Sturgeon
| Sturgeon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Fish |
| Location | Mountain Lake |
| Time | 6am to 7pm |
| Season | Summer; Winter |
| Weather | Any |
| Difficulty | 78 |
| Behaviour | Mixed |
| Size | 12 to 61 |
| Sell Price | 200g |
| Energy | 25 |
| Health | 11 |
The Sturgeon is an ancient bottom-feeder that lives in the Mountain Lake during Summer and Winter. It is a tough daytime catch with a high difficulty, best attempted once rod and Fishing level have improved. Its fame comes from what it produces. Sturgeon Roe is the only roe that a Preserves Jar turns into Caviar, a valuable artisan good. The fish is also needed for the Lake Fish Bundle in the Community Center, and Willy counts it among his loved gifts.
The in-game description reads: An ancient bottom-feeder with a dwindling population. Females can live up to 150 years.
Catching
The Sturgeon lives in the Mountain Lake. On the Wilderness Farm, it can also be caught in the farm's own water. It bites in Summer and Winter, from 6am until 7pm, in any weather.
Weather does change the odds. Rainy Summer days are the best time, when the Sturgeon makes up a noticeably larger share of catches. Rainy Winter days are the worst, and those only happen after using a Rain Totem.
Distance matters too. The Sturgeon prefers deeper water away from the shore, so the best catches come from casting at least three tiles out.
On the line, the Sturgeon has mixed behaviour and a high difficulty. It flops around the bar for a long time before it tires. On an Iridium Rod, a Trap Bobber or a Cork Bobber helps a great deal. Fishing buffs from food make the green bar easier to hold.
Magic Bait removes the season and time limits. The fish can also be bought. Krobus sometimes stocks it on Wednesdays for 200g, and the Traveling Cart may sell one for 600g to 1,000g.
Prices
The Sturgeon sells for a good price as a fish. Iridium quality doubles it. The Fisher profession adds a quarter, and Angler adds half.
A Fish Smoker doubles the price again and keeps the quality. It needs one piece of Coal per fish.
Selling Sturgeon raw throws away its real value, though. In a Fish Pond, Sturgeon reproduce every four days. The pond starts with room for one fish. Four requests open it to ten. The first asks for a Diamond. The second asks for Jelly, Maple Syrup or Pickles. The third asks for 3 Omni Geodes, and the last asks for a Nautilus Shell.
A Sturgeon pond produces only Sturgeon Roe. A small pond makes roe only now and then, but the rate climbs steeply as the pond fills. At ten fish, the pond often produces two roe in a single day.
Sturgeon Roe placed in a Preserves Jar becomes Caviar after about four days. Caviar sells for 500g, or 700g with the Artisan profession. That is far more than the fish itself is worth. Several Sturgeon ponds feeding a row of Preserves Jars make a reliable late-game income.
Sell prices by quality, with the bonus from each profession.
| Quality | Price | Fisher (+25%) | Angler (+50%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 200g | 250g | 300g |
 Silver
|
250g | 312g | 375g |
 Gold
|
300g | 375g | 450g |
 Iridium
|
400g | 500g | 600g |
Uses
The Sturgeon is one of the four fish in the Lake Fish Bundle in the Fish Tank. The others are the Largemouth Bass, the Carp and the Bullhead. Completing the bundle rewards a Dressed Spinner.
Caviar has uses of its own. It is one of the six options in the Missing Bundle at the abandoned JojaMart. That bundle asks for any five and turns the building into the Movie Theater.
In the kitchen, the Sturgeon counts as "any fish" for Sashimi, Maki Roll and Quality Fertilizer. Those recipes waste its value.
At the Sewing Machine, a Sturgeon in the spool makes a Fishing Vest.
A Bait Maker turns one Sturgeon into Sturgeon Bait. Targeted bait raises the chance of hooking another Sturgeon, which helps fill a new pond faster.
Gifts
Willy loves the Sturgeon. His birthday falls on Summer 24, during the Sturgeon's season, so a fresh catch from the Mountain Lake makes a fine birthday present.
Demetrius, Elliott, Leo, Linus, Pam and Sebastian feel neutral about it.
Abigail, Alex, Emily, Harvey, Leah, Maru, Penny, Sam and Shane count Sturgeon as a disliked gift. The shopkeepers Clint, Gus, Marnie and Robin dislike it as well, as do Jas and Vincent. The Dwarf, Krobus, Sandy and the Wizard dislike it too, and so do Caroline, George, Jodi, Kent and Lewis.
Evelyn, Haley and Pierre hate it.
These villagers love receiving Sturgeon as a gift.
| Villager | Image |
|---|---|
| Willy | 
|
Never sell the first Sturgeon. Put it in a pond, keep a Diamond ready for the first request, and the pond will repay that Diamond many times over in Caviar.
