There are some fish that just are harder to catch and track down than others. While the catfish is a huge headache on Rainy Day 3, the Stardew Valley Eel has the dual headache of being difficult to catch, comes out only in very certain conditions, and can be hard to find on top of that. If you’ve spent two rainy days fishing for eels in Stardew Valley only to come up empty, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
In Stardew Valley Eels are Spring and Fall fish only found from 4pm – 2am on Rainy or Stormy days. These are saltwater fish so you need to fish on the beach.
Even knowing when and where to fish for eels in Stardew Valley doesn’t always help because just finding a good spot where you can pull them in instead of halibut, tilapia, or yet another anchovy is much easier said then done.
The good news is there are some things you can do to make sure your Stardew Valley eel hunt ends up with that slippery S-shaped fish instead of empty disappointment!
Related Article: When Does It Rain in Stardew Valley?
Where Can I Catch an Eel in Stardew Valley?
Eels can only be caught off the beach (assuming you don’t have magic bait) on the beach during rainy days. This can be from shore if you can cast far enough out (no level one fishing bamboo fishing rods here) but is often easiest fishing from one of the docks.
This is the only place to catch them with one exception: The Beach Farm.
Related Article: Complete Stardew Valley Beach Farm Guide
If you choose the beach farm, one of the benefits is the ability to catch Eels from various spots on your farm while fishing on rainy days. This is the only un-modded spot that doesn’t involve magic bait where eels can be caught other than the public Pelican Town beach.
Where’s the Best Place for Eel in Stardew Valley?
There isn’t a mathematical formula that makes one part of the ocean better than any other in the game, but in my personal experience from over 1,200 hours of playing Stardew Valley there is one spot I sprint to when I really need an eel and it has never failed to give me at least 1-2 shots at an eel.
Run down to the beach as the rainy afternoon becomes a rainy evening, and head towards the docks. On the far west side where the rock juts out of the water. Stand on the dock facing outward so when you cast, the bobber hits the water right underneath that rock, as pictured below.
I don’t know why, but this place has been a gold mine for reeling in eel after eel. Oddly enough, I also often get gold star eels from this spot, making it one of my favorites when it’s time to go eel hunting.
Try this spot out and if your luck is even half as good as mine you won’t have any problem catching eels whenever you need them in the future.
Stardew Valley Eel: All About The Fish
What Eels Are Used For:
- Needed for Night Fishing bundle in the Community Center
- Fried Eel and Spicy Eel are both excellent food dishes (Spicy Eel is one of the best in the game, IMO)
- To fulfill a Help Wanted request outside of Pierre’s
- Works as orange dye when tailoring
- The eel is a key ingredient for making the sailor shirt
Eels are a tough fish to catch, but not quite as bad as catfish or sturgeon or anything like that (most of the time). That said, they are a bit of a difficult fish to catch but that also means they sell for a good amount compared to other fish while also providing a decent energy/health ratio for fish (but again – you should never eat an eel raw in Stardew Valley because both Fried Eel and Spicy Eel are such powerful food dishes).
By the time you can catch them fairly reliably, when you can find them, you generally won’t be spending evenings and nights at the beach fishing on rainy days (well with most playing styles but as always with Stardew – play your own game!) but they still present an interesting early game challenge.
Recommended Dishes with Eel in Stardew Valley
- Fried Eel: +75 Energy, +33 Health, +1 Luck
- Spicy Eel: +115 Energy, +51 Health, +1 Luck, +1 Speed
Other Dishes using Eel in Stardew Valley (Not recommended – just use a cheaper fish!)
- Maki Roll – +100 energy, +45 health, any fish can be used
- Sashimi – +75 Energy, +33 health, any fish can be used.
- Quality Fertilizer – For the love of God, please don’t use an eel over a cheap fish for quality fertilizer.
