Do you know how to use fishing tackle Stardew-style? What’s Stardew Valley bait bamboo pole should you use? What’s the Stardew Valley best tackle?
You ought to know the answers to all these questions, because in Stardew Valley fishing is an integral part of the game. That’s despite the fact that it’s considered mainly a farming game. If you’re on lockdown and missing your fishing adventures, then you might give this game a try.
Where to Fish
The first thing you need to know is where to go fishing. Forget about the small ponds you’ll find scattered around your standard farm layout. You’ll mostly find nothing there, except maybe get some trash.
Instead, try out the lakes and rivers near your town. If possible, get to the ocean, too.
Your best bet is to fishing locations around Pelican Town. These areas offer terrific spawn rates with easy access. For best results, try these areas:
The Spot Near Leah’s Cabin
This is Willy’s favorite fishing spot for a reason. You’ll often find Willy here, when he’s not milling around in front of his shop.
Mountain Lake Near the Mines
Have some fishing fun first, on your way to the mines. That way, you boost your efficiency and get things done faster.
The Edge of the Eastern Pier
You will have to rebuild that wooden bridge to the tidal pool first. That lets you get to the Easter Pier. Get to the very edge, where there’s a lot of fishing action.
Western Pier Rock
It’s on the same pier where you’ll find Willy’s Fish Shop. There’s a very good chance you’ll catch something good near this rock.
Your Fishing Equipment
You’ll start with a Training Rod, which you should upgrade as quickly as you can. It’s just good enough for common fish, so that’s not as good as you’d like.
Go with the Bamboo Rod, which you’ll get from Willy when you get his letter on the second of Spring. Use it until you’re able to unlock the more advanced Fiberglass Rod or Iridium Rod. The Fiberglass Rod can equip bait, but you need to get to Fishing Level 2 first. The Iridium Rod is better, as you can put in both bait and tackle, but you will have to get to Fishing Level 6 to get it.
Casting Mechanics
Now when you use your fishing rod, the next step is trying to cast as far as you can. The farther out you’re able to cast, the more likely you’ll have a chance at better fish. You also minimize the chances of catching trash instead.
But you can also aim for bubbles in the water, where there’s a higher chance of a quick bite. It’s also more likely to get a rare or even “legendary” fish in these spots.
Your casting distance will be determined by that bar over your character, which you have a line moving back and forth with its colors switching from red to green and back to red again. Start your catch right at the moment the bar is fully green to maximize your casting distance. You’ll know you’ve succeeded in this when it says “MAX” on the screen.
Once you’ve cast your line, it’s like real fishing—you wait. The good news is that usually you catch something more quickly than in real life. An exclamation point will display right over your character, and it’s time to reel your fish in. Once that’s done, an emphatic “HIT!” sign will display on screen.
Catching Mechanics
Reeling in your fish is where the fun in the game really begins. That’s because it’s quite challenging. The screen displays a progress bar on the right side. It will increase in a green color while you’re doing well and reeling in your fish properly. It will go down in red if you’re doing wrong and the fish is about to get away.
On the left side, there’s the “fish bar”. This bar also moves up and down, matching how hard it is to catch the fish. The bar may move up and down a lot, because the fish moves very quickly. The bar may move slowly and then move quickly, to indicate that the fish suddenly moved.
Within this fish bar, you have your Fishing Bar. This is a green rectangle that you can actually control, unlike the other bars that merely provide you information. You have to control the Fishing Bar so that the fish level in the fish bar is also within the Fishing Bar.
That means you have to move that Fishing Bar up and down to match the movement of the fish. You do this with the “Use Tool” button. Hold it to keep the green rectangle in the same position. Pressing the button raises the green rectangle, while releasing the button lowers the rectangle.
The trick is to learn how the fish moves, so you’re able to anticipate it. When you’ve mastered this, then you may be able to keep the fish bar level within the green rectangle throughout. That’s a “Perfect Catch”, which gives you lots of experience points.
During the fishing mini-game, you may encounter a treasure chest. You may unlock this after you catch your fish. You may find the artifacts inside useful for other aspects of the game.
Tackles
When you have your Iridium Rod, you can attach a tackle to it. You have several different tackles to choose from, and each one offers a different kind of bonus. Each bonus helps make catching the fish much easier.