All Fish
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
| Name | Image | Location | Season | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albacore | 
|
Ocean | Fall; Winter | 75g |
| Anchovy | 
|
Ocean | Spring; Fall | 30g |
| Angler | 
|
Pelican Town | Fall | 900g |
| Blobfish | 
|
Submarine at Night Market | Winter | 500g |
| Blue Discus | 
|
Ginger Island | All | 120g |
| Bream | 
|
River | All | 45g |
| Bullhead | 
|
Mountain Lake | All | 75g |
| Carp | 
|
Mountain Lake; Secret Woods; The Sewers; Mutant Bug Lair | Spring; Summer; Fall in The Mountain Lake; All in Secret Woods, The Sewers, or Mutant Bug Lair | 30g |
| Catfish | 
|
River; Secret Woods; Witch's Swamp | Spring; Fall Secret Woods / Witch's Swamp:; Spring; Summer; Fall Only with Rain Totem: Winter | 200g |
| Chub | 
|
Mountain Lake; Forest River | All | 50g |
| Clam | 
|
- | All | 50g |
| Cockle | 
|
- | All | 50g |
| Crab | 
|
- | All | 100g |
| Crayfish | 
|
- | All | 75g |
| Crimsonfish | 
|
Ocean | Summer | 1500g |
| Dorado | 
|
Forest River | Summer | 100g |
| Eel | 
|
Ocean | Spring; Fall | 85g |
| Flounder | 
|
Ocean; Ginger Island | Spring; Summer | 100g |
| Ghostfish | 
|
Floors 20 and 60 of The Mines | All | 45g |
| Glacierfish | 
|
Cindersap Forest | Winter | 1000g |
| Glacierfish Jr. | 
|
Cindersap Forest | All | 1000g |
| Goby | 
|
Cindersap Forest Waterfalls | All | 150g |
| Halibut | 
|
Ocean | Spring; Summer; Winter | 80g |
| Herring | 
|
Ocean | Spring; Winter | 30g |
| Ice Pip | 
|
The Mines, Floor 60 | All | 500g |
| Largemouth Bass | 
|
Mountain Lake; Wilderness Farm | All | 100g |
| Lava Eel | 
|
Floor 100 of The Mines; Volcano Caldera | All | 700g |
| Legend | 
|
Mountain Lake | Spring | 5000g |
| Legend II | 
|
Mountain Lake | All | 5000g |
| Lingcod | 
|
River; Mountain Lake | Winter | 120g |
| Lionfish | 
|
Ginger Island | All | 100g |
| Lobster | 
|
- | All | 120g |
| Midnight Carp | 
|
Mountain Lake; Forest Pond; Ginger Island North & West (freshwater) | Fall; Winter | 150g |
| Midnight Squid | 
|
Submarine at Night Market | Winter | 100g |
| Ms. Angler | 
|
Pelican Town | All | 900g |
| Mussel | 
|
- | All | 30g |
| Mutant Carp | 
|
The Sewers | All | 1000g |
| Octopus | 
|
The Beach; Ginger Island; Submarine at Night Market | Summer; Winter (during Night Market (15-17)); All (Ginger Island) | 150g |
| Oyster | 
|
- | All | 40g |
| Perch | 
|
River; Mountain Lake; Forest Pond | Winter | 55g |
| Periwinkle | 
|
- | All | 20g |
| Pike | 
|
River; Forest Pond | Summer; Winter | 100g |
| Pufferfish | 
|
Ocean; Ginger Island | Summer | 200g |
| Radioactive Carp | 
|
The Sewers | All | 1000g |
| Rainbow Trout | 
|
River; Mountain Lake | Summer | 65g |
| Red Mullet | 
|
Ocean | Summer; Winter | 75g |
| Red Snapper | 
|
Ocean; Beach Farm | Summer; Fall; Winter with Rain Totem | 50g |
| Salmon | 
|
River | Fall | 75g |
| Sandfish | 
|
The Desert | All | 75g |
| Sardine | 
|
Ocean | Spring; Fall; Winter | 40g |
| Scorpion Carp | 
|
The Desert | All | 150g |
| Sea Cucumber | 
|
Ocean; Submarine at Night Market | Fall; Winter | 75g |
| Shad | 
|
River | Spring; Summer; Fall | 60g |
| Shrimp | 
|
- | All | 60g |
| Slimejack | 
|
Mutant Bug Lair | All | 100g |
| Smallmouth Bass | 
|
Town River; Forest Pond | Spring; Fall | 50g |
| Snail | 
|
- | All | 65g |
| Son of Crimsonfish | 
|
Ocean | All | 1500g |
| Spook Fish | 
|
Submarine at Night Market | Winter | 220g |
| Squid | 
|
Ocean | Winter | 80g |
| Stingray | 
|
Pirate Cove | All | 180g |
| Stonefish | 
|
Floor 20 of The Mines | All | 300g |
| Sturgeon | 
|
Mountain Lake | Summer; Winter | 200g |
| Sunfish | 
|
River | Spring; Summer | 30g |
| Super Cucumber | 
|
Ocean; Ginger Island; Submarine at Night Market | Summer; Fall; Winter during Night Market (15-17) | 250g |
| Tiger Trout | 
|
River | Fall; Winter | 150g |
| Tilapia | 
|
Ocean; Ginger Island | Summer; Fall | 75g |
| Tuna | 
|
Ocean; Ginger Island | Summer; Winter; Ginger Island (except Island North): All | 100g |
| Void Salmon | 
|
Witch's Swamp | All | 150g |
| Walleye | 
|
River; Mountain Lake; Forest Pond; Forest Farm Pond | Fall; Winter with Rain Totem | 105g |
| Woodskip | 
|
Secret Woods; Forest Farm | All | 75g |