Stardew Valley Fishing Guide: From Beginner to Master (2025)

Whether you're playing on PC or console, catching your first (or tenth) fish is a menace and will try to throw you off fishing for the rest of your farming career. 

Still, it's really worth keep on trying. 

What is fish used for?

After catching different types of fish, they have a couple of use cases. You can use fish in the following ways.

1: Eating

You can eat fish to regain energy and health. Depending on the type of fish, the nutrition values range from 'barely anything' to 'this is worth keeping'. 

A simple Carp or Anchovy, some of the most basic fish in the game, will only restore 13 energy and 5 health. These are barely worth keeping for eating, but can be used for one of the other 2 options. 

Fish that are worth something to regain energy, are Ghostfish, Pike and Tuna. They restore 38 energy and 15 health. This still isn't a lot, but at least more than 13.

These amounts increase as the quality of the fish increases. A gold quality Pike restores 68 energy, with is a lot better than the base amount of 38.

Exception to this list is the Super Cucumber. On the basic level, a Super Cucumber restores 125 energy and 50 health. an iridium level Super Cucumber will give you a boost of 325 energy and 146 health, so that's definitely a great deal. They're harder to get though. 

So no, fish aren't the best option for eating, unless you start cooking them.

2: Cooking

Aside from eating raw fish, you can use them as an ingredient for several recipes.

The most simple recipe is actually Sashimi. This recipe is acquired from Linus after you reach 3 hearts. To cook this recipe, you will only need 1 fish. Any kind of fish will do to cook this recipe, and the energy boost when eaten is 75 energy. That is more than any regular fish you can catch!

Linus is really easy to please. He's fond of most items you can forage, like Daffodils, Common Mushrooms and Holly. Getting his friendship level to 3 stars should be easy.

If you happen to have a lot of basic level Carps, you can cook the Carp Surprise dish. It requires 4 Carps per serving, but restores 90 energy and 40 health. Uncooked basic or silver Carps restore 13 or 18 energy, so cooking them gives a bonus. Gold level Carps restore 23 energy though, 4x23=92, which is more than 90. 

A chest in Stardew Valley, filled with different kinds of fish with varying quality.

A big whopper is the Chowder though. For cooking Chowder, you need 1 Clam (which is otherwise inedible) and 1 Milk (which restores 38 energy and 17 health). But, turn these 2 ingredients into Chowder and you will have a dish restoring 225 energy and 101 health. And, as a bonus, it will give you a fishing buff for over 16 minutes!

The Chowder recipe can be received by mail from Willy, after you've reached 3 hearts with him. Willy likes Carp Surprise and Quartz and loves Pumpkin and Gold Bars. So go get yourself that recipe! 

You should really stay clear of the Salmon Dinner recipe. Salmon dinner only restores 125 energy while the separate ingredients restore 138.

3: Selling

The last thing you can do with fish is selling them. The higher quality the fish, the more money you'll make. You can sell fish to Willy in his shop, or put them in the shipping bin. 

Some types of fish are worth next to nothing. Carp, Herring and Anchovy only give you 30g per basic level fish. Even at Gold level, they are worth a mere 45g. 

Largemouth Bass, Tuna and Pike are substantially more profitable. At 100g for basic and 150g for Gold level, they're worth selling.

You can even cook dishes from fish and then sell them to Gus at The Stardrop Saloon. This works well with the basic fish like Herring and Anchovy. Sold to Willy, they are only worth 30g. But if you turn them into Sashimi, suddenly Gus will buy them for 75g!

Sashimi is actually a great way to earn some extra money. This dish also takes Snails, Shrimps, Periwinkles, Mussels and Cockles as ingredient, which are otherwise inedible and worth a low amount of money.

If you happen to have grown some Rice and have a Mill on your farm, the Maki Roll is also a nice profitable dish to sell. Any fish, some seaweed and milled Rice will turn into a Maki Roll, which sells for 220g. Not at all a bad deal!

Bonus: Gifting

Alright, there's a 4th thing you can do with fish: gifting them to fellow villagers. 

Mind you, fish is considered a universal dislike. That means almost all villagers will dislike any kind of fish. Carp is even a universal hate.

There are a few exceptions:

• Elliot loves Lobster, likes Octopus and Squid
• Sebastian loves Sashimi and likes Flounder
• Abigail loves Pufferfish and Spicy Eel
• Penny loves Sandfish
• Caroline loves Fish Taco
• Evelyn likes Clam, Cockle, Mussel and Oyster
• Gus loves Escargot and Fish Taco
• Jodi loves Fried Eel
• Linus loves Dish o' the Sea
• Pierre loves Fried Calamari
• Willy (who else) loves Catfish, Octopus and Sturgeon, likes Lingcod and Tiger Trout

Fishing Proficiency

Every time you fish successfully, you gain a little experience towards your Fishing Proficiency.

Each level in Fishing gives you a +1 Fishing Rod Proficiency. This is important.

An increased Fishing Rod Proficiency decreases the maximum amount of time before fish bite. Since there is only so much time in a day, catching fish quicker is never a bad thing.

It also costs slightly less energy to cast your line, giving you more throws before you need to start eating something.

Next, the higher the Fishing Rod Proficiency, the higher the minimum fish size will be. And as fish size determines the quality of the fish (silver or gold star), higher proficiency means higher sell value!

