The Best Fish Ponds at a Glance
| Fish | Best For | Difficulty | Worth Building? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lava Eel | Profit | Hard | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Blobfish | Roe + Pearls | Hard | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Sturgeon | Caviar | Medium | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| Legend/Legend II | Late-game Profit | Very Hard | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
How I Decided Which Fish Are Best
With dozens of fish species available in Stardew Valley, it can be difficult to know which ones are actually worth dedicating a fish pond to.
After some trial and error on my own farms, along with comparing each fish’s unique rewards, I’ve found that only a handful truly stand out and benefit your farm. While some fish produce valuable roe that can be turned into Artisan Goods, others will provide you will valuable resources and food.
I’ve also considered how useful each fish is outside of the pond. Since fish ponds allow fish to reproduce over time, they can be a reliable way to build up a supply of fish for cooking.
For this guide, I’ve ranked fish based on a combination of profitability, utility, ease of obtaining, and their long-term value throughout a playthrough.
TIP
You can remove individual fish from a pond by casting your fishing rod into it. This catches a normal version of the fish without resetting the pond. Selecting “Empty Pond” removes every fish and resets the pond completely.
The Best Fish for Fish Ponds
Lava Eel
The best overall Fish Pond, if you decide to have even one fish pond, this would be the one I recommend.
WHY I RECOMMEND IT
They produce valuable Roe, but they also have great utility. They also are one of the few fish that change the colour of your pond (changes to red) which adds some colour to your farm.
What’s of value in this pond
Aged Roe valued at 1,064G with Artisan Profession, making it the most valuable Non-Legendary Roe in the game. Regularly drops at least one Roe. But they also have a chance to drop 5 Spicy Eels, one of the best food buffs in the game. +1 Speed and +1 Luck are great to take into the Mines or Skull Cavern, even in the late game.
Where to Catch
Lava Eel’s are a tough catch, being one of the hardest Non-Legendary fish to catch. They can be caught on floor 100 of the Mines. Make sure you have levelled up your fishing stat, and definitely consider fishing buffs.
Spicy Eel’s are great help on your Skull Cavern dives.
Blobfish
For a chance at a Universal Gift
WHY I RECOMMEND IT
While Blobfish don’t have the most valuable roe, it’s still pretty decent passive income. But where they shine is a small chance at getting a Pearl.
What’s of value in this pond
With Artisan Profession it’s Roe is valued at 784G, but at max capacity a Blobfish pond has a 2% chance at giving you a Pearl. A Pearl is a Universally Loved Gift, and can also be sold for 2,500G.
NOTE: Rabbits in a deluxe coop will occasionally drop a Rabbit’s Foot , another Universally Loved Gift. That means two sources of premium gifts, which is great if you’re going for perfection.
Where to Catch
You can catch these ugly fish during the Night Market submarine ride during Winter 15-17. They aren’t the easiest fish, but certainly not the hardest. Hopefully by the time winter comes around you’ve levelled up your fishing a fair bit.
Sturgeon
Sturgeon Roe becomes Caviar. You need Caviar for ‘perfection’.
WHY I RECOMMEND IT
Sturgeon’s produce a unique roe, that when aged becomes Caviar. While I do find it interesting that an item associated with prestige and wealth is valued at less than Lava Eel’s Roe, it’s still important to have this pond, even if just until you get some Caviar.
What’s of value in this pond
Caviar is valued at 700G with the Artisan Profession, so it is still an okay source of income. But we mainly want Caviar for Perfection, as we have to ship at least one of them. It is also an option for the The Missing Bundle, so definitely keep one if you haven’t built The Theatre yet. Caviar is also a liked gift for almost every villager (not the kids or Sebastian) so it’s a pretty good source of gifts.
Where to Catch
You can catch Sturgeon at the Mountain Lake during Summer and Winter between 6am and 7am
Legend/Legend II
One of the Legendary fish, this beast produces the most valuable Roe in the game. If you’re not displaying this fish in a tank, you should definitely have it in your Pond.
