Table of Contents
Fishing is one of the ways to spend your time in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (SoS AWL).
To start fishing, you first need a Fishing Pole, which can be purchased from Van.
He opens his shop near the Bluebird Café on the 3rd and 8th of each season. The basic Fishing Pole costs 500 G.
There are five different areas where you can catch fish:
- Forest Spring: Located next to the Nature Sprites’ house.
- Upstream: Extends from the waterfall at the Excavation Site to the southernmost tree on the eastern side of the river, just northwest of Vesta Farm.
- Downstream: Extends from the southernmost tree on the eastern side of the river, past the bridge, and down to the ocean.
- Ocean: Located in the sea along the southern edge of Forgotten Valley.
- Marsh Space: The turtle pond behind the Lei-Over Inn and east of Gordy’s workshop.
Fish are not affected by the seasons, so you will find the same fish throughout the year and in every Chapter.
The types of fish that appear depend on the quality of your fishing rod, while their sizes are randomized. You do not need to purchase bait.
To catch a fish, stand beside a body of water and press the tool button to cast your line. A fish will soon appear near the line.
When a fish bites and an ! appears above your character, press the tool button once more to reel in the fish.
You can reel in the line at any time before a fish bites by pressing the tool button, such as when trying to catch a large fish and avoiding fish with small shadows.
Fish can be sold to Van. The larger the fish, the higher its selling price.
Fishing Rod Upgrades
Upgrading the strength and quality of your fishing rod allows you to catch rarer fish and use less stamina when reeling them in.
You can still catch lower-level fish when using an upgraded fishing rod.
Most of these upgrades can be purchased from Van after meeting the required in-game time and usage conditions. Van will replace your old fishing rod with the new one.
Fishing Rod → Copper Fishing Rod
Summer 8 (Chapter 1 or later), after catching 50 fish. Costs 1,000 G.
Copper Fishing Rod → Silver Fishing Rod
Spring (Chapter 2–3 or later), after catching 200 fish. Costs 10,000 G.
Silver Fishing Rod → Gold Fishing Rod
Spring (Chapter 3 or later), after catching 500 fish. Costs 50,000 G.
Gold Fishing Rod → Blessing Fishing Rod
Check the Bulletin Board next to the Lei-Over Inn starting in Spring of Chapter 4. For details, you can read our guide on tool upgrades.
If you have at least 90 friendship points with Gary, he will post a special request on the bulletin board for a Large fish. Any fish can be used to complete Gary’s request as long as it is Large.
Bring him the fish, and he will tell you how he bought this fishing rod long ago.
After Nina became furious when she learned how much money Gary had spent on the fishing rod, Gary was so embarrassed that he put it away and never used it.
He no longer has the strength to go fishing and hopes that you will find a use for this fancy fishing rod.
The Blessing Fishing Rod will not help you catch rare fish, but it can produce some unique items.
Fish List
There are 15 types of fish that can be caught in Forgotten Valley. You can see which fish you have already caught by checking the notebook next to the television and browsing the Fish section of the Encyclopedia.
Each fish species you have caught in Huge size will be marked with a gold crown on its Encyclopedia page.
| Image | Name | Location | Rod Type | Li’l | Reg | Large | Huge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Masu | Upstream | Regular | 25 G | 35 G | 60 G | 90 G |
 | Wakasagi | Downstream Forest Spring | Regular | 20 G | 30 G | 50 G | 80 G |
 | Scad | Ocean | Regular | 25 G | 40 G | 65 G | 100 G |
 | Blackmouth Bass | Downstream Forest Spring Marsh | Regular | 15 G | 25 G | 40 G | 60 G |
 | Spotted Char | Upstream | Copper | 40 G | 60 G | 100 G | 160 G |
 | Amur Catfish | Marsh | Copper | 35 G | 55 G | 90 G | 140 G |
 | Calamari | Ocean | Copper | 40 G | 60 G | 100 G | 160 G |
 | Red Sea Bream | Ocean | Copper | 45 G | 70 G | 115 G | 180 G |
 | Stringfish | Downstream Marsh | Silver | 90 G | 135 G | 225 G | 360 G |
 | Rainbow Trout | Downstream Forest Spring | Silver | 95 G | 145 G | 240 G | 380 G |
 | Ahi | Ocean | Silver | 105 G | 160 G | 265 G | 420 G |
 | King Masu | Upstream | Gold | 160 G | 240 G | 400 G | 640 G |
 | Unagi | Downstream | Gold | 200 G | 300 G | 500 G | 800 G |
 | Bonytongue | Forest Spring Marsh | Gold | 150 G | 225 G | 375 G | 600 G |
 | Langouste | Ocean | Gold | 175 G | 265 G | 440 G | 700 G |
Other Items
You can catch three special items using the Blessing Fishing Rod.
Two of these items will be displayed inside your house. You can catch these items after reaching Chapter 4 or later in the game.
Golden Axe
Go to Forest Spring and cast the Blessing Fishing Rod into the pond. If you’re lucky, you will obtain the Golden Axe.
You will hear a mysterious voice from the pond asking whether you threw in a Silver Axe or a Golden Axe. Either way, you must be quite lucky to catch one of Blessing’s personal items.
The voice hopes that you can take it home. You will then bring the special axe home and mount it on the wall behind the television.
Legendary Sword
Fish in the ocean with the Blessing Fishing Rod, and you may obtain an incredible sword.
Tei notices your catch from a distance and runs over when he realizes what you have obtained. Could it be the legendary tsurugi sword?
Tei explains that he once saw something like this while traveling around the world. One was stuck in a stone.
The story goes that whoever can pull the sword from the stone will become the owner of the legendary sword.
Tei tried it, but the sword did not choose him as its owner. He heard a voice telling him that he was not worthy enough to pull the sword from its prison.
Tei was frustrated at the time, but now he understands when he sees you holding the sword in your hand. Tei congratulates you on your prize.
You will return home and mount the sword on the wall behind the TV.
Message in a Bottle
Use the Blessing Fishing Rod in the ocean to fish up a bottle containing a letter. The letter is addressed to an anonymous person across the ocean.
The writer says that they feel suffocated and want to escape.
They think about whoever may be across the ocean, then write down their thoughts and throw them into the water. The writer turns out to be your child.
