One of the most prominent themes of Stardew Valley is freedom. Removing yourself from the shackles of a sterile and uncaring corporate machine to tend the earth is, on its own, enough to appeal to the most stone-hearted of us. But that throughline touches on much more than growing crops. In Stardew Valley there is no ultimate end-game goal outside of “have fun.” Yes, you can cook, fight monsters in the mine, rebuild the community center, find romance, and more, but it’s never a requirement. You can pursue any and all activities at your leisure.

Freedom.

One of the activities available to pursue is fishing, which can be a surprisingly lucrative venture in Stardew Valley. In addition to selling particularly valuable fish, you can also use them to complete bundles for the community center, and as ingredients in cooking. There are also five legendary fish to seek out, making this side activity a robust distraction from life on the farm. In this guide, we’ll run down where and when to catch the most valuable fish, and how to track down those pesky legendary water dwellers.

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – General Tips for Fishing

When focusing on fishing, there are a few general things to keep in mind. First, like crops, there are four different qualities of fish to be aware of: base quality, silver, gold, and iridium. As you might guess, the higher the quality, the more money you can sell your catch for. You can multiply the gold earned from these fish by choosing the Fisher and Angler professions at fishing levels 5 and 10, respectively. The Fisher profession increases your income from fish by 25%, while the Angler bonus is a cool 50%.

willy's shop

Also, there are four different fishing rods in the game. Here’s how to get them, and the bonuses you get from higher quality fishing poles:

Training Rod – Buy it from Willy’s Fish Shop on the pier for 25 gold.
Bamboo Pole – Talk to Willy to get this pole for free. Alternatively, you can buy it for 500 gold.
Fiberglass Rod – Buy from Willy for 1,800 gold once you achieve a fishing level of 2. This rod lets you use bait in order to up your chances of hooking higher quality fish.
Iridium Rod – Buy from Willy for 7,500 gold once you hit fishing level 6. In addition to bait, you can use tackle on this rod, further increasing its effectiveness.

It’s recommended that you add some tackle to your Iridium Rod, which adds bonus effects to your fishing endeavors. You can make the following tackle in Stardew Valley:

Spinner
- Effect: reduces maximum delay before a nibble by 3.75 seconds.
- Purchased for 500 gold.
- Crafted using Iron Bar x2
Dressed Spinner
- Effect: reduces maximum delay before a nibble by 7.5 seconds.
- Purchased for 1,000 gold.
- Crafted using Iron Bar x2 and Cloth x1.
Trap Bobber
- Effect: The catching bar decreases 66% slower.
- Purchased for 500 gold.
- Crafted using Copper Bar x1 and Sap x10.
Cork Bobber
- Effect: Slightly increases the size of your fishing bar.
- Purchased for 750 gold.
- Crafted using Wood x10, Hardwood x5, and Slime x10.
Lead Bobber
- Effect: Prevents your fishing bar from bouncing on the bottom of the gauge.
- Purchased for 200 gold.
- Cannot be crafted.
Treasure Hunter
- Effect: Fish don’t escape while collecting treasures, and increases the chance to find treasure.
- Purchased for 750 gold.
- Crafted using Gold Bar x2
Barbed Hook
- Effect: Adds a “clinging” effect to your fishing bar.
- Purchased for 1,000 gold.
- Crafted using Copper Bar x1, Iron Bar x1, and Gold Bar x1

When you hit fishing level 3, you can also build and place Crab Pots in bodies of water. Let them sit for a while, and check them after a few hours or so. They’ll often contain useless items like trash, seaweed, and algae, but using them does contribute to your overall fishing level, making them worth the materials and effort.

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – How to Catch the Angler

The Angler is a legendary fish that you can only catch in the Fall season. It’s the lest valuable of the lot, but also the easiest to catch. You’ll need a fishing level of at least 5 to get your hands on it. Here are the details:

Where to catch: At the Northern Lake behind the JojaMart. Cast your line from the wooden plank bridge.
Selling price by quality:
- Base: 900 gold
- Silver: 1,125 gold
- Gold: 1,350 gold
- Iridium: 1,800 gold

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – How to Catch the Mutant Carp

The Mutant Carp can be found in the sewers beneath Pelican Town. To get in, you’ll need to get the key from Gunther after donating 60 items to the museum. The Mutant Carp can be caught during any season.