The Stardew Valley Eel Stat Block
| Quality | Standard | Fisher – LV 5 (+25%) | Angler – LV 10 (+50%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 85g | 106g | 127g |
| Silver Star | 106g | 132g | 159g |
| Gold Star | 127g | 158g | 190g |
| Iridium Star | 170g | 212g | 255g |
Stardew Valley How to Catch a Lava Eel
As if catching the slippery slimy eels weren’t enough, if you want to go for the completionist accomplishment you will need to know how to catch the Stardew Valley lava eel. This extremely nasty cousin to the regular eel is a pretty nasty customer when it comes to fishing, too!
So how hard is it to catch a Lava Eel in Stardew Valley?
In Stardew the Lava Eel is tied as the second hardest non-legendary fish to catch in the game (making it as hard for a player to reel in as the Scorpion Carp and almost as hard as the Octopus). That makes it harder than the catfish, the pike, the sturgeon.
Stardew Valley’s Lava Eels can also only be caught in two places:
- Level 100 of the mines
- The Volcano Caldera on Ginger Island
So how do you catch the Stardew Valley Lava Eel?
The following list is important to give yourself a chance, and while there are some stunningly good Stardew players who might be able to do it without all of the following, even a super experienced player like me would rather get all of these things before going after a Lava Eel.
- Iridium Fishing Rod
- Level 10 in Fishing Skill
- Seafoam Pudding (+4 Fishing) – other fishing foods are okay but don’t give the bump that Seafoam Pudding does, and you’ll need all the help you can get
- Sharp Hook (if you prefer fishing with hooks – I don’t like it, so I skip this one)
If you thought Eels were rough in early game, their red cousins who live in freaking lava, are going to make them look like the timid carp by comparison!
So make sure you’re prepared before chasing after these insanely challenging fish!
Common Stardew Valley Eel Questions
Does it have to be raining to catch an Eel Stardew Valley?
Yes. To catch a regular Eel not only does it need to be either the Spring or Autumn seasons, but it needs to also be raining in Stardew Valley. For the purposes of catching Eels, stormy days count.
Where is the best place to catch an Eel in Stardew Valley?
Look up above at the marked up picture of the beach. This spot has not only never failed me, but there’s at least one or two other Stardew bloggers and YouTubers who have pointed out this same area…so maybe there is something in the code about eels popping up by that rock?
Can you catch Eel on Ginger Island?
No. While there are some common fish that can be found in Pelican Town and on Ginger Island, only Lava Eels can be found on Ginger Island.
What seasons can you catch a Lava Eel in Stardew Valley?
The harder cousin of the Eel can be found in any season. Unlike regular Eels there are no seasonal restrictions on Lava Eels.
Stardew Valley Eel: Time to Catch This Slippery Fish
The Stardew Valley eel can be a tricky fish to track down, especially if you’re looking for a bunch of them to start producing mass amounts of spiced eel (it’s literally easier to find mass rubies and take your chances in Skull Cavern late game, IMO), but with this information and my secret fishing spot, the Stardew Valley eel issues should be solved for you once and for all!
Happy fishing!
Other Stardew Valley & Cozy Games Articles You May Enjoy:
- Why Can’t I Use Bait in Stardew Valley
- Stardew Valley Bridge Repair Guide
- Best food Skull Cavern Stardew Valley
- How to Get Restoration Tools in Graveyard Keeper
- How to Get Welding Rods in My Time at Portia
- Stardew Valley Red Cabbage Guide
Proud to embrace the locally created moniker of “Corrupt Overlord” from one of the all time great Lords of Waterdeep runs, Shane is one member of the Assorted Meeples crew and will be hard at work creating awesome content for the website. He is a long-time player of board games, one time semi-professional poker player, and tends to run to the quirky or RPG side of things when it comes to playing video games. He loves tabletop roleplaying systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Werewolf, Fate, and others, and not only has been a player but has run games as DM for years. You can find his other work in publications like Level Skip or Hobby Lark.