Stardew Valley Fish Guide — Complete Species List for 1.6

The complete species list for all fish in Stardew Valley 1.6. Locations, seasons, sell prices, cooking recipes, bundle needs, and fish pond uses.

Stardew Valley has 80+ fish species — some are pure gold, others are just bait filler. This guide lists every fish you'll ever encounter: where they live, what season, their sell price, and whether you should keep, cook, or instantly sell them. Bookmark this and save your browser tabs.

Quick Summary: Fish Worth Chasing

  • Best money: Lava Eel (Fish Pond), Legend (catch once, 15,000g), Catfish (early game, 200g each).
  • Best for ponds: Lava Eel (spicy eel + magma geodes), Sturgeon (roe → Caviar), Rainbow Trout (25% chance for Prismatic Shard).
  • Must-keep for bundles: Every seasonal fish listed in Community Center bundles. Don't sell your first Eel, Pufferfish, or Walleye.
  • Best cooking ingredients: Salmon (Salmon Dinner), Bream (Crispy Bass), Tuna (Fish Taco).
  • Useless junk: Carp, Chub, Perch — low profit, no special uses. Sell immediately.

If you're new, start with the Fishing Guide first — it covers rods, tackle, and how to actually catch them. This guide is about the fish themselves.

Fish by Location

Every fish belongs to one of five locations. Some also have a special "deep water" version with the Seafoam Pudding buff or Curiosity Lure.

Ocean Fish

Catfish — best early-game fish for profit
Catfish is the early-game money maker — 200g each, available Spring and Fall.
Fish Seasons Time Weather Sell Uses
Anchovy Spring, Fall All day Any 30g Bundle, Fried Calamari
Sardine Spring, Fall, Winter 6am–8pm Any 40g Dish o' the Sea (Skill food)
Tuna Summer, Winter 6am–10pm Any 100g Fish Taco, Ocean Fish Bundle, Pond (Albacore roe)
Red Snapper Summer, Fall 6am–8pm Rain 100g Fish Pond
Pufferfish Summer 12pm–4pm Sunny 200g Specialty Bundle, Pond
Eel Spring, Fall 4pm–2am Rain 85g Spicy Eel (Luck+Speed), Pond
Octopus Summer 6am–1pm Any 150g Hardest to catch, Pond (Omni Geode)
Red Mullet Summer, Winter 6am–7pm Any 75g Fish Pond
Herring Spring, Winter All day Any 30g Cheap, sell or sashimi
Squid Winter 6pm–2am Any 80g Fried Calamari, Pond
Sea Cucumber Fall, Winter All day Any 75g Lucky Lunch (Luck+3), Pond
Super Cucumber Summer, Fall 4pm–2am Any 250g Best ocean sell price, Pond (Crab Pot stuff)
Albacore Fall, Winter 6am–11am, 6pm–2am Any 75g Fish Pond
Halibut Spring, Summer, Fall 6am–11am, 7pm–2am Any 90g Fish Pond
Midnight Carp Fall, Winter 10pm–2am Any 150g Seafoam Pudding (+4 Fishing)
Flounder Spring, Summer 6am–8pm Any 100g Seafoam Pudding
Tilapia Summer, Fall All day Any 75g Fish Pond
Spook Fish Fall 6am–8pm Any 220g Fish Pond (Eel roe, treasure chests)
Blobfish Winter All day Any 500g Fish Pond (Pearls, Farm Teleport)

Ocean fish are your best friends early game. Super Cucumber at 250g each is the best regular ocean fish for selling raw. Blobfish in Winter is a jackpot if you catch one — put it in a pond immediately.

