Screenshot from Stardew Valley showing a character fishing, with several fish jumping out of the water
Image via /Evieeblue on Reddit

What is a Fish Frenzy in Stardew Valley? Fish Frenzy Notification Explained

Wondering what's up with that new fish frenzy feature in Stardew Valley? We've got you.

PC players of beloved cozy game Stardew Valley got even more new content with the latest 1.6.4 update. While this was a small update with a few changes, players are asking questions about one note from ConcernedApe – “added fish frenzies.” We’re here to answer the burning new question of what a Stardew Valley fish frenzy means and why you should care.

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What Fish Frenzy is in Stardew Valley

Fish frenzies in Stardew Valley are a new random event where several of the same fish spawn all at once. They’re similar to the bubbling areas of water where it’s always been a little easier to catch fish, but more intense. With a true fish frenzy, though, you’ll see more bubbles and even fish leaping out of the water.

Each fish frenzy is focused on one specific type of fish and one location. Players will get an in-game notification for fish frenzies, which reads “A [specific fish] frenzy has begun at [location].”

Screenshot of Stardew Valley with the message "A Red Mullet frenzy has begun on the beach."
Screenshot by The Escapist

When this notification pops up, you can take your fishing rod to the location in question. You should see an area with lots of bubbles and fish, which is where you can cast your rod to take advantage of the frenzy.

How to Get a Fish Frenzy in Stardew Valley

Fish frenzies are a random daily event that has a chance of happening any day before 11 PM, so long as there’s not an active festival. Since this is part of the 1.6 Update, it’s only available to players on the PC version of the game for now. When the update releases for console, this feature should be included.

Players also speculate that fish frenzies are more likely to trigger once you’ve played through more than three in-game days in Stardew Valley in a given session. This hasn’t been officially confirmed but when I tested it out, it did take about three days of fishing and farming before I saw the first one.

Which Fish Can Have a Fish Frenzy?

Sadly, Stardew Valley fishing fans aren’t eating that well with these new fish frenzies. Certain rare fish won’t ever be the focus of a fish frenzy, meaning some varieties will remain difficult to catch.

The rarest catches are known as legendary fish, and they won’t appear in frenzies. There are a total of 10 legendary fish in Stardew Valley that are excluded from fish frenzies.

All other varieties can be the star of a fish frenzy, so be on the lookout for this special daily event as you work on your angling skills in the game.

AnglerCrimsonfishGlacierfish
Glacierfish Jr.LegendLegend II
Ms. AnglerMutant CarpRadioactive Carp
Son of Crimsonfish

Stardew Valley is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.


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Author
Amanda Kay Oaks
Amanda Kay Oaks has been a freelancer writer with The Escapist since February 2024. She's a lifelong gamer with an affinity for Pokemon, RPGs, and cozy games, especially The Sims. Amanda has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, with prior work on pop culture and entertainment at Book Riot, Fanfare, and Gamepur.