Carl's Guide to Stardew Valley

Gameplay Strategy and Farm Management

Stardew Valley Fishing

How to Use Bait and Tackle on Fishing Poles

Using bait and tackle for fishing poles in Stardew Valley A fiberglass fishing rod with bait equipped. The pole technically has a slot for the bait, which is easy to miss.

Using bait and tackle can be a bit confusing for players new to Stardew Valley's fishing system. Here's a quick summary of how it's done, and what they do for you when fishing. If you need help with how to fish, click here.

Bait

First know that the Bamboo fishing pole has no slots available for bait nor tackle. The better rods have these features. The ability to use bait comes with Level 2 Fishing, as it will make Will sell the Fiberglass fishing pole at his shop by the beach for 1,800G (you should receive a letter indicating he has it available). You can also buy bait cheap there, though level 2 fishing teaches you to craft your own.

How to Use Fishing Bait
To use bait, highlight the bait in your inventory, then pick it up as though you're going to move it. Now go to the fishing pole and right-click. The bait will now be equipped to the pole. With an Xbox controller you select it with 'A' and equip it to the fishing pole with 'X'. You can remove the bait by right-clicking or pressing 'X' a second time.

You can attach a whole stack of bait so you only need to do this every now and then. Having bait equipped to a fishing pole will increase the speed at which fish 'bite'. This means less time sitting around, and more time reeling in the fish. It greatly increases your profit per day from fishing. Whether you catch the fish or not, you'll use up one of your bait.

Tackle

How to Use Tackle
Tackle (spinners, barbed hooks, and bobbers) is equipped the same way. Pick up the tackle in your inventory, go over the fishing rod then right click or press 'X' on the Xbox controller to attach it to the pole.

Tackle is only available from Fishing level 6 onward and requires you to buy the Iridium Fishing Rod, which has slots for both bait and tackle. Tackle has the largest effect on your ability to catch rare fish. Unlike bait, which decreases in quantity with each use, tackle has durability. Different types of tackle do different things:

Like Stardew Valley's regular bait item, different types of tackle can be bought from Willy's shop as you level up. Naturally, you unlock the ability to craft the majority of these on the same level they become available in the shop, though a few are shop-exclusive. In general it seems better to buy them than to craft them, especially in the case of items like Treasure Hunter tackle unless you're swimming in Gold bars.

More Information

See my Stardew Valley Fishing Guide for info on crab pots, fishing spots, and other information you'll want to know if you're learning the ins and outs of fishing in this game.

How to Fish
Spring Fish
Summer Fish
Fall Fish
Winter Fish







Stardew Valley 1.1 Changes

Stardew Valley is now version 1.1, which comes with some significant changes. I have some updating to do as a result. Certain fruits (such as blueberries/cranberries) have had their sell prices reduced significantly to give players more reason to grow other produce. This makes tables with sales values wrong. I will fix them as soon as possible. You can see the full list of change notes here.

Stardew Guide Progress


My Stardew Valley Guide coverage has just begun as of July 8, 2016. I plan to put out pages regularly until I've covered most topics. For now I've completed guides on:

Skills & Unlocks New
Cows & Milk New
Gifts for Villagers (Hearts)
Combat New
The Skull Cavern New
The Desert New
Trees & Tappers New
Foraging New
The Secret Woods
Beginner's Guide New
Stardew Valley Tips
Crops to Grow for Bundles