Shad in Stardew Valley: Where, When and How to Catch It

Shad in Stardew Valley only bites in the river on rainy days in spring, summer or fall, between 9am and 2am. Fish the river through Pelican Town or Cindersap Forest (or any river on the Riverlands, Forest or Hill-Top farm) the moment it rains. It’s a medium-difficulty fish (45, smooth movement), sells for 60g at normal quality, and you need one for the River Fish Bundle in the Community Center’s Fish Tank.

Those numbers come from the Stardew Valley Wiki Shad page and match version 1.6 on PC, console and mobile.

Why you can’t catch a Shad (and what fixes it)

“It’s raining and it’s fall, so where is it?”

A player asked exactly this on the Steam forums and found their Shad a few minutes later in the river near the Mouse’s hat shop in Cindersap Forest, landing a Catfish in the same spot. That lines up with the wiki: any river tile works, but the town lake, the forest pond and the ocean won’t. Another reply in the thread summed up the rule plainly: “Also it has to be raining.”

“I keep pulling Pike and Chub out of the river”

In another Steam thread, someone fishing the river below Marnie’s ranch could only catch Pike and Chub while hunting for Shad, Catfish and Sunfish. Replies pointed out that the river is the right water but the weather and time decide what bites. Shad shares rainy river days with Catfish (spring and fall), so a rainy morning is your best window for both bundle fish at once.

“My Fish Pond only accepts Shad now”

A player who stocked a pond with Shad found it refused every other fish, even after catching the Shad back out. Replies explained that a pond holds one species and you have to use the empty option in the pond’s menu. The wiki confirms it: fishing them out only lowers the population, while emptying the pond fully resets it so a new species can go in.

How to get Shad when it isn’t raining

You’ve got three ways to stop waiting on the forecast. Check the TV’s Weather Report each morning first, since the forecast tells you if tomorrow brings rain or a storm.

• Rain Totem. Use it from your inventory and the next day rains. You learn the recipe at Foraging level 9, and it takes 1 Hardwood, 1 Truffle Oil and 5 Pine Tar. It won’t force rain on a festival day or the first day of a season, per the wiki.
• Magic Bait. Late-game, but it removes the time, weather and season limits. You still have to cast into a river. It comes from Qi’s Walnut Room on Ginger Island and needs a Fiberglass rod or better (Magic Bait details).
• Buy one. Krobus sometimes stocks Shad on Wednesdays for 200g, and the Traveling Cart can sell it for anywhere between 180g and 1,000g.

Targeted Bait from the Bait Maker is handy once you already have one Shad, but it doesn’t get around the rain rule. The wiki says Targeted Bait only raises your odds when the fish could bite anyway, and using it in the wrong conditions mostly gets you trash.

Catching it: what to expect on the bobber bar

Difficulty 45 with smooth movement puts Shad in the middle of the pack. Smooth fish drift up and down instead of darting, so you can usually keep the green bar under it by tapping lightly rather than holding the button. If bites are slow, a Fiberglass Rod lets you add Bait, which halves the wait before a nibble. That matters on a rainy day you don’t want to waste.

What is Shad used for in Stardew Valley?

Its main job is the River Fish Bundle, which asks for Sunfish, Catfish, Shad and Tiger Trout and pays out 30 Deluxe Bait, according to the Bundles page. If your save uses remixed bundles, the wiki notes that the Quality Fish Bundle there can ask for a gold or iridium Shad, so keep a good one.

Beyond that, no recipe names Shad, but it counts as “any fish” for Maki Roll, Sashimi and Quality Fertilizer. You can also sew it into a dyeable Fish Shirt, and it works as a green dye.

Shad sell price, smoked price and Fish Pond value

Raw Shad isn’t a money fish, but the 1.6 Fish Smoker doubles it. Smoked Fish sells for 2 times the fish’s price (2.8 times with Artisan), and quality carries over, according to the Smoked Fish page. It takes 50 minutes and 1 Coal.

In a Fish Pond, Shad reproduces every 2 days and mostly produces green Roe (60g, or 120g once aged). Capacity starts at 3 and climbs to 10 through three item requests from the fish, such as Acorns or Bug Meat first, then Gold Ore or Maple Syrup, then Honey, Jade or a Crayfish. It’s a cheap pond to fill, but the roe is low value, so a pond is better spent on a pricier fish once your bundle is done.

Should you gift Shad to anyone?

No. Nobody in the valley loves or likes it. Demetrius, Elliott, Leo, Linus, Pam, Sebastian and Willy treat it as a neutral gift, Evelyn, Haley and Pierre hate it, and almost everyone else dislikes it. Ship it or smoke it instead.

Frequently asked questions

Can you catch Shad in winter?

Not with normal bait. Shad is a spring, summer and fall fish, and winter brings snow instead of rain. Magic Bait is the only way to catch it in a winter river.

Can you catch Shad in the mountain lake or the ocean?

No. Shad only lives in rivers, so the mountain lake, the forest pond and the beach won’t work even when it’s raining.

Can you catch Shad at night?

Yes. Shad bites from 9am right up to 2am, so a rainy evening in the river is just as good as the afternoon.

Is Shad a good fish for a Fish Pond?

Only if you want easy XP and cheap roe. Shad Roe sells for 60g, so a higher-value fish makes better use of the pond once the River Fish Bundle is done.

Sources

• Stardew Valley Wiki: Shad
• Stardew Valley Wiki: Bundles
• Stardew Valley Wiki: Smoked Fish
• Stardew Valley Wiki: Rain Totem
• Stardew Valley Wiki: Fish Pond
• Steam Community: Where should I fish for Shad?
• Steam Community: Restrictive fish pond

Featured image: ConcernedApe