Fishing is one of the relaxing ways to spend your time in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. To begin fishing, you’ll need to purchase a Fishing Pole from Van, who sets up shop near the Bluebird Café on the 3rd and 8th of each season. The basic Fishing Pole costs 500 G.
Fishing Spots

There are five fishing areas in the game:
| Locations | Notes |
|---|---|
| Forest Spring Pond | The spring pond next to the Harvest Sprites’ house. |
| Upstream Area | From the waterfall by the excavation site down to the southernmost tree on the east riverbank, just northwest of Vesta’s Farm. |
| Downstream Area | From that southernmost tree, over the bridge and down toward the ocean. |
| Ocean | The beach along the southern coast of Forgotten Valley. |
| Marsh Space | The turtle pond behind Lei-Over Inn, east of Gordy’s workshop. |
Fish are not seasonal in this game—you can catch the same species all year round and in any chapter. The type of fish you catch depends on your fishing rod quality, while the size of the fish is randomized. No bait is required.
To fish, stand next to a body of water and press the tool button to cast your line. A fish will soon appear beside the bobber. When a fish bites and an exclamation mark (!) appears, press the tool button again to reel it in.
You can cancel the cast before a fish bites by pressing the tool button again, useful if you’re targeting larger fish and want to avoid catching smaller shadows.
Fish can be sold to Van the traveling merchant. Larger fish sell for higher prices.
Fishing Rod Upgrades

Upgrading your fishing rod allows you to catch rarer fish and consume less stamina. You can still catch lower-tier fish with upgraded rods.
Most rod upgrades can be bought from Van, once you’ve met in-game usage and time requirements. He will exchange your current rod with the upgraded version.
| From | To | Requirement | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Rod | Copper Fishing Rod | Catch 50 fish by Summer 8 (Chapter 1 or later) | 1,000 G |
| Copper | Silver Fishing Rod | Catch 200 fish, Spring (Chapter 2–3 or later) | 10,000 G |
| Silver | Gold Fishing Rod | Catch 500 fish, Spring (Chapter 3 or later) | 50,000 G |
| Gold | Blessing Fishing Rod | Complete Gary’s request on the bulletin board, available from Spring (Chapter 4) | — |
→ [Read more: Tools Upgrades]
Blessing Fishing Rod
To unlock the Blessing Fishing Rod, build at least 90 friendship points with Gary. He’ll eventually post a request on the bulletin board asking for a Large-sized fish (any species).
Deliver the fish, and you’ll trigger an event where Gary gifts you the Blessing Fishing Rod, a luxurious item he once bought but never used due to Nina’s disapproval.
This rod doesn’t help catch rarer fish but can hook unique items.
Fish List

There are 15 different fish species in Forgotten Valley. You can track your catches in the Encyclopedia (next to your TV), under the Fish section.
A gold crown marks any fish species you’ve caught in Huge size.
| Name | Location | Rod | Selling |
|---|---|---|---|
Masu | Upstream | Regular | Li’l: 25 G Reg: 35 G Large: 60 G Huge: 90 G |
Wakasagi | Downstream Forest Spring | Regular | Li’l: 20 G Reg: 30 G Large: 50 G Huge: 80 G |
Scad | Ocean | Regular | Li’l: 25 G Reg: 40 G Large: 65 G Huge: 100 G |
Blackmouth Bass | Downstream Forest Spring Marsh | Regular | Li’l: 15 G Reg: 25 G Large: 40 G Huge: 60 G |
Spotted Char | Upstream | Copper | Li’l: 40 G Reg: 60 G Large: 100 G Huge: 160 G |
Amur Catfish | Marsh | Copper | Li’l: 35 G Reg: 55 G Large: 90 G Huge: 140 G |
Calamari | Ocean | Copper | Li’l: 40 G Reg: 60 G Large: 100 G Huge: 160 G |
![]() Red Sea Bream | Ocean | Copper | Li’l: 45 G Reg: 70 G Large: 115 G Huge: 180 G |
Stringfish | Downstream Marsh | Silver | Li’l: 90 G Reg: 135 G Large: 225 G Huge: 360 G |
Rainbow Trout | Downstream Forest Spring | Silver | Li’l: 95 G Reg: 145 G Large: 240 G Huge: 380 G |
Ahi | Ocean | Silver | Li’l: 105 G Reg: 160 G Large: 265 G Huge: 420 G |
King Masu | Upstream | Gold | Li’l: 160 G Reg: 240 G Large: 400 G Huge: 640 G |
Unagi | Downstream | Gold | Li’l: 200 G Reg: 300 G Large: 500 G Huge: 800 G |
Bonytongue | Forest Spring Marsh | Gold | Li’l: 150 G Reg: 225 G Large: 375 G Huge: 600 G |
Langouste | Ocean | Gold | Li’l: 175 G Reg: 265 G Large: 440 G Huge: 700 G |
Special Items from Fishing
Using the Blessing Fishing Rod, you can catch three unique items. Two will be displayed inside your house. These items are only available from Chapter 4 onward.
Golden Axe

- Fish at the Forest Spring using the Blessing Fishing Rod.
- A mysterious voice will ask whether you dropped a Silver Axe or a Golden Axe.
- Regardless of your answer, you’ll be granted the Golden Axe, which appears in your house behind the TV.
Legendary Sword

- Fish at the Ocean using the Blessing Fishing Rod.
- Upon catching a strange object, Tei appears and recognizes it as the legendary tsurugi sword he once failed to claim.
- Tei congratulates you for being the true owner.
- The sword is later displayed in your house behind the TV.
Message in a Bottle

- Fish at the Ocean using the Blessing Fishing Rod.
- You may catch a bottle with a letter inside.
- The message is from someone feeling trapped and reaching out across the sea—your child is the sender.


Leave a Comment