Fishing is a great way to make money in Stardew Valley. It’s also a great way to get food to restore energy, rack up gifts, and craft recipes. But did you know there’s one way to ensure that you get a ton of gold?
This method will take some work because you do need to unlock the Iridium Rod first. You have to reach Fishing Level 6 and then you can buy it for 7,500 gold. This rod is very important because it allows you to add bait and tackle to it. You’ll be making that money back quickly once you’ve acquired it, so don’t worry about the effort and cost.
Next you’re going to want lots of bait to attach to your Iridium Rod. You can craft bait using bug meat that you’ll find in the mine, it you can buy it for super cheap. It decreases the time for a fish to bite by 50% and decreases the amount of trash you’ll find. This combo already makes it so you’re catching way more fish in a short amount of time.
If you have the resources, you can also use better bait. For instance, Deluxe Bait decreases the time even more and makes catching easier. Next you’ll want to add a tackle. You don’t need a ton of these because each one will last 20 fish before being consumed. Once you’re set up, it’s time to fish.
Now you’ll want to head into the mines and make your way down to level 20. The most common fish you’ll find here is the Ghostfish. A plain Ghostfish with no mastering boost will get you 45 gold, and it can reach as high as 90. That’s not crazy, but it’s a little higher than most of the fish you’d be catching normally. But mixed with your bait and tackle, you’ll be catching them at an abnormally high rate.
In one in-game day of fishing, I caught roughly a dozen Ghostfish. I sold them for nearly 1,000 gold and used a few to restore energy so I could keep going. But the real catch is the Stonefish. This is the only other fish that can be caught in this area and your odds of getting one increase with your level and a specific kind of bait and tackle. These fish start at 300 gold and reach up to 600 without mastering.
The Ghostfish were a decent source of energy and money, but the Stonefish alone were pulling in roughly 2,000 gold per day. Take a break from doing everything else to focus on money making and you can make 60,000 good in no time. Or just casually do this and get a little extra money here and there.