- Spinner (Level 6). This also makes the fish more likely to bite.
- Trap Bobber (Level 6). This slows down the decrease rate in the catch progress bar. This gives you more time to act, before the fish completely gets away.
- Lead Bobber (Level 6). This keeps the Fishing Bar from bouncing when it’s dropped.
- Cork Bobber (Level 7). This tackle increases the size of the Fishing Bar a bit, so it’s much easier to keep the fish bar inside it.
- Treasure Hunter (Level 7). This boosts your chances of encountering treasure chests. It also keeps the fish from escaping when you’re reeling in the treasures.
- Barbed Hook (Level 8). Your Fishing Bar clings to the fish you’re aiming for.
- Dressed Spinner (Level 8). With this, the fish become more likely to bit on your line. You’re more likely to get more fish as a result.
You can use each tackle 20 times before it’s broken. Then you can craft another one, or buy a new tackle from Willy’s Fish Shop.
Where and When to Catch Your Fish
There are several types of fish around Pelican Town, with a total of 60 fishes. Here’s a convenient table on several types that seem very picky on when you can catch them.
| Name | Season | Time | Weather | Location |
| Pufferfish | Summer | 12PM to 4PM | Sunny | Ocean |
| Rainbow Trout | Summer | 6AM to 7PM | Sunny | River, Mountain Lake |
| Dorado | Summer | 6AM to 7PM | Any | River (forest only) |
| Octopus | Summer | 6AM to 1PM | Any | Ocean |
| Salmon | Fall | 6AM to 7PM | Any | River |
| Squid | Winter | 6PM to 2AM | Any | Ocean |
| Lingcod | Winter | Any | Any | River, Mountain Lake |
| Perch | Winter | Any | Any | River, Mountain Lake, Forest Pond |
Keep in mind that this table is nowhere near complete. Finding the appearance patterns of the fish for yourself is part of the fun!
Fishing Levels
You have 10 Fishing Levels you can go through. At each new level, you’re awarded with some new bonus, whether it’s unlocking an item or getting a new crafting recipe. In addition, your green rectangle size gets bigger as your Fishing Level rises.
You do have a decision to make when you reach the 5th Fishing Level. That’s when you decide whether you’ll be a Trapper or a Fisher.
If you choose Fisher as your profession, you get more bonuses associated with catching fish. If you do choose the Trapper option, your bonuses will involve the crab pots.
Here’s a quick look at each Fishing Level:
Fishing Level 1: Your casting distance lengthens by 1 tile.
Fishing Level 2: You unlock the crafting recipe for bait, and you can also buy the Fiberglass Rod and bait from Willy’s Fish Shop.
Fishing Level 3: You unlock the recipe for Dish o’ the Sea and the crafting recipe for crab pot. You can also buy craft pots from Willy’s Fish Shop.
Fishing Level 4: You get another extra tile for your casting distance, while you also unlock the crafting recipe for recycling machine.
Fishing Level 5: Choose Fisher, and you’re able to sell fish for 25% more profits. (If you pick Trapper, you need fewer resources to craft your crab pots).
Fishing Level 6: You unlock Cork Bobber and Trap Bobber, and they’re now available at Willy’s Fish Shop along with the Iridium Rod.
Fishing Level 7: You unlock the crafting recipe for Cork Bobber and for Treasure Hunter. But you can also buy these items from Willy’s Fish Shop.
Fishing Level 8: Your casting distance increases again, you can buy Barbed Hook and Dressed Spinner from Willy’s Fish Shop, and you can unlock the crafting recipes for both these items and also the Worm Bin.
Fishing Level 9: You unlock the crafting recipe for Magnet, and you’re able to buy this from Willy’s Fish Shop. You also get the recipe for seafoam pudding.
Fishing Level 10: If you’re a Fisher, you can specialize as an Angler and your fish prices increase by 50%. But if you pick Pirate, you double your chances of finding treasure. As a Trapper, you can be a Luremaster and you won’t need bait for your crab pots. You can also be a Mariner instead, and you won’t find trash in your crab pots anymore.
Conclusion
There lots more fun to discover in this fascinating Stardew Valley game, especially if you’re an avid fisherman. Try it while you’re at home!