: 

1. Equip your fishing rod.
2. Cast the line by holding down the “Use Tool” button (this will differ from PC to console).
3. Try and get the meter to as full as you can, and release the button to cast the line.
4. An exclamation mark will appear above your character’s head along with a distinct sound when a fish has taken the bait.
5. Click the Use Tool button to start the fishing mini-game. 
6. Repeatedly press the Use Tool button to move the green bar. 
7. Make sure the green bar stays behind the fish until the bar on the right has reached the top. 

If you manage to keep the green bar behind the fish for the entire duration of the mini-game, you will get a Perfect Catch, which increases your chances of catching fish of higher quality. 

If you see bubbles appear on the surface of the water, make sure you try and cast your line to land in them. This is an indication that fish are pretty busy here and will increase your chance for a bite by four times the usual chance.

Fishing with Crab Pots

To catch fish like Crabs, Mussels, Shrimp, and Periwinkles, you need to use a Crab Pot. After you reach Fishing level 3, you will be able to craft them using 40 Wood and 3 Iron Bar. 

To use a Crab Pot, you need to place it in a body of water and put bait in it. When you check the next day, you will have caught something. 

Depending on the day, you can catch lots of fish, but you can also find trash in Crab Pots. Even so, each time you loot one, it yields 5 XP for your fishing skill (yes, even when it’s trash!), making it an easy way to level up. 

You will catch different types of fish depending on where you place your Crab Pots:

• Ocean: Lobster, Cockle, Clam, Crab, Mussel, Shrimp, Oyster.
• Freshwater: Crayfish, Snail, Periwinkle. 

How to use Fish Ponds

Fish Ponds in Stardew Valley are super handy, because you can put almost every fish in them and have a steady supply to grab, and they also yield XP toward your fishing skill. 

Fish Ponds can be crafted by going to Robin’s Shop and placing it on your farm. They cost 5000 gold and you need 200 Stone, 5 Seaweed, and 5 Green Algae to build them. 

Whenever you put a fish in a Fish Pond, you will get small quests from them. These usually are just asking for specific items like Gold Bars, food, or something rare depending on the population. 

Completing these quests allows the population to grow to the maximum of 10, and the fish will spawn Roe and other items for you to grab in the morning. Once you have done the quest, you can empty the pond without having to do it again. Make sure you leave at least one fish in there so that they can respawn back up to 10. 

Recipes to buff fishing in Stardew Valley

There are a few recipes in Stardew Valley that will buff your fishing skill, making it easier to catch fish and level up your fishing skill.  

Here are all the recipes in Stardew Valley that use fish: 

Name	Ingredients	Energy/Health	Buffs	Buff Duration
Chowder	Clam (1)  Milk (1)	E: 225  H: 101	Fishing (+1)	16m 47s
Dish O’ the Sea	Sardine (2)  Hashbrowns (1)	E: 150  H: 67	Fishing (+3)	5m 35s
Escargot	Snail (1)  Garlic (1)	E: 225  H: 101	Fishing (+2)	16m 47s
Fish Stew	Crayfish (1)  Mussel (1)  Periwinkle (1)  Tomato (1)	E: 225  H: 101	Fishing (+3)	16m 47s
Fish Taco	Tuna (1)  Tortilla (1)  Red Cabbage (1)  Mayonnaise (1)	E: 165  H: 74	Fishing (+2)	7m
Lobster Bisque	Lobster (1)  Milk (1)	E: 225  H: 101	Fishing (+3)  Max Energy (+50)	16m 47s
Maple Bar	Maple Syrup (1)  Sugar (1)  Wheat Flour (1	E: 225  H: 101	Farming (+1)  Fishing (+1)  Mining (+1)	16m 47s
Seafoam Pudding	Flounder (1)  Midnight Carp (1)  Squid Ink (1)	E: 175  H: 78	Fishing (+4)	3m 30s
Shrimp Cocktail	Tomato (1)  Shrimp (1)  Wild Horseradish (1)	E: 225  H: 101	Fishing (+1)  Luck (+1)	10m 2s
Trout Soup	Rainbow Trout (1)  Green Algae (1)	E: 100  H: 45	Fishing (+1)	4m 39s

Best bait and tackle to use in Stardew Valley

When you start using the Fibreglass or Iridium fishing rod in Stardew Valley, you can start attaching bait and tackle to make fishing easier. 

There are a few types of bait in the game, and you can also use a range of tackle that gives you special skills while they’re equipped. 

Here is all the bait and bobbers you can find in Stardew Valley: 

Name	Type	Description	Crafting
Bait	Bait	Decreases the time taken for fish to bite (reduces the delay before a nibble by 50%) and lowers chance of getting trash items.	Bug Meat (1)
Magnet	Bait	Increases the treasure chance by 15%.	Iron Bar (1)
Wild Bait	Bait	Gives you the chance to catch two fish at once.	Fiber (10) Slime (5) Bug Meat (5)
Magic Bait	Bait	Allows you to catch fish from any season, time, or weather, from whichever type of water.	Radioactive Ore (1) Bug Meat (3)
Spinner	Tackle	Reduces maximum delay before a nibble by 3.75 seconds.	Iron Bar (2)
Dressed Spinner	Tackle	Reduces maximum delay before a nibble by 7.5 seconds.	Iron Bar (2) Cloth (1)
Trap Bobber	Tackle	The progress bar decreases 33% slower when the fish isn’t within the fishing bar.	Copper Bar (1) Sap (10)
Cork Bobber	Tackle	Green bar size increases by 24 pixels.	Wood (10) Hardwood (5) Slime (10)
Lead Bobber	Tackle	Prevents your fishing bar from bouncing at the bottom.	N/A
Treasure Hunter	Tackle	Increases treasure chance by 5%, and while collecting a treasure chest, the progress bar will remain steady if the fish isn’t within the fishing bar.	Gold Bar (2)
Barbed Hook	Tackle	Makes your catch more secure, causing the “fishing bar” to cling to your catch.	Copper Bar (1) Iron Bar (1) Gold Bar (1)
Curiosity Lure	Tackle	Increases your chance to catch rare fish.	N/A
Quality Bobber	Tackle	Boosts the quality of fish that you catch.	Copper Bar (1) Sap (20) Solar Essence (5)

The best bait without question is Wild Bait. It’s easy to craft, it has the chance to yield two fish every time you make a catch, and it decreases the time it takes for fish to bite. 

Magic bait is also a favorite, because it lets you catch any fish from anywhere, during any season. However, it can be a little challenging to find the materials to craft it, and the bite rate is the same as standard bait. 

In terms of tackle, the Cork Bobber is something to consider if you start catching Legendary Fish. It gives you a bit of an advantage with a bigger Green Bar, and it’s relatively low cost to craft.

That’s everything to know about fishing in Stardew Valley! If you want to know how to catch certain fish, you can check out our guides below.

How to get Largemouth Bass in Stardew Valley | How to catch Sunfish in Stardew Valley | How to get Tuna in Stardew Valley | How to catch Tilapia in Stardew Valley | How to catch Tiger Trout in Stardew Valley | How to catch Walleye in Stardew Valley | How to catch Bream in Stardew Valley