How to catch Walleye in Stardew Valley

While exploring Stardew Valley, you can find multiple kinds of fish. Given their unique patterns, tracking down a particular fish can be difficult, and the Walleye is one of the more elusive fish you might struggle with tracking down.

The Walleye only appears for a short period during your Stardew Valley playthrough. If you miss that window when trying to catch it, you’ll have to wait a year. Thankfully for players, catching a Walleye won’t be too difficult if you plan out your time accordingly each time. Then, you can add it to your growing collection and complete the Night Fishing Bundle at the Community Center.

Where to catch a Walleye in Stardew Valley

The Walleye fish only appears in Stardew Valley during the fall. However, you can lure it to your location if you use a Rain Totem during Winter, but it traditionally only begins appearing in the fall. It’s a freshwater fish, which means it spawns at the ponds at Cindersap Forest, along the mountain lakes and rivers, the stream south of Pelican Town, and the river south of Marnie’s Ranch.

Not only does the Walleye in the fall, but you can only catch it from 12pm to 2am. If you attempt fishing in any freshwater location before 12pm during your playthrough, there’s no hope of catching a Walleye. These have a strict schedule, and wasting your energy before this time or devoting your day to another activity might mean you miss out on catching it.

Alternatively, there are chances to catch a Walleye outside the fall season and in these shared fishing spots. Anyone starting with the Riverland or Forest Farm can attempt to catch a Walleye from these water sources during fall. There’s also a chance the Traveling Cart could have one for sale, or you might get lucky and loot one from a trash can in Pelican Town.

After you catch a Walleye, it’s a valuable item to complete the Night Fishing Bundle for the Fish Tank at the Community Center. But you can also use it as an ingredient when crafting Maki Rolls, Quality Fertilizers, or Sashimi. I also like placing one inside a Fish Pond to generate roe on my farm without too much effort.