Where to catch: In the sewers underneath Pelican Town.
Selling price by quality:
- Base: 1,000 gold
- Silver: 1,250 gold
- Gold: 1,500 gold
- Iridium: 2,000 gold

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – How to Catch the Glacierfish

As you might guess, this legendary fish can only be caught in the Winter. You’ll need to have a fishing level of at least 6 for it to appear.

Where to catch: At the south end of Arrowhead Island, which is in Cindersap Forest to the south of your farm. You’ll want to cast you line so that it lands in the deeper waters of the lake.
Selling price by quality:
- Base: 1,000 gold
- Silver: 1,250 gold
- Gold: 1,500 gold
- Iridium: 2,000 gold

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – How to Catch the Crimsonfish

The Crimsonfish is the Summer’s legendary fish, and requires a fishing level of 5 to appear.

Where to catch: Cast your line off the eastern edge of the pier down on the beach. You want to make sure your hook lands in the deep water.
Selling price by quality:
- Base: 1,500 gold
- Silver: 1,875 gold
- Gold: 2,250 gold
- Iridium: 3,000 gold

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – How to Catch the Legend

The Legend is by far the most valuable legendary fish in the game. You’ll need a level 10 fishing skill for it to appear, and it puts up quite the fight.

Where to catch: At the mountain lake, just to the east of Robin’s carpenter shop. You need to toss your lure near the log in the water. You can reach it from the center island, or the eastern or western shores.
Selling price by quality:
- Base: 5,000 gold
- Silver: 6,250 gold
- Gold: 7,500 gold
- Iridium: 10,000 gold

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – Other Valuable Fish

Since legendary fish can only be caught once per save file, you’ll want to farm other fish to keep that sweet gold rolling in. Here are some of the most valuable fish other than legendary ones.

Lava Eel
- Where to catch: Level 100 of the mines.
- Required fishing level: 7
- When: All seasons
- Base selling price: 700 gold
Ice Pip
- Where to catch: Level 60 of the mines.
- Required fishing level: 5
- When: All seasons
- Base selling price: 500 gold
Stonefish
- Where to catch: Level 20 of the mines.
- Required fishing level: 3
- When: All seasons
- Base selling price: 300 gold
Super Cucumber
- Where to catch: The ocean.
- Required fishing level: 1
- When: Summer and Fall, 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM
- Base selling price: 250 gold
Pufferfish
- Where to catch: The ocean.
- Required fishing level: 1
- When: Summer, 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- Base Selling Price: 200 gold

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – Community Center Bundles

In order to restore the community center, you’ll have to complete its many bundles. One of them is the Fish Tank bundle, which calls for a variety of fish. Here’s what you’ll need.

River Fish Bundle

Sunfish
Catfish
Shad
Tiger Trout
Bait x30

Lake Fish Bundle

Largemouth Bass
Carp
Bullhead
Sturgeon
Dressed Spinner

Ocean Fish Bundle

Sardine
Tuna
Red Snapper
Talapia
Warp Totem: Beach x5

Night Fishing Bundle

Walleye
Bream
Eel
Small Glow Ring

Crab Pot Bundle

Lobster
Crayfish
Crab
Cockle
Mussel
Shrimp
Snail
Periwinkle
Oyster
Clam
Crab Pot x3

Specialty Fish Bundle

Pufferfish
Ghostfish
Sandfish
Woodskip
Dish o’ the Sea x5

Completing these bundles will repair the fish tank in the community center, and remove the glittering boulder near the entrance to the mines. This allows you to pan for minerals in the various rivers and bodies of water around the valley. Once you complete the bundles, Willy will give you a pan for this purpose, and during the night some creatures will drag the boulder away.

Stardew Valley Fishing Guide – The Witch’s Swamp

While walking through the train station area of the map, you may notice a blocked tunnel in the northeast corner. This leads to the Witch’s Swamp. To unlock the path, you’ll need to complete the Dark Talisman questline. Once there, you can fish in the swamp, which is the only place to catch the Void Salmon. Also, there’s a chance to fish up some Void Mayonnaise.

And that’s our guide to fishing in Stardew Valley! Did you catch the fish you were after? Let us know in the comments section.

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