Fishing is just one of the many activities you can do in Stardew Valley, a popular farming simulator game. This simplistic and engaging game has plenty of immersive in-game features. Farming and fishing are great revenue sources for the farm your character inherits from their grandfather, and searching for rare fish can be a challenge itself.
You’re probably struggling with how to catch Tilapia since it’s one of the more rare fish in Stardew Valley. Many players catch Tilapia last, making do with the more common Largemouth Bass and Perch. You can use Tilapia to make a few recipes in Stardew Valley, including but not limited to Sashimi and Maki Rolls.
In this guide, we’ll detail all the locations where you can catch Tilapia in Stardew Valley, as well as the right timing to hit them at. This game is full of tasks that seem simple at the surface but are trickier once you get to them. Let’s find out everything there is to know about catching Tilapia in Stardew Valley!
How to Catch Tilapia in Stardew Valley?
Fishing for Tilapia in Stardew Valley is similar to fishing for any other fish species, but there are some tips and techniques to keep in mind for better success with this rare fish. Not only is the Tilapia rare, but it’s also big: somewhere between 11 and 31 inches in real life! Tilapia in Stardew Valley isn’t that different, and this big and powerful fish can easily let loose.
If you’re struggling with catching a Tilapia, it might be because your fishing skill level is too low. It’s a good idea to keep off catching Tilapia till later in the game when you’ve gotten good at fishing.
- Use an Iridium Rod when fishing for Tilapia. You can technically use any other fishing rod, but you’ll get the best results with the Iridium Rod.
- Attach a bobber. The best option for bobbers are either the Cork Bobber or Trap Bobber. You will have benefits from using both of these. The cork bobber is great at extending the length of the fishing rod, making it easier to catch large fish.
- The Trap Bobber slows down the movement of the catching bar, which means that the Tilapia slows down as well while trying to escape. Both bobbers make fishing for Tilapia much easier.
- Try alternating between Bait and Wild Bait while fishing for Tilapia. If you’re using the Iridium Rod, you can easily fish with a bobber and bait simultaneously.
- Cast the line after equipping your Iridium Rod. After clicking the action button, you’ll see a green meter. Timing the casting with the meter will give you control over how fast you can cast your fishing line.
- Once the Tilapia has latched on to the bait, you’ll hear a quiet alarm sound, and the fishing meter will alert you as well. You’ll now see a reeling meter show up on the screen, with a fish symbol indicating the fish’s position.
- Timing the reeling can result in successfully catching your Tilapia or letting it escape.
Where Can you Find Tilapia in Stardew Valley?
You can find Tilapia in a few locations across Stardew Valley. You can fish Tilapia from the Pelican Town ocean or on the shores of Ginger Island.
Ginger Island
Difficulty: Easy
One of the easiest ways to catch Tilapia is fishing on Ginger Island’s shores. Ginger Island is just one of the islands from the Fern Islands archipelago. Here’s how to get there:
- Go to Willy’s Fish Shop and find his backroom. You’ll find a task to repair his boat.
- Once you’ve repaired the boat, you’ll be able to purchase tickets to travel to Ginger Island.
- If you’re unable to see tickets, it’s possible that you haven’t completed Joja’s Community Development Form. Players can find this form in the Community Center in Pelican Town. Make sure you’ve completed the form before traveling to Willy’s Fish Shop.
- You’ll have the best luck catching Tilapia on the west and north shores of Ginger Island during the Summer and Fall.
- Returning to Pelican Town is easy if you use the same boat to travel back. You will reach Willy’s Fish Shop or the Pelican Town bus stop if it happens to be a festival on that day.
The Beach
Difficulty: Medium
You can also find Tilapia on Pelican Town’s beach, connecting it to the ocean. While it may not be as easy as fishing on Ginger Island, you can still find Tilapia during the Summer and Falls seasons.
The best time to catch a Tilapia is between 6 AM and 2 PM. It doesn’t matter what day it is or what kind of weather the day has to offer.
Krobus’ Shop
Difficulty: Tricky
Krobus’ Shop rarely sells Tilapia among its fish, but you might get lucky on a Wednesday.
Traveling Cart
Difficulty: Very Tricky
It’s possible to find Tilapia being sold on the Travelling Cart, but rare. Tilapia can also be an expensive fish to purchase.
What Can you Do with Tilapia in Stardew Valley?
Now that you’ve caught your precious Tilapia, what can you do with it in Stardew Valley? Here are some of the uses and benefits of having Tilapia:
Cooking
Unsurprisingly, cooking is one of the primary things you can do with Tilapia. You can use Tilapia in maki rolls and Sashimi since they call for ‘Any Fish.’ These are the only two recipes that use Tilapia in them, and you’ll only need one Tilapia for these recipes. However, no recipe specifically calls for Tilapia.
You can also choose to use Tilapia in Quality Fertilizer. Mixing Tilapia into tilled soil allows you to access quality products, helping more crops grow.
Community Center Bundles
One of the tedious but engaging aspects of Stardew Valley is to complete all the Community Center Bundles. While completing the Ocean Fish bundle, you’ll need to have a single Tilapia to place in the Fish Tank.
Fish Pond
Now that you know how much effort goes into catching Tilapia from The Beach or Ginger Island, why not cultivate it in your backyard fish pond? Tilapia can be grown at home and will yield new fish every two days. If it’s roe you’re after, you’ll get a Tilapia grey roe from the fish pond as well.
Gifting
Tilapia can be useful in the kitchen and for fertilizer. But it seems that the majority of residents in Pelican Town are not to found of Tilapia.
It’s worth checking how the different NPC towns feel about the fish before you decide to gift it to them.
Tailoring
Did you know you can use Tilapia as a dye for clothes? If you’ve already unlocked the sewing machine from Emily and Haley’s home, you can try this.
Attach one Tilapia to the spool of thread on the sewing machine. Add in cloth fabric, and now you have a dyed version of the Sailor Shirt.
Now that you know how to catch Tilapia in Stardew Valley check out our ultimate guide to Fishing in Stardew Valley for more in-depth tips.
