How, when, and where to catch a sturgeon in Stardew Valley

Catching a sturgeon is an important part of progressing in Stardew Valley, both for the fish itself and for creating caviar.

One of the most troublesome parts of Stardew Valley is completing the fish bundles. All bundles are somewhat tricky just because many of them are tied to season-exclusive crops and foraging. Fish are on another level entirely.

Certain fish are tied to specific times of the day or weather conditions. If you wind up on the last few days of a season and the RNG doesn’t result in rain, then too bad. You’re just not finishing that bundle for another season or two.

The sturgeon is a big source of frustration for Stardew Valley players. The fish is difficult to catch, so it’s likely going to be tough for anyone that hasn’t leveled up several times, and it’s tied to specific seasons and times of day. Not only that, it’s tied to not one but two different bundles. Though it’s tough, players will need to get one during the course of the game.

Here’s how to catch a sturgeon in Stardew Valley and how to get caviar from it.

How to catch a sturgeon in Stardew Valley

Players can catch a sturgeon in Stardew Valley by fishing in the mountain lake in the summer or winter from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sturgeons are relatively rare fish in the mountain lake, so players are best served waiting for a lucky day to catch one. If they have an unlucky day, there might just be one bite, and with the fish being particularly difficult to catch, that’s not a winning formula.

The best practices for Stardew Valley fishing all come into play for catching this tricky fish. Make sure to use appropriate tackle, bait increases how many bites you’ll get, and a higher level in the fishing stat makes it much easier to actually secure a catch.

How to get caviar in Stardew Valley

Caviar can be acquired in Stardew Valley by aging sturgeon roe in a preserves jar.

In order to obtain roe, players need to have a fish pond constructed by Robin. Catch a fish, drop it into the fish pond, and it will incrementally produce roe. The roe can then placed into a preserves jar and it will become aged roe after a few days, which comes with a higher sell price.

While most fish have a generic name for their aged roe, aged sturgeon roe becomes caviar. Though caviar is incredibly expensive in real life, it’s actually not that pricy in Stardew Valley, with Lava Eel being the best fish to throw in fish ponds.

Caviar is important in Stardew Vallye as it is one of the items used to transform the abandoned JojaMart into a movie theater. This feature was added in the 1.4 update, and it’s worth revisiting for anyone that hasn’t touched the game in a while.