Fish Shop

The Fish Shop is Willy’s home and business, located on the docks of the Beach south of Pelican Town. It can be entered starting on Spring 2 of Year 1. The front door unlocks on Saturdays, but the shop is otherwise closed unless it is raining, with the exception of Winter 13, when it opens for the second day of SquidFest. If the player tries to enter on Spring 1, Year 1, a note on the door says “Gone Fishing, be back tomorrow.”

The shop is the main source of fishing-related goods in Stardew Valley. Willy sells rods, bait, tackle, crab pots, fish tanks, and several other specialty items. Some stock is tied to fishing level and becomes available as soon as the required level is reached, while other items unlock only after specific game progress milestones are completed. The shop also carries a few decorative or utility items unrelated to fishing progression, and some goods are only available after special requirements are met.

Items available once the Fish Shop is open include Trout Soup, Targeted Bait, Bamboo Pole, Training Rod, Small Fish Tank, Large Fish Tank, Hanging Fish, and Fisher Double Bed. Willy’s regular stock also includes Bait, Deluxe Bait, Crab Pot, Sonar Bobber, Spinner, Trap Bobber, Lead Bobber, Treasure Hunter, Cork Bobber, Barbed Hook, Dressed Spinner, Magnet, Fiberglass Rod, Iridium Rod, Advanced Iridium Rod, Copper Pan, and Deluxe Fish Tank, though several of these require a fishing level or other completion condition before they appear. The Fish Smoker recipe is also sold here.

Targeted Bait is sold in limited quantities each day. Willy offers 8–12 of one fish-specific bait, and the type depends on the season. The available bait types vary by season and include options such as Catfish Bait, Sardine Bait, Tilapia Bait, Sturgeon Bait, Lava Eel Bait, and others. It is sold for double the bait’s sell price.

Willy will buy fish, bait, tackle, Beach forageables except Seaweed, Roe, and Squid Ink. He does not buy Trash, Green Algae, Seaweed, White Algae, Cave Jelly, River Jelly, Sea Jelly, Aged Roe, Caviar, or Smoked Fish.

If the player sells items back to Willy, those items can sometimes appear in his shop inventory in limited quantities, especially when they were sold in large amounts. Villagers may also mention that they have seen or purchased these items.

At the right side of the Fish Shop is the Bobber Machine, which lets the player choose bobber styles for fishing. A specific bobber style can be selected, or the randomized option can be used to pick from all unlocked styles on each cast. Each bobber style also changes the fishing line’s color. At the start of the game only the default style is available, and a new style unlocks every time the player catches 2 new fish. There are 39 bobber styles in total, and unlocking them all requires catching 76 different fish. An additional style can be unlocked by placing Lucky Purple Shorts in the tackle slot of a fishing rod.

The back room of the Fish Shop becomes important later in the game. After Summer 1 of Year 1, entering the shop triggers a teaser cutscene in which Willy hints that business could be better and that he has an old friend in the back room. Once the Community Center bundles are completed or the Joja Warehouse completion cutscene is seen, Willy sends an invitation to the back room, where the player finds a docked boat that can be repaired to reach Ginger Island. After the boat is restored, the player can buy boat tickets there, and Willy pilots the boat whenever a ticket is purchased. Fishing inside the boat room can also yield a Lifesaver with a 20% chance.

A few small details are associated with the shop as well: interacting with the ladder at the back implies that Willy lives upstairs, and after the shop closes he usually returns around 12:30am. Once he is back, he stands at the counter, and the shop can still be accessed later if the player is returning from Ginger Island or using the Key To The Town.