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From foraging, farming to fishing, Stardew Valley has all the options a player could hope from a relaxing game. While most of these activities a fairly simple to take care of, fishing has always been a notoriously difficult task due to its challenging mechanics.

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Particularly hard for those who are new to the game and who have yet to practice their fishing skills properly, it can get incredibly frustrating trying to catch even the easiest of fish or even dream of one day catching a legendary fish. Not to worry, though, because we're here to share with you ten tips to turn you from a newbie into a seasoned fisherman.

Updated on August 1, 2023, by Gabrielle Huston: With more new Stardew Valley content (hopefully) on the way soon, we thought we'd return to the basics! Here are some essential tips you need to know if you want to master the art of fishing in this game.

Use Crab Pots

Once the player reached level 3 of fishing, crab pots will be accessible in the crafting menu. These small pots can be placed in the water just about anywhere, and they'll yield resources the next day. Bug meat can be turned into bait, which then needs to be placed inside these crab pots. If the player has the Luremaster profession, adding bait isn't needed.

Crab pots are brilliant because they'll actually count towards the fishing skill when harvested, even if the player only gets trash from their pot. Each harvested pot grants 5 experience points. If the fishing mini-game is driving the player nuts, this is a superb way to increase the skill with minimal effort while making money.

Favor Wild Bait

There are three types of bait in the game: regular bait, a magnet, and wild bait. While all of these have their pros and cons and different utilities, since the 1.4 update the wild bait option has become even more appealing. Now, when players use wild bait, they actually have a chance of catching two fish at the same time.

This significantly reduces the workload when trying to catch fish. However, in order to actually get the recipe for this, the player should befriend Linus, the homeless man living in a tent in the mountains. Once at four hearts with him, go to his tent from 8pm to 12am on a clear night and he should grant the recipe.

Go For Perfect Catch

A perfect catch might sound like a mission impossible, but after the 1.4 update, it's even more important to focus on it. The perfect catch is achieved when the green bar remains fully on the fish icon during the mini-game at all times. If the fish surpasses the bar, the player has lost their chance of a perfect catch, even if they still manage to catch the fish.

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Having a perfect catch after 1.4 actually bumps up the quality of the fish by one point. This means that a catch that would have ordinarily been silver will now be gold, and a gold catch will be iridium quality. Time to train that perfect catch method!

Get The Training Rod

There have been tons of complaints about how extremely difficult the fishing mini-game is, and while the game won't see any major changes introduced to it, there's good news for anyone who hates fishing. 1.14 introduced a brand-new fishing pole called the Training Rod, which is extremely cheap: 25 gold in Willy's shop. Fishing with this rod is very easy compared to other rods and bumps up the player's fishing skill temporarily.

The rod is ideal for any newbies. However, keep in mind that only basic quality fish can be caught with the training rod. Moreover, only fish that have a difficulty level under 50 points can be caught. That being said, the amount of experience gained from using the training rod is still the same, which makes it incredibly efficient at leveling up the fishing skill fast for better fishing experience.

Buy The Fish Pond

While the fish pond is more of a mid- to late-game farm building, it's a great addition for players who want to boost their fishing skill gains. The fishing pond is was added in the 1.4 update, and it basically allows the player to populate one pond with one type of fish.

Any type of fish, with the exception of legendary fish, can be placed in the pond. The fish will then yield various resources over the next few days. Harvesting these resources will grant the player some fishing experience, as well as a nice variety of items depending on the kind of fish. It's a perfect way to get roe reliably.

Understand The Mechanics

Fishing in the lake in Stardew Valley

The biggest issue many players find themselves coming up against is a pure misunderstanding of how the fishing mini-game actually works. There are two ways to move the green bar to follow the fish icon that moves up and down: slow click and release, or continuous fast-paced clicking.

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The former will shoot up the bar high up quickly and allow you to catch up with the fast movement of the fish, and the latter maintains the bar at a set level when the fish is not moving. When casting the bobber, using the WASD keys or the joystick will also direct it left and right. Once you master this, the mini-game will be a breeze.

Early Game Spots

Stardew Valley character fishing by the river

When you first start the game and have no fishing skills, there are two spots where we recommend fishing: the river that runs through Pelican Town and the ocean.

