Lava Eel
Overview
The Lava Eel is a fish that can be caught at all times and in all seasons in the Mines on floor 100 and in the Volcano Caldera. It is the only fish that can spawn in lava, making it one of the most distinctive catches in the game. Among non-legendary fish, it has the highest sell price and is tied for the second-highest fishing difficulty, after 
In the Mines, the chance of hooking a Lava Eel depends on Fishing level, equipment, and how far the bobber lands from land. The base chance is 1.8%, plus 0.32% per Fishing level and 0.08% per tile from land. A 
In the Volcano Caldera, the chance of catching one is based on distance from land as well: the percent chance is 10 times the distance from land of the fishing spot, as long as the Physics 101 painting has not been caught. This means a bobber landing 5 tiles from land gives a 50% chance.
Lava Eels are especially useful in Fish Ponds. They reproduce every 5 days, and the pond can be expanded from an initial capacity of 1 up to 10 by completing four pond quests. After the first quest is completed, the pond water turns red. Their main pond output is red Lava Eel Roe, but the pond can also produce other valuable items as the population rises.
Pond quests and capacity increases:
- 1 to 3: 3
- 3 to 5: 1
- 5 to 7: 2 Mega Bombs; 45 Fishing XP
- 7 to 10: 1
- 1 to 3: 3
Possible pond outputs include:
- Lava Eel Roe, with the most common result at low populations
- Cave Jelly
The fish is also useful for dyeing and tailoring. It can be used as a red dye at the dye pots in 
