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Anyone looking to upgrade theirStardew Valleyfishing skills will benefit from three things: patience, a better fishing rod, and someBait. While Bait is pretty easy to come by in the game, it might be a little difficult to figure out how and when to use it. But if players want to catch the bestlegendary fish inStardew Valley, they’ll need a helping hand in the form of fishing bait.
Catching fish inStardew Valleyis much easier when players can bait their rods. There is a whole selection of different kinds of bait made from a variety of different materials. Each one has unique properties, and each one needs to be learned. Here is a guide to everything you need to know aboutStardew Valley’s bait system.
Updated June 04, 2025 by Mina Smith: Now that 1.6 is here in Stardew Valley, this article is in need of another update. Several new types of bait have been added to this legendary farming sim: theDeluxe BaitandChallenge Bait. This update has also brought something called aDeluxe Worm Binthat will help players to make better bait even easier to create. Read the updates to see how you can get these new bait types and build your own better worm bin for your farm.
What Does Bait Do In Stardew Valley?
Bait, when attached to a fishing rod inStardew Valley, makes fish bitefaster. It goes a long way in making fishing seem more fruitful, with less waiting. It decreases the time before fish bite by 50%.
There are lots of different types of bait, and they’ll be outlined further on in this guide, but the most common type is standard bait just titled “Bait.” Let’s outline how to use it first.
How To Use Stardew Valley Bait
In order to bait a rod, players first have to have upgraded to a rod that has a slot for bait. The Bamboo Fishing rod is great for starting out and beginning to level up thefishing skill inStardew Valley, but playerscannot use bait with this basic kind of pole. However, when a player upgrades to either theFiberglass Rod or Iridium Rod, a bait slot opens up on the fishing pole. The Iridium Rod has an additional slot too, for a lure. In the super-late game, players can also obtain an Advanced Fishing Rod that can be equipped with bait and two lures.
Adding bait to a fishing rod is relatively simple in all versions ofStardew Valley.
In the inventory, press the following buttons on the bait you want to equip:
Select a single piece of bait
Select an entire stack of bait
right click
left click
X
□(Square)
Then, move the cursor over to the fishing rod, and simply press the Use input for your console to attach it.
After pressing the appropriate Use input, the bait should automatically be slotted onto the fishing rod. After that, all players need to do is sit back, play the fishing minigame, and hope to catch all theLargemouth Bass they need to complete all theStardew Valleyvillager quests. Be sure to pay attention to how much bait remains on the fishing rod and follow the same process to equip new bait once it runs out.
Two Other Uses for Bait in Stardew Valley
Bait can also be used for Crab Pots, each of which requires a regular Bait to start trapping crabs. The different types of bait can have different effects in Crab Pots, which is outlined below.
Aside from use in fishing and crabbing, though,Stardew Valleybait for rods only has one other major use: cosmetics. Bait is one of many items that can contribute to red dye, but that’s about as far as its usefulness goes.
Types Of Bait In Stardew Valley
Baiting a rod in Stardew Valley is interesting as bait doesn’t necessarily increase a player’s chances to land a particular fish, but, instead, increases the speed at which players catch fish or can even influence the type of fish that can be caught.
That said, it’s entirely possible for players to catch all the fish they’re looking for without ever baiting their hooks. Still, these baits offer some unique benefits that make them worthwhile for most anglers. Here’s a closer look at each of the bait types present inStardew Valleyand what they can do for the player when attached to a rod.
Bait
This is the standard bait offering inStardew Valleyand is the easiest to obtain. It can be purchased for 5g each from the Fish Shop, snagged from a Worm Bin, or crafted by the player by using 1x Bug Meat. Standard Bait will cause fish to bite 50% faster, allowing players to farm fishing spots at a quicker rate. The recipe is learned atFishing Level 2.
Magnet
Those seeking treasures over fish will definitely want to craft or purchase this bait. It can be bought from the Fish Shop for 1,000g or simply crafted by the player by using 1x Iron Bar. Crafting is considered a better option as one craft will yield 3x Magnets for bait. This particular add-on will increase the chance that players find treasure by 15 percent (making it 30 percent total). Contrary to the description of the item, it doesn’t actually affect the bite rate for fish. The recipe for crafting is learned atFishing Level 9.
Wild Bait
Those that want the Wild Bait will have tobefriend Linusas it’s the only way to obtain the recipe to craft the add-on. Once players gain access to Linus' 4-heart event, they’ll be taught the recipe. Wild Bait is quite useful, too, as it gives a special modifier that makes it possible to catch two fish at once. Unfortunately, this doesn’t count for Legendary Fish, but it can upgrade a player’s catch profits significantly.
