How to Get Crab Pot in Stardew Valley
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Stardew Valley
How to Get Crab Pot in Stardew Valley
Tips
Crab Pots are one of the most passive income sources in Stardew Valley — place them once, add Bait each morning, and collect a steady trickle of seafood with minimal effort. Running 10–15 pots across the ocean and river generates a reliable 500–1,500g per day from catches that require no active fishing minigame. They’re especially valuable in winter when crops can’t grow and fishing is the primary income source for many players.
⚡ Quick Answer
Step by Step
Crab Pots unlock at Fishing level 3 and are crafted with 40 Wood + 3 Iron Bars, or bought from Willy’s Fish Shop for 1,500g each. Place them in any body of water — river, lake, or ocean — and check them the next morning to collect the catch. They require 1 Bait per use to work, except with the Luremaster profession which makes them bait-free.
1
Reach Fishing level 3 to unlock the recipe. Fish regularly with any rod to level up your Fishing skill. Each catch gives Fishing XP — larger and rarer fish give more. The Crab Pot recipe appears automatically in your crafting menu when you hit level 3, which typically takes 2–4 days of consistent fishing.
2
Craft or buy Crab Pots. To craft: gather 40 Wood (chop trees) and 3 Iron Bars (smelt Iron Ore in a Furnace). To buy: visit Willy’s Fish Shop on the beach — open most days from 9am to 5pm — and purchase them for 1,500g each. Buying is faster early game when Iron may be scarce.
3
Get Bait for the pots. Craft Bait from Bug Meat (5 Bug Meat = 5 Bait) — Bug Meat drops from cave insects in the mines. Alternatively buy Bait from Willy for 5g each. Each Crab Pot consumes 1 Bait per overnight cycle, so stock up before placing multiple pots.
4
Place Crab Pots in water. Stand next to any water tile — river, lake, ocean, or even the small ponds — and right-click with the Crab Pot equipped to place it. Then right-click the placed pot again to add Bait. You can place as many pots as you have in any accessible water body around the map.
5
Check pots the next morning. Return the following day and right-click each pot to collect its catch. Pots catch crustaceans and shellfish specific to their location — rivers produce Crayfish, Snails, and Catfish; the ocean produces Lobster, Crab, Shrimp, Clam, Mussel, and Oyster; the mountain lake produces Woodskip and other freshwater species.
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Ocean pots give the most valuable catches — Lobster sells for 120g raw and Crab for 100g. Place the majority of your pots on the beach for the best return per pot per day.
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Crab Pot catches complete the Fish Tank bundle in the Community Center — the Crab Pot Bundle specifically requires Lobster, Crayfish, Crab, Snail, Periwinkle, Shrimp, Mussel, and Oyster. Running several pots in different locations fills this bundle passively over a few weeks.
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Luremaster profession (Fishing level 10) removes the Bait requirement entirely — all your Crab Pots work for free indefinitely. If you plan to run many pots long-term this profession saves significant time and resource cost.
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Mariner profession (Fishing level 10) is the alternative — it prevents Crab Pots from catching trash items, guaranteeing every pot produces a sellable catch. Useful if you find yourself constantly pulling out Soggy Newspaper and Broken CD instead of actual fish.