How to catch a catfish in Stardew Valley without fishing

Steven Rondina Published 25/07/2022

The catfish is one of the biggest bundle-breakers in all of Stardew Valley, but there are a couple of tricks to get them potentially without fishing.

There are loads of different ways to blow it when it comes to finishing a bundle. Give Penny your last melon? Mindlessly sell all those gold-star pumpkins? Throw that nautilus shell into your sturgeon fish pond? All this can force a player to play through one or more extra seasons before finishing the community center.

The catfish is one of the main culprits in wasting Stardew Valley players’ time. The fish isn’t just exclusive to specific seasons but is also tied to time and weather conditions. This can leave players stressed out and wondering if the right set of circumstances will come together in time to catch one.

So how can you actually catch a catfish? Make sure to set a reminder for your next playthrough.

How to get a catfish for the River Fish Bundle in Stardew Valley

Players can catch a catfish for their River Fish Bundle in Stardew Valley by fishing in the river or the Secret Woods pond when it’s raining during spring or fall. It cannot be caught after midnight.

The catfish has one of the most frustrating sets of preconditions for any fish in Stardew Valley. While there are a few other fish that are exclusive to specific seasons and specific times, the “only when raining” kicker makes the catfish particularly tricky to catch. Among all the fish that go into the default bundles in Stardew Valley, only the eel, red snapper, and walleye are harder to come by.

The good news is that there are two other ways to get a catfish without fishing for one. Players that hate fishing in Stardew Valley can find a catfish by rummaging through garbage cans in the spring and fall. It can be found in anyone’s garbage can, but this relies entirely on RNG and is unreliable. It also has a small chance of appearing in the traveling cart. This also applies to most of the other fish required in the bundles.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

Kick

Kick Offers Viewers More Visibility in Chats — Here’s How the New KICKs Pinned Messages Work Khizar Mundia 2026 has been a stellar year for Kick users, with the brand investing substantially in very visible updates. The livestreaming platform has now introduced another new option where Kick viewers can use KICKs to pin and highlight their messages in chats. Twitch and Kick have several similarities, which makes sense given that the Stake-backed platform launched as a competitor to the Amazon-backed giant. Bits are a common method for viewers ...

Valorant

Will zekken Leave MIBR in 2026? Hannan Mundia Competitive Valorant has given rise to multiple talented professional players, but zekken stands as a powerful fragger even among them. While his glory days were definitely when he was on Sentinels during their iconic run, the player is now part of MIBR, which promised to create a super team. Unfortunately for zekken, the team has fallen short of that promise. With a disappointing 2026 season, rumors have started that zekken ...

News

What are Card Rips? The New Way to Trade Collectibles Explained Ben Boland Card rips are a new form of digital pack opening in which users can reveal physical trading cards and choose to sell, store or have them shipped to them. They are attracting serious interest among sweepstakes players. Currently, most card rip sites are separate from online casinos. However, some sweepstakes sites have foreseen the potential popularity of this form of this type of product and are offering their users the ...

Twitch

KSI Hints at Falling Out With at Least “Some” Sidemen Khizar Mundia Olajide “KSI” Olayinka Williams Olatunji was arguably the largest name attached to Sidemen, and now that he's left the collective, it appears some of the members are no longer his friends. KSI’s exit from Sidemen was the end of an era. He and the boys were renowned for fun whilst creating good memories and building a massive following. When KSI left in May 2026, he'd stated that he was on ...

Kick

Duel Blackjack Reportedly Shut Down Amid Drama Between Sneako and Clavicular Khizar Mundia Nicolas “Sneako” Kenn De Balintha and Braden “Clavicular” Peters aren’t strangers to online drama, and the two creators have recently been beefing over Duel Casino. Surprisingly, during this very public conflict, Duel’s studio was reportedly entered by masked men, apparently leading to Duel Blackjack being inadvertently shut down. Drama and streamers go hand in hand, as both creators and the industry as a whole thrive on all types of limelight. ...

Kick

Brand Risk 16: Full Fight Card, Date, and Other Key Details Khizar Mundia Adin Ross is back with another iteration of his boxing event, and Brand Risk 16 is pitting popular influencers against each other. Brand Risk is famous for featuring all types of fighters on its roster, including pro boxers, amateur fighters, or even normal streamers. The previous event, Brand Risk 15, for instance, featured bodybuilder and influencer Larry Wheels against Kick streamer Vitaly “Vitaly” Zdorovetskiy, with the match ending when the ...

Twitch

Kai Cenat and BruceDropEmOff Beef Explained As the Two Finally Patch Things Up Khizar Mundia A multi-year streamer beef has ended, with Kai Cenat and Bruce “BruceDropEmOff” Ray Condones repairing their friendship after a rift began in 2023. BruceDropEmOff and Kai Cenat’s friendship was very public, as the two collaborated with each other and were otherwise known to be very close friends. This is why their public falling out took many fans by surprise. Bruce and Kai’s friendship deteriorated around the time when the former ...