Stardew Valley Ultimate Fishing Guide: Tips, Spots & Legendary Fish

In this tutorial, I have gathered some fishing tips that I hope will help new players. If you’re interested, let’s dive in.

To begin fishing

Hold down the left mouse button to cast your line
Keep holding it until a gauge appears, indicating how far you’ll cast your line
Once you’ve reached the appropriate area, release the left button to cast your line and wait for an exclamation point to appear
Left-click to enter a fishing mini-game
Hold down the left mouse button to cast your line

The mini-game is divided into two parts

The left side represents your effective fishing area
The right side represents your progress bar
Keep the fish icon within the green bar until the progress bar on the right is full, indicating a successful catch
As your fishing level increases, the size of the green bar will grow, making it easier to catch fish
Left-click to enter a fishing mini-game

Regarding fishing areas

The water’s color and apparent depth do not always indicate the area’s level
Fishing areas are categorized as 0, 1, 2, 3or 5, based on the number of tiles from the shoreline
Higher-level fishing areas have a lower chance of catching trash, higher fish quality, and a slightly increased chance of hooking rare fish
Certain legendary fish and rewards from fishing treasure chests also have specific area requirements

For instance

Some rewards can only be found in Fishing Area 5
The fishing locations in the game include the Beach, Town River, Mountain Lake, Forest River, Forest Lake, Mines, Secret Woods, Desert, Sewers, Mutant Bug Lair, Witch’s Swamp, and Ginger Island

Beach

Be sure to visit the Night Market from the 15th to the 17th of Winter
You can catch three unique fish in the submarine there
For the exact locations where you can catch these fish, check the guide included below

Town River

Flows from Sam’s house to the base of the mines
The recommended fishing spot in the town area is just below Sam’s house, where there’s a deep water area

Mountain Lake

Also known as Mine Lake, is the large body of water beneath the mines
The recommended fishing spot is the lower half of the central island

Forest River

Flows from the farm, starting at Leah’s house
There are many deep water areas in Forest River
The most popular fishing spot is just below Leah’s house

Forest Lake

Lies between your farm and the Wizard’s Tower
One fishing spot of note is a wooden bridge that doesn’t count towards the distance, so you can find deep water areas by looking at the map

Mines

You can fish on floors 20, 60, and 100
Just stand near the bridges to fish

Secret Woods

Located south of your farm, along the path of the pig cart
Before you can access the area, you’ll need to upgrade your axe to break the large tree stump

Desert

Accessible by completing the Community Center’s Vault Bundle or by paying 40,000g to repair the bus stop through the Joja Community Development Form.

Sewers

Accessible by donating 60 items to the museum to obtain the Rusty Key
There are two entrances to the sewers: one through the grates in the south of Cindersap Forest, and another through the sewer cover

Mutant Bug Lair

Can only be accessed in the late game after receiving the Dark Talisman quest from the Wizard and speaking to Mr. Qi
You must enter the lair through the sewers
Refer to the map for sewer fishing spots and Mutant Bug Lair fishing spots

Witch’s Swamp

Can be accessed during the Wizard’s Dark Talisman quest by obtaining the Void Mayonnaise and returning it to the Wizard’s Tower, which is located in the railway area
Place the Void Mayonnaise on the cave’s artificial barrier, and you will be guided into the Witch’s Swamp
After giving the Void Mayonnaise to the Wizard’s apprentice, you can then visit the Witch’s Hut

Ginger Island

Accessible after completing the Community Center or the Joja Community Development form
You will receive a letter from Willy, and then you can travel to Ginger Island by spending 200 hardwood, 5 battery packs, and 5 iridium bars to repair the boat
The main fishing areas on Ginger Island are the river, ocean, and Pirate’s Cove
We will mainly focus on Pirate’s Cove since the river and ocean should be easily distinguishable
You can access Pirate’s Cove after spending golden walnuts to build the Beach Resort
After crossing the southeastern part of the island, you can head further inland, where you’ll find a large lake which serves as the fishing spot in Pirate’s Cove

As for the fish compendium

You can find many resources online, including guides containing recipes and offerings

Five legendary fish and how to prepare for catching them

First up is the Legend

The most difficult of the five legendary fish to catch
To catch the Legend, you need to have level 10 fishing skill and cast your line in deep water during rainy days in spring
It is recommended that you prepare for this challenge in your second year
Also, note that the legendary fish have a different appearance than regular fish

A player catching The Legend fish in Stardew Valley — To catch the Legend, you need to have level 10 fishing skill and cast your line in deep water during rainy days in spring

The second legendary fish is the Crimsonfish

Has a medium difficulty level
You can catch it during your first summer if you have at least level 5 fishing skill
The Crimsonfish can be caught between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the deep water near the broken bridge at the beach

A player catching the Crimsonfish and Angler fish in Stardew Valley — The Crimsonfish can be caught between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the deep water near the broken bridge at the beach, while the Angler can be caught during any time of the day in fall at the location shown in the guide

The third legendary fish is the Angler

It is the easiest of the five legendary fish to catch
You can catch the Angler with a fishing skill of level 3 during any time of the day in fall at the location shown in the guide
Note that the deep water area is in the middle of the river, so don’t cast your line too far

The fourth legendary fish is the Glacierfish

The second hardest of the five legendary fish to catch
Its location is between the Sewers and the Hat Shop on Arrowhead Island
To catch the Glacierfish, you need level 7 fishing skill, and it can be caught between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. during winter, in the deep water area

A player catching the Glacierfish and Mutant Carp fish in Stardew Valley — To catch the Glacierfish, you need level 7 fishing skill, and it can be caught between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. during winter, in the deep water area, while the Mutant Carp can be caught once you unlock the Sewer area

The fifth legendary fish is the Mutant Carp

Relatively easy to catch
Once you unlock the Sewer area, you can catch the Mutant Carp without much difficulty

To catch the legendary fish

First, increase your fishing skill level
For the more challenging legendary fish, it is recommended to use an Iridium Rod with a Trap Bobber and consume a dish that increases your fishing skill level before attempting to catch them
It is also a good idea to pick a favorable day and prepare some supplies for your fishing trip
After a few attempts, you should be able to catch the more difficult legendary fish

The second generation of legendary fish

Can only be caught during Mr. Qi’s challenge quests
The locations for catching these fish are the same as their first-generation counterparts
However, catching them does not affect the Master Angler achievement, so we won’t go into too much detail here
It’s enough to be aware of their existence and know where to find them

A player catching the second generation legendary fish in Stardew Valley — Can only be caught during Mr. Qi’s challenge quests

In summary

Stardew Valley offers a diverse range of fishing spots and challenges, including the Mutant Bug Lair, Witch’s Swamp, and Ginger Island, as well as the legendary fish, With the right preparation and persistence, you can conquer these challenges and become a true fishing master in the game,Happy fishing!