These two locations will have the easiest-to-catch fish, including the Sardine, Anchovy, Smallmouth Bass, and Sunfish. All four are relatively simple to rein in, with fairly predictable movement, which will allow you to grind those early fishing skill levels up quickly and also sell your catch for a decent price at Willy's shop.

Level Up

stardew valley level 10 fishing

This is an obvious one. To get better at fishing, you need to fish more (and not get discouraged by the difficulty of the mini-game early on). Once you level up, the green bar in the mini-game will expand in size and make it easier for you to track fish.

To level up fast, we have a recommendation: once you gain access to the Hidden Forest you also gain access to a small pond which is a great way to gain levels fast. Setting up crab pots when you feel truly frustrated is also a great way to get those levels without actually going through the effort of fishing.

Invest In A Better Rod

stardew valley farmer fishing for treasure at night

Like all your other tools, the Bamboo Rod that you first get from Willy at the beginning of the game can be switched for a Fiberglass Rod and then eventually to an Iridium Rod, which is the best in the game.

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The Fiberglass Rod allows you to use Bait when fishing, which will increase the amount of fish attracted to you and the Iridium Rod allows on top of this the use of a tackle, which can attract specific types and kinds of fish. This is especially useful when you're looking to catch rare fish.

Learn Fish Behavior

player fishing from desert pond

Every fish in Stardew Valley is unique and the way they behave is different from one another. Long before you even know which fish you're about to catch, you can make a pretty educated guess simply by observing how the fish moves on the mini-game bar.

Some fish will dart up and down fast, while others will move slowly and then maintain a set position. Others will have a mixture of these two and make it even more of a headache for you to catch them. However, learning the swimming patterns of each fish and learning to recognize them will help you a lot in the long run.

Know The Right Time

player fishing in town river during the winter

Let's say you want to catch a squid. How do you find one? It's important to understand some fish only appear during certain seasons and even during certain times of the day. The elusive squid is only available during winter months at night time.

Similarly, the octopus is only available at night time, but during summer months only. Weather conditions can also affect whether fish are available. Catfish and Shad will generally prefer rainy days, while Sunfish and Rainbow Trout prefer to appear during sunny days. Knowing when the fish you want to catch is available is absolutely crucial.

Be At The Right Place

Stardew Valley at Submarine Deep Sea Fishing Tour during Night Market

Not only is timing essential, but location is, too. You won't find the same fish swimming in the ocean as you do in the river or in the lake. Keep in mind that the river that starts in the mountains is known as the mountain lake, and will contain very different fish from those caught in the town river or forest river.

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Once you go further down into the mines, you'll also come across underground ponds which will have rarer catch, and after unlocking the desert, you'll have access to two more types of exotic fish.

Watch For Bubbles And Depth

Every once in a while you might spot a set of bubbles and ripples in a body of water. This indicates that the spot is rich with fish. Try to cast your bobber straight into that spot and you'll notice more fish will be rushing to that area.

Another good trick is to try and cast your bobber into areas in the water that are darker and therefore deeper than the rest. These spots are more plentiful with fish than the rest.

Get The Trap Bobber

Speaking of lures, there are a few options available in the game and all of them are useful depending on what kind of fish you want to catch.

However, there's one item above every other, which we truly recommend getting: the Trap Bobber. Once equipped, the progress bar during the mini-game will deplete 66% slower, making fishing so much more forgiving for players who might struggle to catch those pesky, elusive legendary fish. Keep in mind that you must have an Iridium Rod to equip one.

Eat Fishing Boosters

Split image of the farmer from Stardew Valley standing in the kitchen of the upgraded house holding a strange bun, standing in the Secret Woods holding fiddlehead risotto, standing at the dock below the tidal pool at the beach holding seafoam pudding, and standing in the sewers holding pale broth. In each image the farmer is wearing a chef's hat and coat.

The final thing you can do to make the job easier for yourself, especially at lower levels of fishing, is to consume foods that will temporarily bump up your fishing skills. You can buy Trout Soup from Willy's shop which will boost your fishing by +1 and eventually as you progress through the game you will find gain the recipe for Dish o' the Sea, which will boost your fishing by +3.

If you become friends with Willy and gain three hearts, he'll send you a recipe to Clam Chowder, which is relatively easy to make and will boost your fishing by +1.

NEXT: Stardew Valley: Complete Guide And Walkthrough