Squid

Squid is a fish that can be caught in the ocean during Winter, and it is especially associated with SquidFest, where it can be caught all day on Winter 12 and 13. The festival runs from 6:10am to 2:00am, time continues to pass while it is active, and shops and homes remain open. Squid caught during the event are used to earn prizes based on a daily catch counter, which resets between days.

Outside the festival, Squid has several useful applications. It can be placed in a Fish Pond, where the population reproduces every 3 days. A squid pond starts with a capacity of 3 and can be expanded to 10 by completing two pond quests. Unlike most fish ponds, Squid does not produce Roe; it produces Squid Ink instead. It can also be used in the Sewing Machine spool to create the dyeable Sailor Shirt.

Squid may appear in several winter requests and special orders. Willy mails a request for one Squid on Winter 2 for the “Catch a Squid” quest, and winter Help Wanted requests from Demetrius or Willy can ask for 1-4 Squid. Demetrius can also request 10 Squid for the Aquatic Overpopulation special order. At the Help Wanted board outside Stone’s General Store, one Squid may be requested for an Item Delivery quest, and the fish is kept when fulfilling a Fishing request.

During SquidFest, the player can interact with the booth to claim prizes or receive an explanation of the event. There are four prize tiers on each day: copper, iron, gold, and iridium. On Winter 12, the tiers require 1, 3, 5, and 8 Squid respectively; on Winter 13, they require 2, 5, 7, and 10. The prizes for each tier can all be claimed at once, and any unclaimed rewards drop on the ground if the inventory is full. A sign appears at the booth location a few days before the festival begins.

A few practical notes make Squid much easier to stock up on:

• A Bait Maker can be crafted before the festival to prepare Squid Bait in advance, which greatly reduces the time needed to catch the required fish.
• A Bait Maker can also be brought to the festival to convert festival catches into more Squid Bait without reducing the catch count.
• Because the festival does not change the map, a Chest placed at the beach before or during the event can be used to expand inventory space and will remain after the festival ends.