How to fish in Stardew Valley

There’s tons of content in Stardew Valley to keep you busy, but one of the most fun — and financially rewarding — is fishing. There’s a wide variety of different fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods to catch in the game, as well as some other exciting surprises along the way.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; the first step is mastering the basics before you venture out into open waters, and on that front, we’ve got you covered.

Stardew Valley fishing: A step-by-step guide

There are different levels of fishing poles in Stardew Valley, the first of which is the Bamboo Pole. You can then work your way up to the higher tiers, including Fiberglass Rods and Iridium Rods.

How to get fishing pole in Stardew Valley

The morning of the second day of Spring, you’ll wake up to a letter from the town fisherman, Willy, inviting you to come and meet him down at the dock. Fortunately, this event happens early on, as the game always begins in Spring. Travel to the beach area to start a short cutscene for the fishing pole.

Upon taking him up on his offer, Willy will give you the Bamboo Pole, allowing you to catch fish. Hooray!

Once you get your fishing skill to level 3, you can get the next best rod from Willy: the Fiberglass Rod, which you can purchase for 1,800 gold. The Fiberglass Rod unlocks the ability to put bait on your line — more on that later. The final fishing rod you’ll have access to is the Iridium Rod, which will run you a steep 7,500 gold and will unlock after you reach fishing level 6. The Iridium Rod allows you to add bait as well as various fishing tackle, but again, we’ll cover that below.

How to play fishing minigame in Stardew Valley

Okay, so you’ve finally got your fishing rod, but how do you actually use it? With your rod equipped, walk up to a body of water. The three main fishing locations in Pelican Town include the ocean, the river, and the lake. Here’s what you need to do to start fishing in Stardew Valley:

1. Find a body of water.
2. With your fishing rod equipped, hold down the button ‘Use tool’ button.
3. A meter will appear to determine how long you’ll cast it. Hold and release the button at your desired length.
4. Wait for a bite, displaying an exclamation point near your character, and press the ‘Use tool’ button.
5. A bar appears, and you must keep the smaller green bar hovering over the fish to capture it (tapping the ‘Use tool’ button works best).

Holding the ‘Use tool’ button with the fishing rod brings up a meter that allows you to gauge how far you want to cast your line (holding it longer results in a longer throw). To cast, simply release the button at the right time, and you should be all set.

When you get a bite on the line, you’ll hear a sound cue and see a little exclamation point animation pop up. Hit that same button again to start the fishing mini-game. A bar will appear with a smaller green bar inside and a meter to the right. The goal here is to fill the meter on the right by hovering the green bar over the fish icon as it moves upside down. When you press (or hold) the button, the bar goes up, and when you release it, the bar goes down. The key to a successful catch, nine times out of ten, will require you to tap the button to keep the bar hovering.

The key here for beginners is patience and practice because the Stardew Valley fishing mini-game is notoriously difficult, especially at the start of the game. It seems counter-intuitive, but the more fish you catch, the more you’ll level up your fishing skills, which will cause your green bar to grow bigger and actually make things easier. If all else fails, Willy sells a practice fishing rod at his shop on the beach, permitting you to get a better feel for it before moving on and up.

How to put bait on a fishing rod in Stardew Valley

Once you’re in the big leagues with the more advanced fishing rods, some other elements will come into play. The first of these is bait, which allows you to catch fish more frequently, causing them to bite faster. Bait can be acquired through the following techniques:

• Willy’s Fish Shop
• Craft bug meat (kill monsters in the mines)
• Found in treasure chests (can fish these items up)

Putting the bait on your rod is pretty simple. All you’ll need to do is pick up the stack of bait in your inventory and hover over the fishing rod. Then, select the “use” button (right-click or the face button in the western position on a controller) to add the bait to your rod. You can take the bait off of your rod by hovering over your fishing rod in your inventory and engaging the “use” button again.

The Iridium Rod allows you to add tackle as well, including items like bobbers, spinners, and weights that give you different advantages and will enable you to catch some of the game’s more challenging fish. Any tackle can be added to your Iridium Rod using the same technique you used to add bait.

All fish in Stardew Valley

Since Stardew Valley showcases various seasons and locations, there is a vast array of fish types out there. We’ll break down each type, including standard seasonal, Legendary, Legendary II, Night Market, and Crab Pot fish.

Seasonal fish

Legendary fish

The Legendary type goes a step above the normal ones, displaying a crown on their icons for their elite status. They can only be caught once with each save file, which is why they are so rare. You’ll need to have a higher Fishing Level, as they cannot be acquired with lower ranks like the Bamboo Pole.

Night Market fish

The three-day festival, Night Market, gives you the chance to obtain various unique goods. Go to the Submarine to start fishing for exclusive fish, including other types that are available throughout the seasons.

Extended Family quest Legendary fish

In addition to Stardew Valley’s standard Legendary fish, you can get ahold of the Extended Family quest’s Legendary IIs. Go to the same spots as the Legendaries to uncover other variants.

Crab Pot fish

Craft or buy a Crab Pot to discover more fish in Stardew Valley. They’ll float on any body of water, luring in critters with their bait.

Miscellaneous captures

Sometimes, you’ll catch miscellaneous items that aren’t a fish at all. These objects can be used in multiple recipes or sold through the shop.

If you want the ultimate angler experience, check out our guide on the best fish for your fishing pond. There are sure to be even more fish as more Stardew Valley updates roll out, so come back to see what other critters you can find.