Summary
Fishing is one of the trickier mechanics inStardew Valley, often taking new players a great deal of time and practice to master. Whether trying to cook dishes in the kitchen or complete the community center, plenty of farmers have spent far too long trying waiting for a bite, only for the fish to slip away.
With the right materials and a little patience, players can eventually start reeling in bigger, rarer, higher-quality catches. These can be instrumental in completing certain objectives, obtaining achievements, and even raising money for the farm. Here are some tips and tricks on how to catch fish.
Updated July 16, 2025,by Demaris Oxman:Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update is now available for all consoles, making it the perfect time to dive back into everyone’s favorite farming sim. This charming, cozy game lets players build a variety of skills, including the art of reeling in fish from rivers, lakes, and seas. Version 1.6 has added several items, balancing tweaks, and quality-of-life changes, many of which affect the Fishing skill. This guide has been updated to keep up with these changes, and help players become more successful at fishing than ever before.
9Pay Attention To Time, Weather, Location, & Seasons
Available Fish Depend On Many Factors
As mostStardew Valleyplayers know,different fish are active at different times. Some only come out in the rain; others can only be caught during certain seasons. Oceans, lakes, and rivers are all home to different creatures. If players are looking for a specific species, it’s important to understand their patterns and know when and where. they will appear.
Certain fish are required for specific quests, recipes, and bundles for the Community Center. To learn when and where to catch them all, check outthis handy chartfrom Steam userkraviz.
8Upgrade The Fishing Rod
Better Tools Make Fishing Easier
Unlike other tools such as the axe or watering can, the fishing rod isn’t upgraded by having an expert work on it. Rather, players can simply buy a higher-tier rod once they reach certain levels in the Fishing skill. Each of these are available at Willy’s shop by the ocean.
The final fishing rod, theAdvanced Iridium Rod, is only available when players achieve Fishing Mastery. This rod allows players to use two kinds of tackle at once.
7Watch For Fish Frenzies
Catch A Specific Fish Rapidly
After spending at least 15 days in-game, players may occasionally get a notice in the bottom right corner of their screen that reads:“A [fish species] frenzy has begun in [location].“This means that, if the player goes to that location, they will find an abundance of that specific fish.
A Fishing Frenzy can happen on any day that isn’t a festival day, at any time before 11pm. During a Frenzy, players will only be able to catch the designated fish, and bite time will be halved from its normal rate. This allows players to catch lots of fish faster, giving players the chance to increase their fishing level quickly.Check out this guide for some other tipson making the most of a fishing frenzy.
6Craft Special Bait
Wild & Deluxe Bait Help Players Catch More Fish
Once players have upgraded from the Basic Rod, it’s always a good idea to use bait when fishing. However, there are better options available than the basic bait crafted from Bug Meat.
If playersbefriend local nature man Linus, he’ll teach them his recipe forWild Bait.Wild Bait has a higher bite rate than regular bait, cutting down on the time that players spend waiting for a tug on their fishing line. Even more impressively, it gives players the chance to catch two fish at once. It’s crafted fromslime, fiber, and bug meat, so save these materials to make tempting treats for the fish.
At Fishing Level 4, players learn the crafting recipe forDeluxe Bait.Made with moss and standard bait, Deluxe Bait decreases the delay before a bite by 67%. This makes fishing go much faster, allowing players to catch more fish (and thus gather more Fishing XP) in a shorter period of time. It also increases the size of the fishing bar by 12 pixels, making it a tiny bit easier to reel those catches in.
5Choose The Right Tackle
Gain An Array Of Advantages
Once players obtain the Iridium Rod, they can attachtackleto their fishing rods in addition to bait. However, not every tackle option is equally useful. TheBarbed Hookis among the least effective, as it only works with fish that are already easy to catch. Some of the better options include the ones below:
4Cook Skill-Boosting Recipes
Increase The Fishing Level Up To 14
Several recipes including fish, particularly those thatWilly sends the player in the mail, can be used to temporarily raise the player’s Fishing skill. Thisincreases the size of the fishing bar, making it easier for players to reel in their catch.
Even players who have maxed out their Fishing skill can benefit from taking these along on their fishing expeditions — especially if they’re hoping to catch tougher fish (or perhapseven Legendary ones). Cook up these dishes in bulk:
3Control Casts With The Movement Keys
Fine-Tune Where The Line Lands
MostStardew Valleyplayers know the basics of casting their fishing line: highlight the fishing rod, hold down the Use Tool button, and release it to cast. However, not everyone knows that it’s possible to curve the cast slightly to the right or left.
Players canuse the movement keys during the brief moment between releasing the button and the moment the line lands in the water. This will skew the cast slightly in the respective direction, allowing players better control over where their line ends up. Such control comes in especially handy considering the next tip.
2Look For Bubbles
Prime Fishing Spots
Occasionally, a patch of bubbles will appear in the ocean, lake, or other water in which players can fish. Whenever these appear, players should try their best to cast their line into these bubbles. Doing so provides a number of benefits: fishbite faster,trash is less likely to appear, andhigher-difficulty fish are more common.
Players will know they’ve cast into the right spot when they seeblue sparklesappear above where their line lands in the water. Using the above method of directing a cast is especially helpful when trying to land these bubbles.
1Be Patient
It’s Called Fishing, Not Catching
One doesn’t become a great fisherman overnight. Many players won’t be able to catchlingcod or sturgeonright away; rather, they’ll work their way up by reeling in sunfish and herring. Most skills inStardew Valleyrequire some amount of grindingto become truly useful, and fishing is no exception.
For players to really improve their fishing skills and reel in valuable catches, they’ll need todedicate several in-game daysto standing at the edge of the water, fishing rod in hand. Though it may be one of the slower-moving skills to raise inStardew Valley, fishing will pay off eventually.