Catching a fish in Stardew Valley sounds simple: just keep the fish in the green bar. It's tricky though!

Lastly and probably most importantly, each level increases the and bobber bar height in the minigame. This will make it easier to catch the fish once it's hooked. 

Level 1 and 2 Fishing

Catch some 20 to 25 fish and you'll upgrade your fishing skills to proficiency level 2. And if you stick to it, there are more benefits to fishing.

First of all, and most obvious, is that you get fish. Fish you can either sell for gold (most of them sell for over 30 gold each) or eat for energy and health.

You also unlock the recipe for Bait at level 2. Using bait will lower the time it takes before a fish catches on your rod. It will not increase the chance of catching higher quality or different kinds of fish. It also won't make it any easier, just take less time. 

Best Fishing Locations for Beginners

When you're just starting out in your fishing journey, it really doesn't matter where you fish. 

Okay, it does a little. Don't fish in the ponds on your farm land. They're rubbish. 

Other than that: get yourself a training rod over at Willy's Fishing Shop and just cast your line anywhere! You don't have to walk all the way over to the beach or to the mountains. 

From your farm, just take the south exit, walk down past Marnie and fish in the river. The fish will be similar (if not the same) as the ones in the sea or mountains. 

When using higher level rods and trying to catch other fish, you will notice a difference. When fishing in a lake, you will encounter different fish than when fishing in the ocean. There's also a difference in season and even weather. 

Level 3 fishing

At level 3, you unlock the Crab Pot crafting recipe and the Dish O' the Sea cooking recipe.

Now, both of these are pretty cool.

The Crab Pot is an automated fisher. You place it in water and load it with bait. The next day, you can just check it to see what you've caught. Hopefully something delicious (and expensive!) like crabs and lobsters. 

The downside to the Crab Pot is that you need 3 iron bars and 40 wood to craft it, which means you'll have to go mining first. 

Dish O' The Sea is a meal that can be eaten. It will restore 150 energy and 67 health as well as give you a +3 Fishing Proficiency bonus for over 5 minutes!

Also, it happens to be Linus' favourite dish, if you ever want to make him happy.

The Dish O' The Sea recipe needs 2 sardines and a hashbrown to be cooked. Oh, and a kitchen, which will become available after you upgrade your house for the first time. Which costs 4000 gold and a whole lot of wood and stone...

So yeah, both of these unlocks are very useful. Just not straight away. 

Later levels of Fishing Proficiency

Levelling up your fishing game will give you more benefits than just more fish. 

Most notably:

• The recipe to the Recycling Machine at level 4
• Fisher profession at level 5, increasing sale price of fish with 25%
• Access to more advanced rods at level 6
• Cork Bobber recipe at level 7 (you want this to increase the bobber bar height!)

Common mistakes to avoid

You can make fishing a lot easier if you stick to some common basic rules. Avoid these mistakes newbie anglers make to get the best results (and the least controllers thrown out of the window)!

• Not using a training rod: When you start your fishing journey, buy a Training Rod from Willy. This only hooks the easy fish and gives you an increased green bar size. The Training Rod offers a great way to get to know the fishing game before moving on to more advanced rods and fish.
• Not using bait: With more advanced rods, like the fiberglass rod, you can use Bait. Bait is great, as it can increase the green bar size, decrease the time it takes for fish to bite or any of the other available bonuses.
• Not using a fishing tackle: The best rod is the Iridium Rod. This allows you to use both Bait as well as a Tackle. There are multiple tackles available in Stardew Valley, each with their own bonuses. The Trap Bobber is amazing! It will lower the rate with which the progress bar decreases when the fish is not in the green bar by over 50%!
• Holding the button: Once you've hooked a fish and the minigame starts, don't hold the button to reel in the fish. Instead, keep on tapping. This gives you more control over the green bar, making it easier to keep the fish inside the bar. 
• Not eating the right food: Some dishes give you a temporary increase in Fishing Proficiency. This can be a little increase, like +1 for Trout Soup or Chowder. But also a massive increase, like +4 for a Seafoam Pudding or +3 for Lobster Bisque and Dish o' The Sea. Fishing Proficiency increase the green bar height and makes it easier to catch fish. Important to note is that by eating these dishes, the Fishing Proficiency can increase to a value higher than 10!

Key takeaways

Fishing in Stardew Valley might start frustrating, but it becomes easier and more profitable as you level up. Just remember these key points next time your head is about to explode:

1. Progress is steady: It takes about 20-25 catches to reach level 2, with each level making fishing noticeably easier
2. Food matters: Cooking fish usually gives better energy returns than eating them raw, with Chowder being an excellent early-game option
3. Profit strategies:
   1. Early game: Convert cheap fish to Sashimi (75g vs 30g)
   2. Mid game: Focus on high-value fish like Tuna and Pike
   3. Late game: Use Crab Pots for passive income
4. Equipment progression:
   1. Start: Training Rod
   2. Level 2: Fiberglass Rod + Bait
   3. Level 6: Iridium Rod + Tackle
5. Each fishing proficiency level increases your green bar size and fish quality, making the whole process easier and more profitable

Remember: The fishing minigame gets significantly easier once you have the right equipment and some practice. Don't give up early - the rewards are worth it! 🤑