Summary
Fishing is one of the more divisive skills inStardew Valley. Though the mini-game is one players prefer tosome of the other skillsin the farming sim,the steep learning curve for new players can make it an easy turn-off,especially before some of the game’s helpful tools make the difficult skill easier. As players progress, increasing their fishing skills and gaining some helpful tackles and other resources, the fishing bar increases and makes catching certain fish easier.
However, one of the most frustrating parts of fishing is the tackles. There are10 different tackles and bobbers that can be equipped on an Iridium Rod,which isn’t obtainable until a player reaches level six of the fishing skill. Even then, these tackles don’t stack in a player’s inventory, and after 20 bites from fish, they break, leaving the player to either equip or craft a whole new one, depending on their inventory space. It’s not until players have made progress in their game that they can utilize some hacks for this cumbersome system.
If You Aren’t Fishing In Stardew Valley 1.6 This Way, You’re Doing It Wrong
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Mayor Lewis’s Shorts Can Be Used To Prevent Tackles From Breaking
They Can Help You Catch More Than Just Marnie
As shared by Instagram user @itsmeanikaaaaa, there’s more players can do with MayorLewis’s shorts than just find new ways to embarrass him. Those with theAdvanced Iridium Rodcanequip the shorts in one of the two slots for tackles. As it’s not really a tackle,its durability will never decrease — and neither will the other tackle equipped in the other slot.Though Mayor Lewis wouldn’t approve of this hack, it makes it so tackles no longer have limited durability.
This only works with thelucky purple shortsin their original form, meaning those who have tailored them to get the Trimmed Lucky Purple Shorts will need to revisit the mayor’s basement and secure another pair for this hack. Not only will this allow the player to keep their tackle for significantly longer than the standard 20 bites, but it’ll also change the bobber shown in the water to be the purple shorts.
The Advanced Iridium Rod isonly obtained with theFishing Mastery, meaning players will have to grind all five skills and at least 10,000 additional XP before they can even utilize this hack. Though Mayor Lewis may consider the shorts “lucky,” they do not have any additional effect on the bite rate. It’s definitely a hilarious workaround to one ofStardew Valley’smost cumbersome fishing features, but it unfortunately will not help the player get a date withMarnie.
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This Is One Of The Only Ways To Increase A Tackle’s Durability
The Forge Can Offer Additional Durability Features
Beyond the Advanced Iridium Rod, the only other way for players to increase their tackles' durability is through the Forge onGinger Island. By spending onePrismatic Shardand 20Cinder Shard, a player can infuse their fishing rod with any one enchantment. If the enchantment happens to be the preserving enchantment,tackles and bait have a 50 percent chance of not being consumed when the player gets a bite.That said, this doesn’t stop the tackle from wearing out — it just decreases the rate it does.
Unfortunately, there is alsono way for the player to control what enchantment their tool receives from the Forge.There are four different enchantments the fishing rod can have, though there’s no guarantee a player will receive the preserving enchantment on their visit. Enchantments don’t stack, and players can replace their tool’s current enchantment by spending another Prismatic Shard and 20 Cinder Shards to take a gamble and try for the one they want instead.
Tackles are some of the few items inStardew Valleythat break after a few uses.Using Mayor Lewis’s shorts is the only way to keep a tackle on without wearing it down and eventually breaking— even with the preserving enchantment. Tackles can be a huge help for players still trying to better their fishing skill, but their inability to stack means they take up a lot of space in a player’s inventory and require plenty of resources to be used as a frequent aid, making it one of the most difficult skills to progress.