To craft the Wild Bait, you need to combine 5x Bug Meat, 5x Slime, and 10x Fiber. Each crafting bundle will produce five of the special bait.
Magic Bait
By far one of the most interesting baits on offer, the Magic Bait will ignore fishing restrictions based on season, time of day, and other variables. To obtain Magic Bait, players will need to gain access toQi’s Walnut Room. There, Qi sells the item in bundles of 20 for 5 Qi gems.
Magic Bait will allow players to snag fish from waters regardless of the weather, time, and season, making it so players can obtain practically any fish without having to wait, including Legendary types. Players can purchase the recipe for 20 Qi gems. Once purchased, players can make five Magic Bait by combining 3x Bug Meat and 1x Radioactive Ore.
Not only does it make fish bite faster, but it also allows a player to go for any type of fish that comes from the type of water they throw the line into, even if the season or time of day is not correct to find that specific fish. So, for example,Super Cucumbers are fish inStardew Valleythat can only be caught at night during the Summer or Fall in the Ocean. A magic bait would let this very rare fish be caught in the ocean, during the day or at night, any season of the year.
Deluxe Bait
Added inSDVupdate 1.6.9, Deluxe Bait reduced the time it takes to get a fish to interact with your fishing rod by 67% and increases the fishing bar size. This will make fishing both easier and quicker. When it is used in the Crab Pot, Deluxe Bait also makes it less likely you will fish up trash and increases the quality to silver.
You can make Deluxe Bait in a Deluxe Worm Bin, or you canpurchase it from the Fish Shop after reaching level 4 in fishing. They will cost you 100g each. In order to craft five of these advanced types of bait, you will need 5x Bait and 2x Moss. You can also earn some from things like the Trout Derby Festival or trading with the Bookseller.
Challenge Bait
Challenge Bait is a unique kind of bait you can make after getting good atStardew Valleyfishingand claiming Fishing Mastery. The recipe for five of these baits is 5x Bone Fragment and 2x Moss, and it can also be found in Golden Fishing Treasure Chests.
The Challenge Bait reduces the time it takes for fish to start nibbling by 62.5%. But the most interesting part of this bait is the fact that it allows you tocatch up to three fish at the same time. The number of fish you catch on a perfect fishing attempt is three, and that number is reduced by one each time the fish leaves the fishing bar. This means you won’t catch any fish at all if it leaves the fishing bar three times.
Targeted Bait
A special type of Bait is Targeted Bait, which is named for specific types of fish that it increases the chances of finding. For example, Trout Bait is more likely to catch Trout. It also decreases the bite time like standard Bait.
To obtain Targeted Bait, players can craft a Bait Maker, starting at Fishing level 6. It’s crafted with 3x Iron Bar, 3x Coral, and 1x Sea Urchin. Then, when a fish is placed into it, it will create 5-10 pieces of bait targeted toward that fish species.
Targeted Bait can also be purchased from Willy at his shop, with specific fish species being sold during specific seasons, and some not being available at all.
Some limitations: Targeted Bait made from Legendary Fish does not allow them to spawn again. Also, the season, location, and other requirements for fish still stand — Targeted Bait does not allow fish to be caught without these requirements.
How to Make a Worm Bin and a Deluxe Worm Bin
Worm Bins
A regular Worm Bin is easy to create and even easier to use. After learning the crafting recipe at Fishing level 4, players can create Worm Bins using 15x Hardwood, 1x Gold Bar, 1x Iron Bar, and 50x Fiber. It will make 4-5 pieces of standard Bait every morning, ensuring a regular supply.
Deluxe Worm Bins
Added in 1.6, the Deluxe Worm Bin is a craftable item that allows you to farm Deluxe Bait. In order to make one for yourself, you will need to first hitFishing Level 8to unlock the recipe, then gather up 15x Hardwood, 1x Gold Bar, 1x Iron Bar, and 50 Fiber to make a regular Worm Bin. Mix that regularWorm Bin with 30x Moss, and you’ll have yourself a Deluxe Worm Bin.
So what does this new kind of Worm Bin do for you? Every morning, you will be able to pick up four or five Deluxe Baits from it without having to craft them yourself. If you do a whole lot of fishing, this is a great use of materials to keep your pockets filled to the brim with quality bait.
