Catching fish in Stardew Valley is much easier when players can bait their rods, but first, they will have to make the bait. Bait is made from Bug Meat, and Magic Bait can be made from one Radioactive Ore and three Bug Meat. Bug Meat is dropped by any bug-class of monster, including Cave Flies, Grubs, and other Bugs. Radioactive Ore is found in The Mines and Skull Cavern.

Updated February 15th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Stardew Valley remains one of the best farming simulators on the market, thanks to its incredible Indie charm and a surprising amount of depth. Players won’t just look after a farm, they’ll cultivate relationships, embark on dangerous adventures, and even relax with some fishing. But there are some mechanics that are a bit harder to uncover than others, like how to add bait to a fishing rod in Stardew Valley. To better showcase how to add bait to a rod in Stardew Valley and to give players a better idea of what each piece of bait does, the following list has been updated.

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Bait, when attached to a fishing rod in Stardew Valley, makes fish bite faster. Magic Bait not only makes fish bite faster, but also allows a player to fish for any type of fish that comes from the type of water they throw the line into, even if the season or time of day is not the correct ones to find that particular fish type.

So, for example, Super Cucumbers are fish in Stardew Valley that can only be caught at night during the Summer or Fall in the Ocean. A magic bait would let this very rare fish be caught in the ocean, during the day or at night, any season of the year.

Have a Bait-Worth Rod

In order to bait a rod, players first have to have upgraded to a rod that has a slot for bait. The Bamboo Fishing rod is great for starting out and beginning to level up the fishing skill in Stardew Valley, but players cannot use bait with this basic kind of pole. However, when a player upgrades to either the Fiberglass Rod or Iridium Rod, these each have a slot for bait. The Iridium Rod has an additional slot too, for a lure.

Baiting the Rod

Adding bait to the rod requires the use of the Use Tool key in Stardew Valley. For PC users, the Use Tool button is right-click, for Switch players it is Y, X for Xbox users, and Square for PlayStation users. Push the Use Tool button on the bait to attach it to the rod. Now players just need to sit back, play the fishing mini-game, and hope to catch all the Largemouth Bass they need to complete all the Stardew Valley villager quests.

More Information On Bait In Stardew Valley

Baiting a rod in Stardew Valley is interesting as bait doesn’t necessarily increase a player’s chances to land a particular fish, but, instead, increases the speed at which players catch fish or can even influence the type of fish that can be caught. That said, it’s entirely possible for players to catch all the fish they’re looking for without ever baiting their hooks. Still, these baits offer some unique benefits that make them worthwhile for most anglers.

Here’s a closer look at each of the bait types present in Stardew Valley and what they can do for the player when attached to a rod.

Bait

This is the standard bait offering in Stardew Valley and is the easiest to obtain. It can be purchased for 5g each from the Fish Shop, snagged from a Worm Bin, or crafted by the player by using 1 x Bug Meat. The recipe is learned at Fishing Level 2.

Standard Bait will cause fish to bite faster, allowing players to farm fishing spots at a faster rate.

Magnet

Those seeking treasures over fish will definitely want to craft or purchase this bait. It can be bought from the Fish Shop for 1,000g or simply crafted by the player by using 1 x Iron Bar. Crafting is considered a better option as one craft will yield 3 x Magnets for bait. The recipe for crafting is learned at Fishing Level 9.

This particular add-on will increase the chance that players find treasure by 15 percent (making it 30 percent total). Contrary to the description of the item, it doesn’t actually affect the bite rate for fish.

Wild Bait

Those that want the Wild Bait will have to befriend Linus as it’s the only way to obtain the recipe to craft the add-on. Once players gain access to Linus’ 4-heart event, they’ll be taught the recipe. To craft the Wild Bait, players need to combine 5 x Bug Meat, 5 x Slime, and 10 x Fiber. Each crafting bundle will produce five of the special bait.

Wild Bait is quite useful, too, as it gives a special modifier that makes it possible to catch two fish at once. Unfortunately, this doesn’t count for Legendary Fish, but it can upgrade a player’s catch rate significantly.

Magic Bait

By far one of the most interesting baits on offer, the Magic Bait will ignore fishing restrictions based on season, time of day, and other variables. Do obtain Magic Bait, players will need to gain access to Qi’s Walnut Room. There, Qi sells the item in bundles of 20 for 5 Qi gems. Players can also purchase a recipe for 20 Qi gems. Once purchased, players can make five Magic Bait by combining 3 x Bug Meat and 1 x Radioactive Ore.

Magic Bait will allow players to snag fish from waters regardless of the weather, time, and season, making it so players can obtain practically any fish without having to wait, including Legendary types.

Stardew Valley is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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Source: Reddit, StardewWiki