Fishing is the bane of my existence in Stardew Valley.

I always struggle with getting fish that are difficult to find, I’ve never caught all the legendary fish and overall, I just struggle. 

Fortunately, once I do get a good catch, Robin is there for me to build me a pond to keep them in. Fish ponds allow players to easily harvest fish, along with producingitems in the bucket that comes along with it. 

Of course, the question of the day is what are the best fish to keep in a pond. I’ve compiled a top ten list of the fish that provide the best items and are worth keeping around the most.

10. Sea Cucumber

The Sea Cucumber is one of the few fish that I recommend just because you will want to have a constant supply of them around. As one of the ingredients in the Lucky Lunch dish, these guys are invaluable. 

Why Sea Cucumbers are Great for your Pond

• Consistent Supply of Sea Cucumbers for Lucky Lunches.
• Relatively Inexpensive to Multiply.

Sea Cucumber Details

• Can be Found During the Fall or Winter in the Ocean.
• Easy to Catch.
• Will Request Mostly Inexpensive Beach Foragibles to Multiply.

9. Rainbow Trout

One of the easier fish on this list to catch, the Rainbow Trout is a great addition to any pond. Like their name implies, they have a chance to produce rainbow themed items in the pond bucket along with their roe. 

Why Rainbow Trout are Great for your Pond

• Can Produce Rainbow Shells, and Prismatic Shards.
• Fairly Easy to Catch and Upgrade their Pond.

Rainbow Trout Details

• Can be Found in All Freshwater Areas During Summer.
• Sometimes Can be Found in Trash Cans.
• Can be Used to Make Trout Soup.

8. Octopus

The Octopus is another extremely difficult catch! They only appear during the Summer and can be a nightmare when they’re on your hook. Once in your pond though, they’ll be an easy catch anytime you need one. 

Why Octopi are Great for your Pond

• Easy Catching from Then On.
• Can Produce Omni-Geodes (Great for Cracking Open or Trading with the Desert Trader).

Octopus Details

• Only Available 6:00 AM through 1:00 PM During Summer.
• Hardest Non-Legendary Fish to Catch.
• Sometimes Needed for the Remixed Fish Tank Bundles.

7. Sturgeon

The Sturgeon is one of the few fish that you need to place in a pond to complete the game. Caviar, the preserved roe from the Sturgeon is needed to complete the Missing Bundle in the abandonned Joja Mart (or the abandonned Community Center if you’re one of those evil JojaBots.

Why Sturgeon are Great for your Pond

• Their Roe can be used to make Caviar.
• Only Fish Pond needed for Completing a Bundle.

Sturgeon Details

• Can be found in the Mountain Lake During Summer and Winter.
• Loved Gift for Willy.
• Sometimes can be bought at Krobus’ Shop or the Traveling Cart.

6. Ice Pip

The Ice Pip is one of the fish that can be found in the mines. Like the name implies, they’re caught from the lake on the ice level. They can be pretty tricky to catch, but their pond items make them well worth the trouble.

Why Ice Pips are Great for your Pond

• Can Produce Iron Ore, Diamonds, Frozen Geodes and Frozen Tears.
• Saves You from Having to Go Back to the Mines.

Ice Pip Details

• Found on Level 60 in the Mines.
• Can be used to Create the Fishing Hat with the Sewing Machine.
• Is Not Needed for Any Quests.

5. Blue Discus

The Blue Discus is one of the easier fish to catch on Ginger Island. They’re one of the prettiest fish in the game IMHO and they can produce some pretty cool items in the ponds. 

Why Blue Discus are Great for your Pond

• Can Produce Bananas and Golden Coconuts/
• Pretty, Pretty Fish (just look at that boy).

Blue Discus Details

• Available Anytime, Any Season in Rivers on Ginger Island.
• Only Need 4 Fish in the Pond to Start Producing Items other than Roe.
• Can be Used to Create a Sailor Shirt with the Sewing Machine.

4. Spook Fish

We’re going from the prettiest fish to one of the ugliest. The Spook Fish is one of the more rare fish to come across because you can only find it when you take the submarine at the Night Market to do some deep sea fishing. This creepy looking fish may not seem like much, but it does drop a very rare item while in the ponds.

Why the Spook Fish are Great for your Pond

• Incredibly Rare to Catch.
• Chance to Produce Treasure Chest in Pond.

Spook Fish Details

• Can Only be Found in the Submarine at the Night Market 3 Nights per Year.
• Moderately Difficult to Catch.
• Scary Looking AF.

3. Blobfish

The Blobfish is absolutely the ugliest fish in the game apart from the Mutant Carp and the Glacier Fish. They’re also one of the ugliest fish in real life (Pro-Tip: don’t look up deep sea fish late at night if you plan to sleep). They’re another Submarine fish so make sure to go to the Night Market at least once a year to stock up.

Why Blobfish are Great for your Pond

• Rare Fish are Always a Good Idea to Breed
• Can Produce Farm Warp Totems and Pearls (A Super Rare Item).

Blobfish Details

• Sometimes Needed for the Remixed Fish Tank Bundles.
• Can be used to make a Blobfish Mask with the Sewing Machine.

2. Lava Eel

The Lava Eel is a great fish to add to your pond. They’re found in the lava lake level of the mines, and while they can be a nightmare to catch, a pond filled with Lava Eels has some pretty sweet benefits. 

Why Lava Eels are Great for your Pond

• Chance of Producing Gold, Magma Geodes, or Spicy Eel (One of the Best Foods IMO).
• Hard to Catch in the Wild.
• Sell for Minimum of 700 Gold.

Lava Eel Details

• Found on Level 100 of the Mines, or by the Forge in the Volcano.
• Will Turn Pond Water Red.
• Highest Selling Non-Legendary Fish.
• Second Hardest Non-Legendary Fish to Catch.

1. Stingray

The Stingray is one of the new fish available to catch on Ginger Island. They can only be found in the pirate cove and they’re pretty hard to catch. Once in your pond though, they produce some really useful Ginger Island specific items.

Why Stingrays are Great for your Pond

• Produces Dragon Teeth, Batteries, Magma Caps, and Cinder Shards.
• You will Never have enough Dragon Teeth.

Stingray Details

• Difficult to Catch.
• Found only in the Pirate Cove on Ginger Island.
• Can be used to make a Sailor Shirt with the Sewing Machine.

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