Best Spring Fish in Stardew Valley: Prices, Times, and Locations (2026)

Catfish is the best repeatable spring fish for raw selling value in Stardew Valley, bringing in 200g at normal quality or 400g at iridium quality. On dry days, Flounder is a useful ocean alternative at 100g base price. If you're completing the Community Center, prioritize Sunfish, Catfish, and Shad for the River Fish Bundle, then catch an Eel for the Night Fishing Bundle.

The catch is that weather, water type, and the in-game clock matter as much as the fishing rod. These recommendations focus on fish realistically worth targeting during spring, including early-game catches and later-game exceptions. The times below are in-game hours, not real-world time zones. Prices assume no Fisher or Angler profession bonuses and no processing.

Spring fishing cheat sheet: where and when to catch each fish

Important: These are not six fish exclusive to spring; several also spawn in summer or fall. Specialty locations, Magic Bait, and certain farm layouts can change availability. The table describes the straightforward fishing spots most players can use in spring. Source: the Stardew Valley Wiki spring fish list.

Which spring fish should you prioritize?

1. Catfish — best repeatable money fish on rainy spring days

The Catfish has a fishing difficulty of 75, so it is a tough early-game catch, but its 200g normal-quality value makes every successful hook meaningful. Head to the Pelican Town river or Cindersap Forest river while it is raining, between 6:00 a.m. and midnight. Catfish also appear in the Secret Woods pond during rainy spring days if you've unlocked that area.

Early in Year 1, don't assume bait makes Catfish easier to keep inside the fishing bar: basic bait mainly gets bites faster. Focus on keeping the fish icon inside your green bar with controlled, short inputs, and return later with more Fishing levels if it repeatedly escapes. Save your first Catfish if you are restoring the standard Community Center, rather than selling it immediately.

2. Flounder — best practical dry-day ocean pick

When rain isn't available, the Flounder deserves a place in your route. It sells for 100g at normal quality and 200g at iridium quality, appears at the Beach between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and accepts any weather in spring. With a difficulty of 50 and a sinking behavior pattern, it is often a more sensible target than spending the whole day waiting for rainy-river fish that cannot spawn.

Flounder is also a cooking ingredient for Seafoam Pudding later in your progression, so storing one can be worthwhile. Other daytime ocean fish can bite in the same area, and no ordinary fishing location guarantees a Flounder on every cast.

3. Eel — the rainy evening fish to save for the Night Fishing Bundle

The Eel is available in the ocean during rainy spring evenings, from 4:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. Its 85g normal-quality price is lower than Flounder's, but it earns a higher priority if your Night Fishing Bundle is unfinished. Eel has a difficulty of 70; raise your Fishing level or use appropriate tackle later if it moves beyond your control.

One efficient rainy-day plan is to fish the river for Catfish and Shad through the afternoon, then travel to the Beach after 4:00 p.m. for Eel. Make the trip early enough to allow walking time and remember that the day ends at 2:00 a.m. You can fish for Eel again in fall if spring passes without a catch.

4. Shad — essential rainy-river bundle fish

Shad is not an any-weather catch. It appears in the Pelican Town and Cindersap Forest rivers only when it rains, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Its base price is 60g and its difficulty is 45, meaning it is a more approachable rainy-day target than Catfish.

Catch one for the standard River Fish Bundle and consider keeping extra fish if you want Fishing experience rather than maximizing immediate sales. In a save using remixed Community Center bundles, the requirements may differ; check the actual bundle display before deciding what to donate.

5. Smallmouth Bass — the easy catch when the weather doesn't cooperate

With a difficulty of 28 and no weather limitation, Smallmouth Bass is a comfortable early skill-building catch. It is available in the Pelican Town river or the Cindersap Forest pond throughout fishing hours in spring. That location distinction matters: the Forest pond is not the same fishing pool as the Forest river.

The normal sell price is 50g, with up to 100g at iridium quality. It does not belong to the standard Lake Fish Bundle—don't confuse it with Largemouth Bass, a different fish found in the Mountain Lake. Choose Smallmouth Bass when you want a low-pressure fishing session instead of a rare catch.

6. Sunfish — easiest spring river target for the Community Center

Sunfish is available in rivers on sunny and windy spring days from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Its difficulty is just 30, while its normal selling price is only 30g. Its value is in early Fishing experience and the standard River Fish Bundle rather than high gold per fish.

Keep your first Sunfish. On clear mornings, use the river to practice the minigame and build Fishing levels before trying more demanding catches. A windy day qualifies for Sunfish even if the sky does not look perfectly clear. Rainy days do not, unless special bait or another exceptional mechanic changes the normal rules.

