Catfish Stardew Valley Guide

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While Fishing is a complex skill, it can also be an extremely rewarding aspect of Stardew Valley! Not only does it make for a great source of income, but it also has the capacity to be super relaxing and calming! It is, at times, of course not relaxing or calming when you are in need of a specific, rare, and difficult-to-catch fish.

This is often considered to be the case with the Catfish, as the circumstances required to catch these are so strict, and they are required for the Community Centre!

Some fish are only available at certain seasons, at certain times, and in certain weather; for Catfish, all of these things are true! So I can imagine why this guide might help you! When it comes to Catfish, the key is patience, organization, and if all else fails you (you can get some Magic Bait, or if all else really fails you and you are willing to overspend the Travelling Cart).

Bottom Line Up Front

Catfish are required for the Community Centre, River Fish bundle, and so are important if you want to complete this. They are relatively hard to catch and can be found only between the hours of 6 am, and 12 am during rain, during Spring and Fall in any River.

They can also be found in Summer but only in the Secret Woods and Witches Swamp. If, however, you use the Magic Bait, they can be caught in any season, weather, and at any time. In terms of gifting, only Willy appreciates these. Otherwise, these can be used to create Maki Roll, Sashimi, and Quality Fertilizer.

How to Obtain a Catfish

Fishing

Catfish Stardew Valley

Catfish are a River dwelling fish that can only be caught during the hours of 6 am, and 12 am when it is raining. They can only be caught in Spring and Fall if you are fishing in the river in Pelican Town, Secret Woods, Witches Swamp, or the river in the Cindersnap Forest.

During Summer, Catfish can also be caught in the Secret Woods and in the Witches Swamp. Catfish do have a difficulty rating of 75, so if you are eager to catch one, patience is definitely key!

If, however you choose to use Magic Bait, you can catch a Catfish in any weather or season at any time (although it still needs to be caught in a River). Magic Bait can be purchased in the shop in QI Walnuts Room for five QI Gems for 20x Magic Bait.

These can only be equipped with an Iridium or Fibreglass Rod, so you may need to first purchase either of these from Willy’s Shack before you plan to go with this method of catching a Catfish.

Purchasing

Catfish can only be purchased (on occasion) from the Travelling Cart, which appears on Sundays and Fridays. In order to find the Travelling Cart, you need to travel south of your Farm toward Marnie’s and then west to Marnie’s, and you will find it!

There is no guarantee as to when the Travelling Cart will stock the Catfish as it does not carry many options, so again I would not rely on this if you are on a deadline to get Catfish. Not only that, but it can also be very expensive and range from anywhere between 600-1000g.

Looting

One of the most fun parts of Stardew Valley (in my opinion) is looting through everyone’s bins. It is important to make sure no one is within watching distance when you do this, as the villagers (except Linus) do not appreciate this and will, in fact, judge you harshly for it.

The chances of finding Catfish in the bins is very rare, although not impossible. Keep looking each time you pass them, but don’t rely on this if you need a Catfish urgently.

Uses of Catfish

Stardew Valley Maki Roll

Recipes

You can use Catfish in order to create a variety of dishes such as;

Maki Roll

To create this dish, you will need 1xFish, 1x Seaweed, and 1x Rice. Once this dish is ready, you can consume it in order to obtain 100 energy points and 45 health points. If you do not wish to consume this, it can also be sold for 220g. In order to create this dish, you first need to obtain the recipe, which can be purchased in the Stardew Saloon for 300g. It can also be obtained by watching the ”Queen of the sauce” channel on the TV on your Farm on the 21st Of Summer in year one.

Sashimi

To create this dish, you will need 1x Fish. Once this dish is ready, you can consume it in order to obtain 75 energy points and 33 health points. If you do not wish to consume this, it can also be sold for 75g. In order to create this dish, you first need to obtain the recipe, which can only be given as a gift from Linus once you reach three hearts in your relationship with him (So you will need to work on this)

Quality Fertilizer

To create this dish, you will need 1x Fish and 2x Sap. This can be applied on tilled soil in order to increase your chances of obtaining quality crops. If you do not wish to use the Fertilizer on your Farm, you can sell it for 10g. In order to create this, you will first need to unlock the recipe, which can only be obtained by reaching farming level nine.

Gifts

The catfish can be a great gift! That is if you exclusively want to gift it to Willy, as he loves Catfish! Otherwise, the Catfish is considered neutral by Demetrius, Elliot, Linus, Leo, Sebastian, and Pam. Everyone else in the town either dislikes or even hates Catfish, so do not gift this to anyone else! (Unless you want them to dislike you)

Bundles

A Catfish can be donated to the River Fish Bundle within the Fisk Tank of the Community Centre. The reward for completing the River Fish Bundle is 30x pieces of bait which can be attached to your fishing rod to help you catch Fish.

Quests

While there are no specific Quests within the game that centers around Catfish, these can be requested from time to time through the Help Wanted Board outside Pierre’s General Store. Completing this order will provide you with 600g and 150 Friendship Points between you and whoever requested the Catfish.

Consumption

Catfish Stardew Valley

You can also consume Catfish on their own without using them in a recipe; doing so will provide;

  • 50 energy and 22 health at a basic level
  • 70 energy and 31 health at a silver level
  • 90 energy and 40 health at a gold level
  • 130 energy and 58 health at an iridium level

Tailoring

Catfish can also be used in the Sewing Machine in order to create the Fish Shirt, which can be used only aesthetically as it does not provide any buff or effects.

Fish Pond

Once you have Catfish, you can also place them within the pond on your Farm in order to create Roe. Roe can, in turn, be sold or used to create;

  • Aged Roe; This takes 2-3 days in the preserves Jar
  • Caviar; This takes four days in the preserves Jar

FAQs

Question: Where are Catfish in Stardew Valley?

Answer: Catfish are river-dwelling fish and can be found in either the river in Pelican town, the Secret Woods, the Witches Hut, or the river in the Cindersnap Forest.

Question: When Can You Catch a Catfish in Stardew Valley?

Answer: Catfish can be caught in Spring or Fall, in the river in Pelican Town or Cindersnap Forest. It can also only be caught between the hours of 6 am, and 12 am, but only when it is raining. The Catfish can also be caught in Summer, but only in the Secret Woods and Witches Swamp.

Question: How Hard is it to Catch a Catfish in Stardew Valley?

Answer: Catfish have a difficulty rating of 75; this is definitely influenced by the fact that they can only be caught prior to 12 am and only in the rain.

Question: Who Could I Gift the Catfish to in Stardew Valley?

Answer: The best person to gift the Catfish to is Willy, as he is the only character that loves these; they are wasted on almost everyone else as they are only neutral, disliked, or hated!

Catfish Stardew Valley Guide: Summary

When it comes to Catfish, their primary use is in order to complete the Community Centre, for the River Fish Bundle in particular, which rewards you with some Bait. Therefore if your goal is to complete the Community Centre, I would prioritize this (as completing this is an exciting milestone, for me at least!

Although, of course, you can go down another path if you like) Once you have completed this if you happen to catch a Catfish you could either gift it to Willy, take it to the Mines for a booster or sell it onward! The recipes that require Catfish can be made with any other fish, so may not be the best use of it (given its difficulty to catch).

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