River Fish (Pelican Town + Cindersap)

Fish Seasons Time Weather Sell Uses
Catfish Spring, Fall 6am–12am Rain 200g Fish Pond, easy money
Salmon Fall 6am–7pm Any 80g Salmon Dinner, Pond
Sunfish Spring, Summer 6am–8pm Sunny 30g Bundle, sell
Smallmouth Bass Spring, Fall All day Any 50g Crispy Bass, Bundle
Walleye Fall 12pm–2am Rain 180g Bundle, sell
Perch Winter All day Any 55g Bundle, cheap sell
Bream All seasons 6pm–2am Any 45g Crispy Bass, Pond
Chub All seasons All day Any 50g Bundle, cheap sell
Carp All seasons All day Any 30g Bundle, mostly junk
Bullhead All seasons All day Any 75g Fish Pond
Shiner Spring, Summer, Fall All day Any 20g Useless, sell or sashimi
Rainbow Trout Summer 6am–7pm Sunny 65g Pond → Prismatic Shard (rare)
Tiger Trout Fall, Winter 6am–7pm Any 150g Fish Pond
Lingcod Winter All day Any 120g Fish Pond
Dorado Summer 6am–7pm Any 100g Fish Pond
Shadow Bass All seasons All day Any 80g Fish Pond
Largemouth Bass All seasons 6am–7pm Any 100g Crispy Bass, Bundle

River fish are the most accessible. Catfish during Spring rain is unbeatable for early cash. Rainbow Trout in a pond has a small chance of producing Prismatic Shards — pure endgame gambling but worth it for the rush.

Mountain Lake Fish

Fish Seasons Time Weather Sell Uses
Sturgeon Summer, Winter 6am–8pm Any 200g Roe → Caviar (epic profit), Bundle
Bullhead All seasons All day Any 75g Fish Pond
Rainbow Trout Summer 6am–7pm Sunny 65g Pond
Carp All seasons All day Any 30g Junk
Chinook Salmon Fall 6am–8pm Any 80g Fish Pond
Midnight Carp Fall, Winter 10pm–2am Any 150g Seafoam Pudding
Glacierfish Winter All day Any 1,000g Legendary — catch once per save

Sturgeon is the star here. Put it in a Fish Pond, age the roe in a Preserves Jar → it becomes Caviar (500g). That's a steady 4,000g+ per week from one pond. Glacierfish is one of the 5 legendaries — only 1 per save file.

Forest Pond (Secret Woods)

Fish Seasons Time Weather Sell Uses
Carp All seasons All day Any 30g Junk
Woodskip All seasons All day Any 75g Fish Pond (Wood roe)
Midnight Carp Fall, Winter 10pm–2am Any 150g Seafoam Pudding

Woodskip is the only fish worth mentioning here. Put it in a Fish Pond for a steady supply of Wood. Everything else here is just filler.

Underground / Mines Fish

Fish Location Level Sell Uses
Lava Eel Mines (100+) Floors 100–120 700g Best pond fish — Spicy Eel, Magma Geodes, Gold Ore
Stonefish Mines (20+) Floors 20–30 300g Pond — Diamonds
Ice Pip Mines (60+) Floors 60–70 500g Pond — Diamonds, Frozen Geodes
Ghostfish Mines (20+) Floors 20–30 45g Pond, cheap sell

Lava Eel is the king of all Fish Pond fish. At 10 population, it produces Spicy Eel (free luck buff for Skull Cavern runs), Magma Geodes, and Gold Ore. If you catch one, treasure it.

Community Center Fish Bundles

Sturgeon — needed for Lake Fish Bundle and Caviar
Sturgeon is required for the Lake Fish Bundle and makes Caviar. Don't sell your first one.

If you're going for Community Center completion, don't sell your first catch of these fish:

Bundle Fish Required
River Fish Bundle Sunfish, Catfish, Shad, Tiger Trout
Lake Fish Bundle Sturgeon, Bream, Largemouth Bass, Bullhead, Walleye, Perch
Ocean Fish Bundle Rainbow Trout (wait — that's River), Sardine, Tuna, Red Snapper, Tilapia, Pufferfish
Night Fishing Bundle Walleye, Bream, Eel, Midnight Carp
Specialty Fish Bundle Pufferfish, Ghostfish, Sandfish, Woodskip, Glacierfish, Crimsonfish, Angler, Legend, Mutant Carp, Scorpion Carp
Crab Pot Bundle Lobster, Crab, Cockle, Mussel, Shrimp, Snail, Periwinkle, Oyster, Clam

Pro tip: Before selling any fish you catch for the first time, check if it's in a bundle. There's nothing worse than needing a Catfish in Fall and realizing you sold the only one you caught in Spring.

