Fish ponds are relatively cheap construction that will slowly produce more of whatever fish you put in them – excluding the legendary fish, of course. In addition to being able to take fish from the pond, they also produce roe, which can be sold as-is or aged in a barrel of increased value. With small requests to make their new habitats more comfortable, over time the number of fish that can live in the ponds will increase, and some species can also provide additional gifts aside from their roe. 

How do Blobfish know what a cookie is, and how does it make their pond better? How do fish get Iridium ore? These are some of the secrets that the valley may always keep, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t benefit from this fun little element of the game. There are a lot of fish in the game, but here are five of the ones that you should seriously consider giving a pond to!

5. Sturgeons (Best for Caviars)

Big boy of the rivers and ponds.

A mountain lake fish found in winter and summer, Sturgeons are a must for fish ponds if you want to complete your shipping collection and also complete one of the quests. They are the only fish in the game that will produce roe that will turn into caviar when placed in a Preserve Jar. Every other fish just produce an aged version of their respective roe. Caviar sells for a lot, especially if you become an Artisan. This makes Sturgeons great as a passive source of income long-term.

Sturgeons are also notable for being a loved gift for Willy, so these are a great way to bribe him into liking you more!

What makes Sturgeons Great:

• Lets you make Caviar
• Loved gift for Willy

Sturgeon details

4. Blobfish (Best for Making People Love You)

An icon.

The Blobfish is found in the depths of the ocean, requiring you to ride down in the Night Market’s submarine to have a chance of catching one of these unconventional beauties. Their rarity makes these fish and their roe relatively valuable, so having a good potential supply year-round is very useful. 

Additionally, they can produce pearls and Farm Warp Totems. Pearls are a rare and universally loved gift, whilst the Farm Warp Totem can take you back to your farm no matter your location. This is great if you’re in the depths of a cave, only to realize it’s 1.30 am and there’s no way you’re getting to bed in time. Since totems are single-use items, even if you are used to making them for yourself, having an additional source is always nice!

What makes Blobfish Great:

• Produces Pearls
• Produces Farm Warp Totems
• Unique mask! Use one on the sewing machine...

Blobfish details

3. Rainbow Trout (Best for Prismatic Shards)

All the colors combine to form...  brown.

Rainbow Trout can be caught in the river and mountain lake during summer if the weather is sunny. You can also potentially pick it up from the Travelling Cart, or even find it in the Villager’s bins – which is strange when you consider that whilst this is not one of the most valuable fish, it still has its uses!

Rainbow Trout can be cooked with green algae to produce Trout Soup, which will boost your fishing stat by +1. Even if you’ve maxed out the skill, this will stack, so this is still helpful. Whilst not the best source of fishing bonuses you can find, it’s a relatively simple recipe made available in the first year of the game, making this a useful fish to have year-round access to!

Rainbow Trout fish ponds can also produce Rainbow Shells and Prismatic Shards. Prismatic Shards have a number of uses, from giving you access to the Galaxy weapon set to letting your transform any children into doves should you tire of them, and also sell for a fair amount. This is balanced out by them being rather rare finds, so the fact that you can have a chance of your loyal fish gifting you them is great, no matter how low!

What makes Rainbow Trout Great:

• Used to make Trout Soup for an easy Fishing bonus
• Produces Prismatic Shards

Rainbow Trout details

2. Lava Eels (Best for Money)

I'm I the only one impressed by the fact that your fishing rod isn't damaged by lava?

Lava Eels can be found on the 100th Floor of the Mines, as well as the Forge at the top of the Volcano Dungeon – basically, where you can find lava! This can be a tough fish to catch normally, so popping one in the fish pond is a sound strategy to guarantee a supply. The Lava Eel sells for more on its own than any other non-legendary fish, and you just need to cast your fishing rod into a pond to essentially aguardiente a catch, so people who are less confident fishers and don’t want to regularly struggle with the mini-game can find this particularly useful.

Additionally, they can also provide you with gold ore, Spicy Eel food, and magma geodes. Spicy Eel is a very useful dish, as it provides a notable amount of health and energy, and also gives a boost to both Luck and Speed. This makes it a very versatile dish, being particularly useful in dungeons. 

Magma geodes contain a variety of geode minerals required for the Museum, mining resources – including a small chance of some iridium ore – and also have a chance of containing a Dwarf Gadget. Hold onto one of these! Whilst you can initially only donate one of the Museum, later on, you require one to build a Farm Computer, which can tell you various useful information about your farm, such as how much Hay you have, if your Greenhouse crops are ready, which machines have finished processing and whether you have any unwatered crops!

What makes Lave Eels Great:

• Sell for high amounts
• Provide magma geodes
• Provide Spicy Eel meal

Lava Eel details

1. Blue Discus (Best for Various Valuable Items)

It's flat like a disc, and blue. And it somehow produces bananas apparently.

The Blue Discus can be found in the north and west freshwater areas of Ginger Island. What makes this fish great for ponds is that it has a chance of producing Bananas – which are the most valuable fruits in the game – and Golden Coconuts. Golden Coconuts can be cracked open and have a chance of containing various items, all of which have some value. They have a chance of containing banana or mango saplings, which will allow you to grow more fruit trees for long-term gain. They can also provide Pineapple and mahogany seeds, as well as taro tubers, which again are reasonably valuable and useful crops. They can even provide some iridium ore. They also have a chance of providing the Fossilized Skull, required to complete the Island Field Office set. Finally, there is a small chance of obtaining the Golden Helmet cosmetic – hardly essential, but potentially fun. 

Having an easy-to-access source of Golden Coconuts will always have its uses, making Blue Discus one of the best fish for your pond late game!

What makes Blue Discus Great:

• Produces bananas 
• Produces Golden Coconuts

Blue Discus details

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