How to find & catch Eel in Stardew Valley
The Stardew Valley Eel is an ocean-category fish that has a medium to difficult catch rating. As it is used in the Night Fishing Bundle in the Fish Tank upgrade for the Community Centre, you may find yourself having to prioritize the Eel at some point in your Stardew Valley playthrough. Of course, it is also needed to complete the ultimate fishing collection for Willy, which will reward you with one of the elusive Stardrops. So, to find out where and how to catch the Stardew Valley Eel, read on.
Where can you find an Eel and how can you catch one?
Click to enlarge
As stated above, the Eel is located in the ocean off the docks near Willy’s shop. This fish can only be caught in rainy weather during Spring or Fall unless you are using Magic Bait, in which case it can be caught in any season or weather.
If you're impatient and do not wish to wait for a rainy day to naturally occur, you can use a Rain Totem to make the next played day rainy. The Rain Totem recipe is given to the player upon reaching level 9 of the foraging skill. A Rain Totem requires 1 Hardwood, 1 Truffle Oil, and 5 Pine Tar to create.
Another key requirement to catch an Eel is the time of day as they only spawn between 4 pm and 2 am.
Click to enlargeThey may also be purchased from the Travelling Cart’s rotary stock, or found in garbage cans during Spring
and Fall – just make sure you’re not spotted by villagers doing this if you care about friendship points.
- If you are looking to improve your friendships, check out our Stardew Valley Penny Guide for tips on how to befriend her.
Tips for catching Eel
The Eel can be fairly difficult to reel in, so make sure you invest in an Iridium Fishing Rod and a Tackle. The Trap Bobber is a staple Tackle that helps to catch most fish. It causes the fish to escape the reel slower, giving you more time to recover if you slip. It can be bought from Willy’s shop or crafted when achieving fishing level six.
Eel Recipes
Click to enlarge
What also makes the Eel a valuable fish to collect is the fact it is needed to create the Spicy Eel cooked dish. Spicy Eel is a great resource to bring with you when going on a mining expedition as it provides players with a +1 bonus to both luck and speed.
Spicy Eel also requires a Hot Pepper to make and the recipe for it is given to the player after achieving 7+ hearts with George. Alternatively, it can be dropped from defeating Serpents in the Skull Caverns. Speed and luck can often be the deciding factors of whether a trip to the Skull Caverns is successful or not.
Eel is also used in the Sashimi, Quality Fertilizer, Maki Roll, and Fried Eel recipes.
- Perhaps you’re also looking to win hearts with Sebastian? Did you know he loves Sashimi which can be crafted from Eel? Here’s our Stardew Valley Sebastian Guide for more information.
Stardew Valley Eel as a gift
Loves
- None
Neutral
- Demetrius
- Elliott
- Leo
- Linus
- Sebastian
- Willy
- Pam
Dislike
- All other villagers not listed elsewhere dislike the Eel as a gift.
Hate
- Evelyn
- Haley
- Pierre
- Looking for the perfect gift for Haley instead? Check out our Stardew Valley Haley Guide.
Placing Eel in a Fishpond
When placed in a Fishpond, the Eel will create Roe which can then be placed in a Preserves Jar to produce Aged Roe to sell. They will reproduce every 3 days and request specific items to do so. By completing the fish requests, you can receive XP towards your fishing skills. So, this may be worth doing if you’re looking to improve it.
- Did you know the Catfish is also needed to complete the Fish Tank upgrade? Here’s our Stardew Valley Catfish guide to tell you what you need to know.
Uses of Eel in tailoring
Eel can produce Orange Dye, or the Sailor Shirt when placed in the Sewing Machine. The Sewing Machine at Emily’s house can be used, you also get your own machine when the Rock Rejuvenation quest is completed from the big billboard near Mayor Lewis’ house.
Now you’re all set to catch yourself an Eel. Why not check out our other Stardew Valley Guides? Here’s our Stardew Valley Fair guide which will tell you how to win a Stardrop.