Best Fish for Fish Ponds

Fish Ponds are the best passive income in the game — but not every fish is worth putting in one. Here's the tier list:

Tier Fish Why
S Lava Eel Spicy Eel, Gold Ore, Magma Geodes. Best all-rounder
S Sturgeon Aged Roe → Caviar (500g). Pure passive gold
A Blobfish Pearls, Farm Teleport — great endgame pond
A Rainbow Trout 0.1% chance for Prismatic Shard per day. Long-term gambling
B Sea Cucumber Produces Lucky Lunch ingredients
B Spook Fish Eel roe + Treasure Chests
C Eel Spicy Eel is good, but slower than Lava Eel
F Carp, Chub, Perch Barely any profit. Don't bother

Cooking with Fish

Some dishes give game-changing buffs. Here's what's worth making:

Dish Fish needed Buff Best use
Spicy Eel Lava Eel or regular Eel Luck+1, Speed+1 Skull Cavern runs — must-have buff
Seafoam Pudding Flounder, Midnight Carp, Squid Ink Fishing+4 Catching legendaries, fishing skill boost
Lucky Lunch Sea Cucumber Luck+3 Best luck food before Skull Cavern
Fish Taco Tuna Fishing+3 General fishing trips
Dish o' The Sea Sardine Fishing+3 Cheap fishing food (2 Sardines only)
Salmon Dinner Salmon Energy+125, Health+50 Mine runs, cheap energy
Crispy Bass Largemouth Bass, Bream, Smallmouth Bass Energy+100, Health+45 Cheap healing food
Fried Calamari Squid Energy+100, Health+45 Gift for Pierre, decent energy

Prioritize Spicy Eel and Seafoam Pudding. The others are fine but the buffs from these two are game-changing for Skull Cavern and legendary fish hunting.

Legendary Fish

There are 5 legendary fish you can catch once per save file. They're extremely hard, require higher fishing skill, and usually special conditions.

See the full breakdown in Legendary Fish Guide — locations, optimal tackle, and tips for each one. Short version:

  • Legend — 15,000g (15,000g)! Spring, Mountain Lake, rain, Level 10 Fishing.
  • Crimsonfish — Summer, East Pier ocean, Level 5+.
  • Angler — Fall, Joja Mart bridge, Level 3+.
  • Mutant Carp — All seasons, Sewers, Level 5+.
  • Glacierfish — Winter, Arrowhead Island (Cindersap), Level 7+.

Sell vs Keep Quick Guide

Action Fish
Sell raw Anchovy, Carp, Chub, Herring, Perch, Shiner, Sunfish — not worth processing or cooking
Put in pond Lava Eel, Sturgeon, Blobfish, Rainbow Trout, Sea Cucumber, Spook Fish, Eel, Woodskip
Keep for cooking Tuna, Salmon, Sardine, Flounder, Midnight Carp, Eel (or Lava Eel), Sea Cucumber
Keep for bundles First catch of every species — check the bundle table above
Sell processed Smoked fish (Fish Smoker doubles value), Aged Roe (especially Sturgeon → Caviar)

If you've got the Fish Smoker recipe, smoke every Lava Eel or high-value fish before selling — the 2x price multiplier is no joke. Check the Bait Maker & Fish Smoker Guide for the full build details.

Common Fishing Mistakes

  1. Selling your first catch. You need one of each for Community Center. Keep the first one.
  2. Fishing without bait. Bait cuts wait time by 50%. It's 10g at Willy's or free from Bug Meat → Bait Maker.
  3. Ignoring Treasure Chests. When the fishing bar hits the treasure chest icon, grab it for extra loot (Diamonds, artifacts, rings).
  4. Not using Trap Bobber. The best tackle for beginners — it slows fish escape by 50%. Huge difference on hard fish.
  5. Selling fish to Willy instead of the shipping bin. Same price. Doesn't matter. But smoked fish is always better.

Personally I'd say: fish is the most underrated skill in Stardew Valley. Everyone rushes farming but ignores that a rainy Spring day with Catfish beats any crop ROI in Year 1. Stick a Sturgeon in a pond and you've got passive Caviar gold forever.

Updated for Stardew Valley 1.6.

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