WHY I RECOMMEND IT
It produces the most valuable Roe in the game, and it changes your pond to a deep Green. It is easily the most prestigious Pond fish to have.
What’s of value in this pond
It’s Aged Roe is valued at 7,084G with the Artisan Profession making it the most valuable roe available. This singe pond can easily pull in 20k+ a week. Throw a Golden Animal Cracker in, and this becomes one of the best money top ups to rely on.
Where to Catch
You can catch Legend in Spring during Rainy weather in the Mountain Lake. You need to be at least fishing level 10 in order to catch it, and you should aim your line at the Submerged Log.
What about Legend ii?
Unlike Legend which can only be caught once per save, Legend II can be caught more than once, allowing you to scale for some serious profit. You need Mr Qi’s Extended Family special order to be active, which requires Ginger Island to be unlocked and 100 Golden walnut’s found. This makes it an end game option only, but definitely one to be considered.
Even roe that isn’t Aged is still Expensive
Honorable Mentions
Not every fish pond is equal, the above are some of the best and the ones I have on my farms. Below I am listing ponds that I would recommend for players who take ‘alternative’ approaches to playing Stardew. If you don’t like mining or combat then some of these ponds can make resources accessible for you, but usually aren’t the best ways to get them.
Crab
While they don’t produce valuable roe, they’re useful for making Crab Cakes. Crab cakes are one of the best recipes as they provide a plus one boost to both Speed and Defense. The reason I love this recipe is it’s effects last almost a whole day. Stack it with Triple Espresso’s for maximum speed. A crab pond will allow your crabs to reproduce, then just chuck a rod in to get them out.
Stingray
You can catch Stingray’s on Ginger Island and they will provide you with roe, batteries, and Ginger Island items. The produce that makes Stingray’s an option to consider is Dragon Tooth. Dragon Tooth can be used to craft Warp Totem’s to the island, as well as the mini forge. You also need 10 of them to build the Island Obelisk. Traditionally you would mainly get these from the Lurkers in the Volcano, but if you aren’t that adept at combat or don’t wish to explore The Volcano, then Stingray Ponds are an option.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow Trout’s give a very average Roe, and I generally wouldn’t recommend having this pond. The reason you might see someone with a Rainbow Trout pond is the tiny chance it has of giving you a Prismatic Shard. Prismatic Shards are the most valuable mineral in the game. They are a universally loved gift, can be used to enchant weapons and even create a one off Galaxy Sword.
Despite how often Rainbow Trout ponds are recommended online, I don’t think they’re worth building. A 0.1% daily chance at a Prismatic Shard sounds exciting until you realise you’ll probably find several shards long before the pond produces one. You will likely find multiple of these in a deep dive through the Skull Cavern on a lucky day. So I would only recommend it for those actively avoiding mining or combat in general.
Super Cucumber
The Super Cucumber overall is an average fish for ponds. Their Roe sells for 434G with the Artisan Profession, and they have a small chance of giving 1-3 iridium ores or Amethyst. Just like Rainbow Trout, I would only recommend this pond for players avoiding mining or combat. In saying that, I do have a pond for them on all my farms, but only because the purple pond looks super cool.
The different coloured ponds really add some nice visual variety to your farm
Conclusion
If you’re only planning to build one fish pond, make it a Lava Eel pond. The combination of valuable roe and free Spicy Eels makes it the best all-round choice for almost every farm.
Once you’ve built a Lava Eel pond, I’d consider adding a Blobfish pond for the chance at Pearls and another reliable source of high-value roe. A Sturgeon pond is also well worth having, especially if you still need Caviar for the Missing Bundle or want an easy supply of universally liked gifts.
Beyond those three though the “best” fish ponds really come down to how you approach playing Stardew Valley. If you’re not overly keen on combat and mining, or if you just want colourful ponds to decorate your farm, Stardew Valley has plenty of options.
Want to read more?
Here are some other articles to help you in your Stardew Valley Journey from beginner all the way to perfection: