Learn to fish with the help of bait and the different types of bait you can use in this Stardew Valley guide.
Getting good at fishing in Stardew Valley is no small feat. It is one of the aspects of the game that makes it challenging, especially for beginners. Waiting for the fish to bite is slightly tedious in itself. Fortunately, using Bait can increase your catch rate. But here are some things you need to know before you can use fishing bait.
What Fishing Rod to Use
The Bamboo Pole is fishing equipment given to you for free by Willy, the fisherman. Like all the other farming tools, you start with a basic rod that is inefficient for fishing but an appropriate one for beginners. However, the Bamboo Pole cannot be equipped with bait.
Willy has a shop at the Pelican Town beach, where you can buy various fishing supplies and apparatus. You can unlock and buy the Fiberglass Rod after reaching Fishing Level 2. It costs 1,200g, which is quite expensive for players in the early game. But bait can be used in this type of rod.
Later, you can also unlock the Iridium Rod once you’re at Fishing Level 6. It can be purchased for 7,500g. You can not only attach bait to it, but you can also have it accessorized with Fish Tackle, which helps you catch more high-quality fish.
How to Get Bait
But how can we get bait? There are many ways to obtain fish lures, depending on the type. Below are the four different variations of bait available in the game:
Bait: This is the easiest type of bait you can obtain, and it is found in Willy’s Shop, costing 5g per piece. At Fishing Level 2, you can make 5 Bait with Bug Meat. To farm Bug Meat, kill bug creatures in monster-infested areas.
Wild Bait: This bait lets you catch two fish at once. It can be crafted once you acquire the recipe from Linus. The friendly vagabond will give you the recipe during his 4-Heart Event, so getting close to him is needed to unlock this scene. You can craft 5 Wild Bait with 5 Bug Meat, 10 Fiber, and 5 Slime.
Magnet: If you want to increase the odds of getting Treasure Chests while fishing, you can use the Magnet bait. Willy sells it at his shop after you reach Fishing Level 9. You can also make 3 Magnets with a piece of Iron Bar.
Magic Bait: You can catch any type of fish in any season, weather, and time with Magic Bait attached to your rod. The recipe can be acquired from Mr. Qi in his Walnut Room. Aside from the recipe, he trades 20 Magic Bait for 5 Qi Gems. You can also craft 5 Magic Bait with 1 Radioactive Ore and 3 Bug Meat.
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Note that bait will be consumed with each cast, so you may need to get more bait when it depletes to continue fishing with ease.
How to Attach Bait On a Fishing Rod in Stardew Valley
1. Place the bait and Fiberglass or Iridium rod in your inventory.
2. Grab your stash of bait.
- If you play on a PC, left-click on the bait to select it. You can pick one piece from your stash if you right-click on the bait. With the bait on your cursor, right-click your fishing rod in the inventory to equip it.
- For Playstation users, press’ X’ to hold all the bait or ‘Square’ to get a single piece of bait. You can then ‘Square’ on your fishing rod to put bait on your rod.
- Xbox users can press ‘A’ to select their choice of bait or ‘X’ to grab only one piece. Then, press ‘X’ again while the cursor is on your fishing rod.
- Players on their Nintendo Switch can press ‘A’ to gather all their bait or ‘X’ to get a small chunk. Press’ Y’ to put them on your rod.
- For mobile users (IOS and Android), you can select the bait and drag them to your fishing rod.
3. And it is done! The bait should now be attached to your rod, and you are ready to go fishing.
Conclusion
It only takes a few clicks to attach bait on a rod in Stardew Valley, but that’s just one of the factors that can affect your fishing. There’s also the fishing skill you must level up, the different behavior of every fish, your daily luck, and many more. The most important thing is not to get discouraged by missed catches or slippery fish. With enough practice, you will soon improve and become a fishing pro!
