
There are plenty of things to do apart from farming in Stardew Valley and fishing is one of them. It will also be essential knowing how to fish as you'll need to collect a variety of fish for the Community Center restoration. This is why we're going to show you how to fish, what you can do with your fish and we explain the fishing skill.
Table of Contents
Read More: Stardew Valley: How To Cook
How To Fish
You can fish from bodies of water but you need to get a fishing rod first! 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 you hear a 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 meaning you successfully caught something. Now another progress bar will appear, this is sort of like a mini-game. Click your action button continuously or hold it to move the fish up and down. You need to keep the fish inside the green bar. Whenever the fish is in the green bar, the bar up the side of the meter will fill up. Once the side meter is filled, you will pull in the fish.
If you're enjoying Stardew Valley, you should take a look at our other guides in our walkthrough hub.
What To Do With Your Fish
There are a few different things that you can do with a fish once you've caught one. You can:
- Sell them to Willy in the Fish Shop
- Purchase a fish tank and keep one as a pet
- Use them to cook recipes
- They can be given as gifts

Fishing Skill
Players can gain fishing experience by using the fishing rod and crab pots. As you become a higher fishing skill level the green brick will become larger, making it easier to catch fish. You can also upgrade from the starter fishing rod to add bait to your new rod.
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
Now you know how to fish in Stardew Valley! Being a farmer can be tiring work, that's why we've put together a guide on how to restore your energy. 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.