Fishing in the base game is already a love-hate relationship for most players. You either find the rhythm of the bar relaxing, or you want to throw your controller into the mountain lake after a Legend gets away. But when you install Stardew Valley Expanded fish content, the difficulty curve doesn’t just spike—it basically turns into a vertical wall.
FlashShifter, the creator of SVE, didn't just add a couple of reskinned carp. He built entire ecosystems. We’re talking about fish that only live in magical dimensions, creatures that lurk in radioactive sewers, and legendary tier monsters that make the Glacierfish look like a joke. If you're trying to achieve that 100% perfection score with SVE installed, you have a long road ahead. Honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming at first. You’ve got new locations like Shearwater Bridge, the Crimson Badlands, and the Fable Reef, each with its own schedule and weather requirements.
Where the New Legends Hide
Most people start their hunt at Shearwater Bridge. It’s easy to get to, right near the town. But the water there is chaotic. You’ll mostly pull up trash or common saltwater fish until you hit the right conditions. This is where the Bull Trout and the Stingray (the SVE version, not the Ginger Island one) usually trip people up. The Bull Trout is a beast. It shows up in the fall and winter, specifically when it’s raining. It’s fast. You’ll need a Trap Bobber. Without one, you're just wasting bait.
Then there is the Butterfish. It sounds cute, right? It’s not. Found in the Forest West area—a massive expansion of the Cindersap Forest—this fish is the bane of early-game players. It only shows up in Spring and Summer during sunny days. The catch? The window is narrow, and the bite rate is surprisingly low. You’ll spend half a day catching Smallmouth Bass before you even see one.
The complexity of Stardew Valley Expanded fish really shines once you unlock the Enchanted Grove. This is late-game stuff. We are talking about the Void Eel and the Shadow Salmon. While the Shadow Salmon exists in the base game’s Witch’s Swamp, SVE moves things around or adds variants that require specific warp points. If you haven't finished the Nexus questline, half of the best fishing spots in the mod are literally inaccessible to you.
The Crimson Badlands Nightmare
Let's talk about the Crimson Badlands. This place is dangerous. You have to fight off high-level monsters just to stand near the water. But if you want the Bonefish, you have no choice. It’s an eerie, skeletal thing that only bites in the heat of the Badlands. Most players forget to bring enough food. They get so focused on the fishing mini-game that a Corrupt Serpent sneaks up and ends their run. It’s brutal.
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Seasonal Shifts You Need to Memorize
One thing that confuses people is how SVE alters the spawn rates of vanilla fish while adding its own.
- Spring: Look for the Minnow in the mountain lake. It’s a common fish, but essential for certain new recipes added by the mod. Also, keep an eye out for the Puppyfish. Yes, it’s actually called that. It’s found in the town river and is probably the most "wholesome" addition to the roster.
- Summer: This is when the Goldenfish appears. It's rare. Like, really rare. You’ll find it in the Highlands, an area unlocked through the Marlon questline. It sells for a decent amount, but most people keep it for the prestige.
- Fall: The Kittyfish shows up near the Guild. It's picky. It likes the crisp air.
- Winter: This is the quiet season, except for the Glacierfish Jr. (if you have the Qi challenges active) and the SVE-specific Winter Starfish.
It's not just about the seasons, though. It’s about the "Luck" stat. In the base game, luck has a marginal effect on fishing—mostly affecting treasure chests. In SVE, some players swear that the higher-tier modded fish have a "check" that makes them almost impossible to hook on "very displeased" spirit days. Whether that's hard-coded or just bad RNG is debated in the Discord, but I wouldn't risk a trip to the Badlands on a bad luck day.
The Secret of the Razor Trout
There’s a specific fish called the Razor Trout that lives in the Highland lake. To get there, you need to have progressed significantly with the Galdoran Continent lore. It’s a jagged, metallic-looking thing. It’s used in high-level crafting, but catching it requires a level 10 fishing skill plus a buff. Eat some Seafoam Pudding. Seriously. Don't be a hero. The bar jumps around like it’s on caffeine.
Why the Master Angler Achievement is Harder Now
If you’re going for the Master Angler achievement, Stardew Valley Expanded fish count toward your total if you have certain configuration settings enabled. This catches a lot of veterans off guard. They think they’re done after catching the Legend, only to realize the collection tab still has five empty grey silhouettes.
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The mod integrates these fish so well that they don't feel like "modded" content. They feel like they were always meant to be there. But that means they follow the same strict rules. You need the right tackle. The Iridium Band is a must to increase your casting distance, especially for the fish that hide in the center of the Shearwater Bridge waters.
A Note on Fishing Locations
SVE adds massive maps.
Blue Moon Vineyard has its own little coastline.
The Grampleton Fields (if you have that extension) adds miles of river.
The Highlands has high-altitude ponds.
Even the Sewers get an upgrade.
If you're looking for the Radioactive Bass, don't look in the ocean. It’s exactly where you think it would be—swimming in the green sludge. It’s a late-game catch that requires the "A Strange Delivery" quest to be well underway. It’s weird, it’s glowing, and it’s one of the coolest sprites in the mod.
Strategy for Completing Your Collection
Don't try to catch everything at once. You'll burn out. The fishing in SVE is designed to be a multi-year project.
First, focus on the Town and Forest additions. These are your "bread and butter" fish like the Minnow and the Puppyfish. They don't require special gear.
Second, unlock the Highlands. This is a massive gameplay chunk that rewards you with unique resources. The fishing there is secondary to the combat, but the fish you get are required for some of the best late-game food buffs.
Third, tackle the Magical Fish. These are the ones in the Crimson Badlands and the Void areas. You will need a specialized rod setup. I recommend the Advanced Iridium Rod if you have other mods that support it, but the standard Iridium Rod with a Lead Bobber is actually better for the "heavy" sinker fish added by SVE. Some of these fish don't dart; they just sink like stones and stay there, making the Bar bounce wildly when it hits the bottom.
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Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Angler
If you’re staring at your fishing pole wondering where to start, do this:
- Check your social levels: Some fishing spots in SVE are locked behind character events. Befriend Alesia and Isaac from the Adventurer’s Guild. Their questlines lead you to the areas where the rarest fish live.
- Stockpile Seafoam Pudding: You need the +4 fishing buff. SVE fish have high "difficulty" ratings in the code, often exceeding 100, which means the fish icon moves faster than the human eye can sometimes track.
- Visit Shearwater Bridge on a rainy Tuesday: For some reason, the RNG for rare spawns seems to favor mid-week rainy days for the Bull Trout and its cousins.
- Watch the shadows: In some SVE maps, you can actually see the silhouettes of the rare fish before you cast. If you see a particularly large or strangely shaped shadow in the Highlands, aim for it.
- Upgrade your trash can: You will catch a lot of junk while hunting for the Stardew Valley Expanded fish. Make sure you’re at least getting some gold back for the effort.
The beauty of this mod is that it restores the mystery to the game. You're not just a pro who knows every tile of the map anymore. You're a fisherman standing on a new bridge, looking at a purple sky, wondering what on earth is about to bite your line. Take your time, bring plenty of bait, and don't forget to check the weather report.