What about the Legend, the most valuable spring fish?

The Legend is the exceptional answer to “Which spring fish sells for the most?” It is a spring-only legendary fish worth 5,000g at normal quality and as much as 10,000g at iridium quality before profession bonuses. You need Fishing level 10 (including eligible food buffs), rainy weather, and a sufficiently deep cast in the Mountain Lake, typically near the large submerged log. Its difficulty is 110, and you can catch it only once per save file in single-player.

Because the Legend is a one-time challenge, it isn't a repeatable gold-farming strategy. For routine spring income, prioritize Catfish on rain days and useful ocean fish when conditions are dry. See the Legend requirements for its exact casting constraints.

The spring Community Center fishing checklist

There is no standard bundle called the “Spring Fish Bundle.” For the normal Fish Tank, spring lets you collect three of the four fish in the River Fish Bundle:

• Sunfish: river, sunny/windy weather, 6:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
• Catfish: river, rain, 6:00 a.m.–midnight.
• Shad: river, rain, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 a.m.
• Tiger Trout: river, any weather, 6:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; available in fall and winter, not ordinary spring conditions.

Completing the River Fish Bundle awards 30 Deluxe Bait. Separately, catch an Eel in spring for the Night Fishing Bundle, whose other two fish are Bream (available in all seasons at night) and Walleye (normally a rainy fall catch). A standard Community Center cannot have its River Fish Bundle finished solely with normally spawning spring fish because Tiger Trout arrives later. Remixed bundles may be different. Reference: Community Center bundle requirements.

A simple spring fishing plan for Year 1

1. Spring 2 onward: Visit Willy to receive the Bamboo Pole after his invitation. Practice on easy catches; a Training Rod is inexpensive if the minigame is frustrating.
2. Clear or windy day: Catch Sunfish in the river, then consider the Beach for higher-value Flounder during daylight.
3. Rainy morning: Fish the river for Catfish; collect Shad once its 9:00 a.m. window opens. Save one of each for the Fish Tank.
4. Rainy late afternoon: Reach the ocean after 4:00 p.m. to target Eel. Switch back to easier fish if repeated misses waste the evening.
5. After leveling up: Buy the Fiberglass Rod for 1,800g once you reach Fishing level 2, to use bait. At Fishing level 6, the 7,500g Iridium Rod can equip tackle such as the Trap Bobber, which slows catch-meter loss when the fish escapes your green bar.

Do not confuse rod upgrades with automatic catch quality. Basic bait speeds up bites; it doesn't directly enlarge the fishing bar. Fishing levels enlarge the bar, while distance from shore, perfect catches, and the Quality Bobber influence quality. Fishing level 6 unlocks the Iridium Rod and Trap Bobber, not level 4. Rod details are documented in the fishing mechanics reference.

How to earn more from spring fish

If your goal is profit instead of bundles, fish quality matters. A standard Catfish rises from 200g to 250g at silver, 300g at gold, and 400g at iridium quality, before professions. Once you reach Fishing level 5, the Fisher profession increases fish sale prices by 25%; the later Angler profession raises the bonus to 50%.

The Fish Smoker, introduced in the game's 1.6 update, uses one coal with a fish to create a smoked fish worth twice the fish's normal selling price, preserving quality. It can be valuable when you have the machine and coal available, but it is an investment, not a free bonus. The official Stardew Valley 1.6 changelog documents the Fish Smoker, while the equipment entry covers its costs.

Common spring fishing questions

Why am I not catching Shad?

Most often, the weather is wrong. Shad requires actual rain and a river cast after 9:00 a.m. Fishing the Mountain Lake or an ordinary sunny river does not meet its normal requirements.

Can I finish the River Fish Bundle before summer?

Not through normal spring spawns alone. You need Tiger Trout, which normally starts appearing in fall. You could acquire one earlier through another source such as the Traveling Cart, but that is not guaranteed.

Is Smallmouth Bass the same as Largemouth Bass?

No. Smallmouth Bass appears in the Town river and Forest pond during spring and fall. Largemouth Bass is a Mountain Lake fish available all year and belongs to the standard Lake Fish Bundle.

What should I catch on my first rainy spring day?

Keep one Catfish and one Shad for the River Fish Bundle, then try for an Eel at the Beach after 4:00 p.m. If Catfish is still too hard, prioritize a Shad and return to Catfish later in spring or fall.

For most farmers, the winning order is straightforward: save bundle fish first, target rainy-day Catfish for repeatable value, and use Flounder or Smallmouth Bass when the weather turns dry. That plan provides useful progress without requiring perfect skill or a late-game fishing setup.