How to Catch Stardew Valley's Legendary Fish
Stardew Valley has five legendary fish you can catch -- one in each season (and one can be caught at anytime since it's technically indoors). Each have specific requirements you must meet before catching them and they can be rather difficult to catch. Also, make sure you get your hands on a Fish Tank before catching these fish since you only get to catch each fish once per game (if you sell the fish, it's gone forever and you don't get another chance to catch one). All of the fish can be caught at any time of day, so feel free to fish as late (or early) as you want.
Before we get into the specifics of each fish, let's talk about how to best prepare for reeling them in. The following equipment, food, and enchantments will help you beat the minigame:
- Fishing Lure: Trap Bobber - This is practically a requirement. Most of the legendary fish have erratic movement and reducing the rate the fish escape will it much easier. It's pretty easy to craft -- only costs 1 Copper Bar and 10 Sap.
- Food: Dish O' the Sea - Any food that increases fishing will do but this dish is the easiest to get, especially since you get it from a few Community Center bundles (and if you went the Joja route, that's not a problem -- catch yourself 2 Sardine and combine them with Hashbrowns).
- Enchantment: Master - Enchantments show up later in the game but Master is the best Fishing Rod enchantment you can get... entirely optional but it's nice to have.
Side Note: I'm not quite sure why the level requirements are the way they are but lowest requirements are in the fall, then summer, then winter, and finally the spring, so it's almost like it's not intended to catch the final fish until Year 3.
Spring: Legend (The Mountain)
Legend is the most difficult catch and of course it can only be caught in the spring. Not only is Legend difficult to catch, it's has some steep requirements to even appear:
- You must have level 10 Fishing (bonuses to fishing count, so Dish O' The Sea or Seafoam Pudding will help)
- It must be raining in the Spring (as a reminder, any time of day)
- You need to fish in the Mountain, casting as close to the sunken log as you can.
It is possible to catch Legend in Spring of Year 1 but you'll need to focus on fishing just about the entire time. Thankfully, fishing is probably the best way to make money (and spend your energy) in the early part of the game anyways.
Summer: Crimsonfish (The Beach)
Crimson Fish is among the most difficult fish to catch in the game, it's as difficult as catching an Octopus but it has a less forgiving movement pattern.
- You must have level 5 Fishing (bonus from other sources count).
- Any weather and any time of day during the Summer.
- You need to fish in the Beach (east side) near the dock or anywhere on the eastern most shoreline.
Fall: Angler (Pelican Town)
Angler is the easiest seasonal legendary fish to catch -- and it's easier to catch this fish than it is to land an Octopus, Lava Eel, or Scorpion Carp. If you've managed to catch a Lingcod, you'll have no problem catching Angler.
- You must have level 3 Fishing.
- Any weather and any time of day during the Fall.
- On the northern most plank bridge crossing the water near Joja Mart (in Pelican Town)
Winter: Glacierfish (Cindersnap Forest)
Glacierfish is the second most difficult fish to catch in the game (behind Legend).
- You must have level 6 Fishing.
- Any weather and any time of day in the Winter.
- Fish on the island with three Pine Trees casting into the deep water in the southern tip of the island (in Cindersnap Forest)
Anytime: Mutant Carp (The Sewers)
The Mutant Carp is the easiest of the legendary fish to catch. There are no requirements to see this fish outside of fishing in the Sewers. It's also the one time where replacing the Trap Bobber with a Curiosity Lure might be worth it (giving you a 20% chance to see the fish instead of 10%) -- otherwise, plan on catching a lot of trash before hooking the Mutant Carp.
- You need to fish in the Sewers, casting into the southern part of the water from the concrete dock.
Bonus Legendary Fish: Qi's Extended Family
Once you've unlocked Qi's quests, you're given the opportunity to catch new variations of the legendary fish you caught before. It's a little easier this time around since the seasonal and weather requirements are removed but you'll still need to catch them in the same spot you caught the original fish (and you must meet the Fishing level requirements too but by the time you've unlocked these challenges I'd assume you're max level) -- and this time you only get three days to catch all five of them.
- Find Ms Angler near Joja Mart on the north side of town (where you caught Angler in the Fall)
- Find Son of Crimsonfish on the east side of the beach (where you caught Crimsonfish in the Summer)
- Find Glacierfish Jr in Cindersnap Forest on the south side of the island with three Pine Trees (where you caught Glacierfish in the Winter)
- Find Legend II in the Mountain near the sunken log (where you caught Legend in the Spring)
- Find Radioactive Carp in the Sewers (where you caught the Mutant Carp)
One quirk about this quest: As long as you haven't completed the quest, you can catch multiple instances of each fish during the quest. The hook rate for Glacierfish Jr is incredibly high (probably around 50%), so it should be easy to catch a few of them -- but they only sell for 2,000g. The base price for Legend II is 5,000g so it might be worth your time to catch a few of them before completing the quest (but the hook rate is pretty low depending on the time and season you're trying to catch one). Be careful, once you've caught all five fish the quest will automatically complete.