Fishing in Stardew Valley is a huge component of the game, which may come as some surprise to those stuck on their farms. But it's essential to make a lot of money, as well as the fact you'll need to collect a variety of fish for the community center restoration. We've also put together an extensive Stardew Valley fishing hub, so you can easily discover when and where to fish. But in this guide, we're going to go through exactly how to do it!
Fishing in Stardew Valley: how do you do it?
You can fish from most bodies of water, but first, you'll need to get a fishing rod! You'll be able to get a bamboo pole from Willy on your second day in the game.
When you have the fishing rod, equip it and stand facing the water. Hold down the action button and a meter will appear. This shows you how strong your cast (throwing the line out) will be. Red is closest to your character and green is the furthest distance. Release the button to let out your line when you're ready.
Wait until you hear an alert noise and see an exclamation point next to your float. When you see this, quickly press the action button again. If you're fast enough "Hit!" will appear, therefore meaning you successfully caught something.
A different progress bar will appear as the fishing mini-game begins. Click your action button continuously, or alternatively, you can hold it, in order to move the green bar up and down. You need to keep the fish inside the green bar. Whenever the fish is in the green bar, the meter to the side will fill up. Once the side meter is filled, you will have successfully caught the fish.
What to do with your fish
There are a number of different things that you can do with a fish once you've caught one. You can:
- Sell them to Willy in the fish shop on the beach
- Purchase a fish tank and keep one as a pet
- Use them to cook recipes
- They can be given as gifts
Fishing skill
Fishing in Stardew Valley awards players with experience, which can be achieved by using fishing poles and crab pots. As you become a higher fishing skill level, the green brick during the fishing mini-game will become larger, making it far easier to catch fish. You can also upgrade your poles from the starter fishing rod to a fiberglass rod that you can add bait to, and eventually an iridium rod which will allow you to add both bait and different types of tackles.
Below you can find the rewards for each level as well as the different routes you can go down in the fishing skill.
- Level 1
- Fishing Rod Proficiency (+1)\
- Level 2
- Fishing Rod Proficiency (+1)
- Ability to Craft Bait
- Level 3
- Fishing Rod Proficiency (+1)
- Ability to Craft Crab Pot
- Recipe for Dish O' The Sea
- Level 4
- Fishing Rod Proficiency (+1)
- Ability to Craft Recycling Machine
- Level 5
- Fishing Rod Proficiency (+1)
- Choose between:
- Fisher - fish worth 25% more
- Trapper - resources needed to craft crab pots reduced
- Level 10 Fisher Track
- Fishing Rod Proficiency (+1)
- Choose between:
- Angler - fish worth 50% more
- Pirate - chance to find treasure while fishing doubled
- Level 10 Trapper Track
- Fishing Rod Proficiency (+1)
- Choose between:
- Mariner - crab pots never catch trash items
- Luremaster - crab pots no longer need bait
So there you have it, now you know how to fish in Stardew Valley! Being a farmer can be tiring work alone, but that's why we've put together a handy guide on how to play co-op multiplayer. And if you want to develop your farm for more animals, you can take a look at our guide on how to build a coop for ducks and chickens!