Have you caught a Carp once while fishing in Stardew Valley? Do you know where else you can find it and how to use it? Find out everything you need to know about this common pond fish in this guide!
In Stardew Valley, fishing isn’t only a key skill but also a money maker. If you’re looking for a particular fish, you need to look for its location and be there at the right season, weather, and time of day.
Carp is one of the most common pond fish you can easily catch with fishing rods. Check out this guide to learn more about its in-game uses.
What is a Carp?
Carp is a nonseasonal fish you can get in certain areas in-game. Getting it comes with a difficulty level of 15, and it also has Mixed behavior.
Moreover, you can get it quickly as it rarely moves past the 3rd bar on the fishing meter in this fishing mini-game. Thus, getting a “Perfect” remark on its catches is easy, regardless of your fishing rod and bait.
Its size can range from 15 inches to 51 inches. Consuming it alone will restore your energy and health. The following table compares the healing effects of various qualities.
| Quality | Energy | Health |
| Normal | +13 | +5 |
| Silver | +18 | +8 |
| Gold | +23 | +10 |
| Iridium | +33 | +14 |
Where to Get a Carp?
You won’t need to travel far to obtain this fish. Here are the best locations to get it and other details you need to quickly catch one:
| Location | Season | Time | Weather |
| Secret Woods | Any | Any | Any (but best-caught when it’s not raining, 41% to 53% chance.) |
| The Sewer | Any | Any | Any |
| Mutant Bug Lair | Any | Any | Any |
| Mountain Lake | Any Season except Winter. | Any | Any |
Fish Pond
You can place Carp in a Fish Pond, where it can reproduce daily. The only possible item produced is yellow Carp Roe. Since it reproduces quickly, putting it in the Fish Pond is disadvantageous.
Item Requests
Initially, only three could fit in the Fish Pond. Still, you can maximize your capacity to ten by completing two quests. See the table below for the quest items needed to increase pond capacity.
| Initial Capacity | Item Requested | Fishing XP | Improved Capacity |
| 3 | Green Algae (2) | 25 | 5 |
| 5 | Cave Carrots (2) | 25 | 10 |
Loots
The only guaranteed drop you’ll get is a yellow Carp Roe. The chance of its production depends on the population of your Fish Pond. The following table shows the complete info regarding this item.
| Item | Population | Item Percentage | Chance | Fishing XP |
| Roe (1) | 1-10 | 100% | 23-95% | 11 |
Selling Prices
Due to its low difficulty and accessibility, the selling price for Carp is cheap. However, depending on its quality, the price becomes higher. While choosing the Fisher (+25%) or Angler Profession (+50%) also helps increase its price in Stardew Valley.
| Quality | Base Price | With Fisher (+25%) | With Angler (+50%) | Roe | Aged Roe | With Artisan (+40%) |
| Normal | 30g | 37% | 45g | 45g | 90g | 126g |
| Silver | 37g | 46g | 55g | |||
| Gold | 45g | 56g | 67g | |||
| Iridium | 60g | 75g | 90g |
Crafting
If you want an inexpensive way to nourish your crops, you can make a Quality Fertilizer for them. It only takes two ingredients: Carp (1) and Sap (2). You’ll acquire its crafting recipe upon reaching Farming Level 9.
Moreover, you can also sell this item for 10g, which sounds like an unfair bargain considering your efforts to acquire the ingredients.
Cooking
Aside from turning it into something handy, you can also use it to aid you in restoring your health as you pursue your adventures. Here are some dishes that you can make with this fish in Stardew Valley:
| Name | Ingredients | Recipe Source | Energy without QS | Energy with QS | Health without QS | Health with QS | Sell Price Without QS | Sell Price with QS |
| Carp Surprise | Carp (4) | The Queen of Sauce (7 Summer, Year 2) | +90 | +162 | +40 | +72 | 150g | 225g |
| Maki Roll | Carp (4) Seaweed (1) Rice (1) | The Queen of Sauce (21 Summer, Year 1) Stardrop Saloon for 300g | +100 | +180 | +45 | +81 | 220g | 330g |
| Sashimi | Carp (1) | Linus (at three friendship hearts) | +75 | +135 | +33 | +60 | 75g | 112g |
Tailoring
You can produce a Fishing Vest by throwing this fish in the spool of the Sewing Machine. You can also turn an item into a yellow one in the Dye Pots. But in terms of profit, it’s advantageous to sell Carp instead of tailoring it into a vest.
Gifting
Offering it to NPCs can be a terrible idea since this fish is universally hated. You can’t get much from it either because you only get a few restoration effects and fishing experiences. Hence, it’s best to make dishes from it instead.
Quests
Below are the following missions you can complete using this fish in Stardew Valley:
- “Help Wanted” board outside Pierre’s General Store. It may be requested randomly during Spring, Summer, or Fall. The rewards are 90 gold and 150 Friendship points.
- Fishing. At the “Help Wanted” board, Demetrius or Willy may request one to five Carps during Spring, Summer, or Fall. The reward is 30 gold for fish, and you get to keep the Carp.
- Fish Pond quest. Dorado, Lingcod, and Pike require two of them to increase the pond’s capacity.
Bundles
You can use a Carp to complete the Lake Fish Bundle in the fish tank, together with Largemouth Bass, Bullhead, and Sturgeon. The reward for accomplishing this bundle is a Dressed Spinner, which can be helpful in fishing.
However, you cannot equip this tackle with a Bamboo Pole or Fiberglass Rod. You need an Iridium Rod, which you can purchase for 7500 gold from Willy’s Fish Shop, to use this spinner effectively.
