Fishing on Stardew Valley on Nintendo Switch is the same as fishing on PC or any other platform. Catching a fish on Stardew Valley is a difficult task as you need to be very accurate with what and when to press. But the precision and easy to use controls of a Joy-Con makes the process relatively easier.
Moving on, there’re two ways to fish in Stardew Valley: with a Crab Pod or a Fishing Rod. Let’s start with the latter.
Table of Contents
Fish Using Fishing Rod
Here’re the specific steps to fish on Nintendo Switch:
- Select the Fishing Rod on the action bar.
- Go to a Body of Water and press and hold the “Y” button. It should be the “Action” or “Tool” button.
- You’ll see a bar that turns green as it fills up and red on the other way. If you release it as “green,” the rod will go further. So, release the “Y” button when the bar looks green.
- Wait until you hear a sound and see an exclamation mark above your character. It means a fish is biting the rod.
- The fishing mini-game bar will appear. It’s a moving green rectangle alongside a fish icon. Hold Y to move the fish up, and release the Y button to move the fish down. Also, you can tap the Y button to keep the fish steady.
- Do it until you complete the catch or fail. The green bar will randomly move up and down until the end.
Fish Using Crab Pods
Crab Pods are automatic ways of fishing. You can place them on any shore and return later for the loot.
How Does Fishing Work in Stardew Valley?
Stardew Valley includes over 60 fish in the game. The fishing system can be daunting for beginners and overwhelming for experienced players.
Each fish requires meeting specific circumstances to find and catch them. Some of these circumstances are easier and almost automatic. Others, though, need you to know particular steps.
The fishing mechanic seems like a lot of information, but if you understand the basics, you can fish about 2/3 of the fish available in the game. From there on out, you’d have to find specific details for each of the high-level fish you could find.
That said, fishing is key in three parts of the game:
- It grants ingredients for cooking.
- It gives the ingredients you need to restore the Community Center’s Fish Tank.
- It can generate a lot of money if you sell the fish.
How Does the Fishing Skill Work?
That said, fishing is one of the five skills you can level, and as with the rest of the skills, it can go up to level 10.
Raising the fishing level will increase the effectiveness of fishing rods and pods. Additionally, it raises the range of your fishing tool by one tile, unlocks crafting recipes, and grants perks that make fishing more effective.
Raising your fishing level also increases the distance you can throw the fishing rod or pod. It starts at around four tiles at level one. By level ten, it will be around seven tiles.
It can go even further (up to level 16 for about nine titles). The further the rod goes, the better the fish you can catch.
In other words, the further you fish from the coast or piers, the higher your chances of catching high-level fish. In comparison, the closest you are to the coast, the higher the chances of catching trash.
Raising the fishing skill also raises the fishing mini-games bar. It means you can have an easier time as you progress.
Remember that the training rod will always have a level 5 bar, regardless of your level. However, other rods won’t affect the size of the bar.
How to Raise Your Fishing Skill?
That said, you can raise the level by catching the following:
- Fish
- Trash
- Seaweed
- Green Algae
- White Algae
- Crab Pots
You can increase your fishing level further by using Food Boost or Enchantments. In particular, “Chowder,” “Maple Bar,” “Trout Soup,” and “Shrimp Cocktail” give you a +1 Fishing level boost.
Then, “Escargo” and “Fish Tacos” give you a +2 boost. “Dish 0′ The Sea,” “Fish Stew,” and “Lobster Bisque” give you a +3 bonus. Finally, “Seafoam Pudding” offers you a +4.
If you cook these dishes yourself and add essential spices, you may get an extra level. Alternatively, if you put a Master Enchantment to the fishing rod on the Forge, you may get a +5 Fishing level.
Lastly, the highest possible level you can get in Fishing is 16.
Where to Find Fishing Rods?
On the second day on the Stardew Valley farm, you’ll get a letter from Willy, the Fish Shop owner. If you talk to him, he can give you a free Bamboo Rod, the simplest fishing rod in the game.
Otherwise, you can buy Fishing Rods at the Fish Shop. Once you find a fishing rod, go to any Body of Water to fish. You may also find Fishing Rods in treasure chests or craft them.
Extra Tips for Fishing in Stardew Valley
Let’s wrap up the article with a series of tips to help you further understand the game’s fishing mechanics:
- Fishing in bubbles multiplies the bite rate by four, and it will also increase the size of the fishing bar. However, it won’t change the type of fish you find.
- The quality of fish you may find during a fishing season can improve by finding a “Perfect Catch.” “Perfect Catch” happens when you catch the fish without leaving the bar’s green rectangle. These fishes come with extra quality.
- The type of fish you find depends on the season, the Body of Water you pick, the time of day, fish behavior, the weather, and the distance between the rod and the coast or pier. There’s also some randomization in the process.
- Fish have five types of behaviors. These alter their movement patterns, going from basic movement to random movement. On top of their behavior, the game awards a point system to the behavior they have.
- Fish behaviors are Dart (random movement in all directions); Floater (they float upwards and accelerate); Sinker (these sink and accelerate); Smooth (these move with a steady pattern); and Mixed (these move in basic matters).
- The “Bodies of Water” where you can fish are Town Rives, Forest Rivers, Forest Ponds, Mountain Lakes, Oceans, and more.
- Legendary Fish live in specific locations and have challenging behaviors. For example, the Mutant Carp lives in The Sewers location.
Overall, as long as you change the way you fish (such as fishing in different areas, time of day, and seasons), you’ll be able to catch various fish types naturally. But if you have a specific fish in mind, we recommend you to check the Wiki for extra information.
