Stardew Valley's fishing mechanic is infamous. It's incredibly hard, especially for newer players — but, there's no need to fear. Leveling up the Fishing skill will reduce the difficulty of the mini-game, and it contains Professions that will grant great bonuses that make fishing worth the effort.

RELATED: Stardew Valley Fishing: Every Type Of Lure And Bait

The Fishing skill is, obviously, associated with traditional fishing — casting a line into the water to hook a fish. However, what's not as obvious is that it also covers Crab Pots. As for traditional fishing, many will be delighted to hear that leveling up the Fishing skill will make it much easier. This is because increasing the Fishing skill will grant some great bonuses:

• The size of the fishing bar will increase
• The maximum time before a fish bites will decrease
• The chance of finding silver or gold quality fish will increase
• The minimum size of fish caught will increase

Without further ado, let's take a look at the available Professions offered by the Fishing skill, as well as which are the best to choose.

Updated May 4, 2023 by Michael Christopher: We've refreshed this guide to add a bit more information about changing Professions, as well as to make sure it's clear and helpful overall.

Stardew Valley Fishing Professions Summary

Here's a brief look at the Profession choices:

Stardew Valley Fishing Professions, Explained

Level 5 Choices

The Fishing skill splits into two branches, one focused on standard fishing and one focused on Crab Pots.

> Fisher

This Profession is one of the most straightforward there is: the sale price of fish is increased by 25%.

> Trapper

Choosing this Profession will reduce the material cost of making Crab Pots. Here's the difference:

Fisher Chosen - Level 10 Choices

If Fisher was chosen at Level 5, the player will be presented with these options at Level 10.

> Angler

Angler works similarly to Fisher at Level 5: it increases the sale price of fish by 50%. Unfortunately, these bonuses do not stack. The 50% bonus from Angler will replace the 25% bonus from Fisher.

> Pirate

Ever find treasure when fishing? If that's something that spurs excitement, perhaps choosing the Pirate Profession is the right path. This bonus doubles the chance to find treasure while fishing.

Trapper Chosen - Level 10 Choices

Choosing Trapper at Level 5 will open up two more options relating to Crab Pots at Level 10.

> Mariner

If you've ever used Crab Pots, you probably know that they — annoyingly — pull up trash items fairly often. Luckily, the Mariner Profession is a solution to that. This Profession makes Crab Pots incapable of producing junk, ensuring fish every time.

> Luremaster

If the trash items don't bother you but constantly carrying around Bait to stock Crab Pots does, choose Luremaster. This Profession causes Crab Pots to produce as normal without needing Bait.

Best Fishing Professions in Stardew Valley

Fisher is typically a better choice than Trapper, but the Level 10 option is up to the player.

> Fisher & Pirate or Angler

The Crab Pot bonuses can be really nice, especially for anyone who doesn't actively fish (or who can't wrap their head around the fishing mini-game). However, in most cases, Fisher is the better choice at Level 5. As for Level 10, it could go either way, depending on the individual's preference, but Pirate is just more fun.

At Level 10, choosing Angler can ensure some hefty profits for anyone who fishes a lot. That's great, and making a ton of gold in Stardew Valley is always nice. But, at the end of the day, it's a video game, and isn't it a better choice to pick the thing that's going to lead to more fun? Pirate is the best choice if fun is the goal. Angler is the best choice for making money.

Anyone who prefers to use Crab Pots and chooses Trapper at Level 5 will probably find Luremaster better than Mariner at Level 10. Not having to stock Bait into the Crab Pots every day is a dream. Removing trash items by choosing Mariner has a downside: they can be turned into useful items in a Recycling Machine. Because of this, Luremaster is arguably the better choice of these two.

Don't forget: you can change your Professions at the Statue of Uncertainty whenever you'd like, provided you have access to the Sewer and 10,000g to cover the fee for using the service. In Stardew Valley, you're not locked in to choosing one Profession over the other, and you can even change them back and forth at will as you need.

Stardew Valley is available on PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, and iOS.

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