Throughout the years, many games have tried to perfect the concept of Fishing in their in-game environments. While some have succeeded, others have had trouble maintaining a proper balance between the rarities of the catch. This issue translates over quite well in a world-explorer like Stardew Valley – where critters like Walleye can be a massive pain to catch.
Being a strictly freshwater fish, the Walleye is well-known for its high catch complexity and low availability. You’d have to set a camp in the nighttime and look for the perfect weather conditions, and have a keen eye for changes in the environment in order to catch the Walleye.
However, the process doesn’t have to be that complicated. A lot of locations on the map have this kind of fish. Therefore, it’s only a matter of having the proper gear to navigate to the hotspots in time.
How To Fish In Stardew Valley?
The fishing mechanic in Stardew Valley involves casting a fishing rod into a valid water body and then using the rod button in order to pull your catch out whenever there’s an indication; you won’t be able to catch the Walleye unless and until you’re aware of the ins and outs of fishing.
Whenever a fish successfully bites the laid-out bait, the bobber will start wiggling, and you’d have to pull the rod back in a certain time frame. If, by any chance, you take too long in pulling back, then that’s it – you’ve lost your catch.
There is a progress bar at the side that indicates when it’s a good time to catch it and when you should ignore it. The opportunity arises once you’ve managed to make it to the green area in the fishing meter.
You can manipulate your chances of a catch by constantly pressing the tool button. However, the focal point of the mechanic is the green area on the meter; as long as your icon lands inside it, you’d be getting a decent catch in return.
Aim For Perfect Catches
You will be able to land a perfect catch as long as the fish in the fishing meter neve manages to leave the green zone.
While it might not sound much, doing so can grant you a total of two benefits serving as the key in your journey of capturing Walleye.
- Firstly, any silver or gold grade fish automatically jumps a grade when caught as a Perfect Catch.
- Secondly, the experience a perfect catch gives is 2.4 times the usual.
By actively going for perfect catches, you’re essentially increase your chances of getting a good return.
Walleye: Fishing Time
Walleye is a fish that only surfaces during the nighttime. In addition, this kind of fish can only be caught during the rainy season. Therefore, you’d only have a limited number of tries before the night fades away.
Unfortunately, you need to be in the fall season to make Walleye spawn. Otherwise, all the preparation will be relatively useless. It possesses a 45 points’ worth of catching difficulty. Therefore, bringing in a high-quality fishing rod is generally recommended.
Walleye Spawn Areas In Stardew Valley
The Walleye is generally found in rivers and ponds, and while there is a plethora of areas that match that description, only a selective few actually house Walleyes.
Having said that, you should place your camp in one of the following areas for maximum chances of obtaining the Walleye:
- Pelican Town River: The town where most of the villagers and starting players live. It’s surrounded by a large river body circulating and providing water through the entire Pelican Town.
- Cindersap Forest River: The Cindersap forest comprises of a large tree range that has a river flowing in the middle. It’s located in the southwest region of the Stardrew Valley.
- Mountain Lake: This area is on the northern edge of Stardew Valley. The game opens it up once the game has been played to a certain point.
- Cindersap Forest Pond: There’s a pond located on the north-western side of the river. It’s also just as Walleye-dense – given you’re fishing in the correct season at the correct time. This area boasts the highest drop-rates with each hook having a 32% chance of getting a Walleye.
You might be able to find more water bodies across the Stardew Valley. However, you will find the highest quality of fish here. Therefore, you’re better off exhausting your luck before heading elsewhere.
How To Bypass Weather Restrictions For Walleye
While the fish is only available during the rain of fall, there are ways to make it spawn even during the winter. This can be done with the help of a crafted item known as the Rain Totem.
Once activated, it boosts the chances for rain to a marginal extent – such that rain occurs the very next day of the totem’s use. Unfortunately, the Rain Totem is rather limited in its powers. Therefore, only the area where the Totem is used will experience rain.
Consequently, if the totem is used exactly before a snowy day, you can simultaneously make the sky rain and snow. Having said that, here’s the recipe to craft this totem:
- Hardwood x 1: Can be obtained by harvesting Mahogany Trees with an axe.
- Truffle Oil x 1: Chuck a Truffle in an Oil Maker to obtain Truffle Oil.
- Pine Tar x 5: Tap the Pine Trees in order to obtain this Tar.
During rain, it’s quite possible to find Walleye in random garbage cans. Therefore, make sure to check them constantly during your travels, and you might just stumble upon a stroke of fate.
How To Bypass Walleye Restrictions?
If the time and season restrictions are too much for you, fret not! There’s a more costly yet time-efficient way that can be used to essentially make Walleye fish-able at any time. However, you’d need a Magic Bait to make this happen.
Therefore, the cost of missing your target isn’t always affordable. Hence, we recommend you refrain from using this method unless you desperately need a Walleye. Having said that, here’s how you can craft asss Magic Bait:
- Radioactive Ore x 1: You will find this ore from the Radioactive Nodes in the mines.
- Bug Meat x 3: This ore is dropped as a monster loot item. It is generally found in insects.
You’d need to learn the crafting recipe from Qi’s Walnut Room for a total of 20 Gems. After that, it’s only a matter of finding the mentioned ingredients and creating the recipe. Each batch yields a total of 5 Magic Baits, so be sure to use them sparingly.
How To Make A Walleye Farm?
Ideally, you should focus on catching your first few Walleye since you can produce the rest in a Fish Pond. The reproduction process takes a total of three days. However, the production will halt once the pond is full.
Therefore, we recommend you keep taking extra out of the pond along with doing the three optional quests that comes with it:
| Prev Capacity | After Capacity | Quest Items | Granted XP |
| 3 | 5 | Acorns x 3 Bug Meat x 10 Maple Seeds x 3 Pine Cones x 3 | 35 |
| 5 | 7 | Gold Ore x 3 Maple Syrup x 1 Mixed Seeds x 5 | 35 |
| 7 | 10 | Crayfish x 1 Honey x 1 Jade x 2 Periwinkle x 1 | 35 |
You will be gaining yellow Walleye Roe from this little venture. Therefore, it’s only worth if you want to pursue the profession on a long term basis.
Takeaway
In essence, you just need to grab a fishing rod and wait for the most opportune time to catch Walleye in Stardew Valley. While there are methods to bypass the climatic restrictions, they’re generally only recommended if you’re looking to get the fish as soon as possible.