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Stardew Valley Riverland Farm Guide: Fishing, Space, and Tips

Riverland Farm favors fishing over open farming space. See what you gain, what you give up, and how to plan around its water-heavy layout.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Riverland Farm is a good fit if you want fishing to be part of everyday farm life: its water makes fishing viable, and you can catch fish available in Pelican Town. The tradeoff is substantially less land for crops and animals than on more open layouts. In Stardew Valley 1.6, Riverland also starts you with a Fish Smoker. Choose carefully before creating a save: your character is permanently tied to the selected farm map.

Is Riverland Farm a good choice?

Choose Riverland if you enjoy fishing, want a water-centered farm, or like working around a more divided layout. Its fishing opportunity is a convenience and a playstyle feature, not a guarantee that every Pelican Town fish is available at every moment; catches can depend on in-game conditions and map data.

If your main goal is a large crop operation or room for many animals, a more open farm is likely a better fit. Riverland’s water significantly reduces usable farming space, and there is no tile-count or yield comparison established here.

Decide before starting your save

Farm-map selection is permanent for a character. You cannot switch that character to another farm map later, so consider whether Riverland’s fishing emphasis and space constraints will remain enjoyable over a long save before confirming your choice.

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#1 Best Overall
Stardew Valley (Nintendo Switch)
  • Create the farm of your dreams: build your farm from the ground up on 1 of 5 map layouts suited to your play style!
  • mmaster your branching skills: raise animals, grow crops, start an orchard and build useful machines!
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  • customize your farmer: there are hundreds of character customization options to choose from!
  • settle down and start a family: share life on the farm with 1 of 12 characters you can date and marry, and even have children with!.explore vast, mysterious caves! Encounter dangerous monsters and valuable treasures!.spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots: the waters are teeming with seasonal varieties of delicious fish. Craft bait, bobbers, and crab pots to help you in your journey toward catching every fish and becoming a local Legend!.

What Riverland gives you at the start

In version 1.6, Riverland players receive a Fish Smoker by default. It is a starting item, not a purchase required to use the map’s fishing feature. The Fish Smoker is separate from the water itself: Riverland’s natural fishing opportunities do not depend on building a Fish Pond.

How to plan the available land

Water divides the farm, so treat accessible land as a limited resource rather than planning a broad, uninterrupted field. A compact crop area and convenient routes between frequently used buildings can make the layout easier to work with. This is practical planning advice based on the reduced farming area, not a prescribed official layout.

  • Set aside a focused crop plot rather than spreading crops across every open patch.
  • Keep buildings you visit often and the paths between them easy to reach.
  • Reserve space for animals only if they are a priority; Riverland offers less room for them than more open maps.
  • Use the farm’s water for fishing without treating constructed ponds as a requirement.

Natural fishing and Fish Ponds are different

Fishing in Riverland’s water is part of the farm map’s built-in appeal. A Fish Pond is an optional building for raising fish and collecting roe or other fish-produced items; it complements open-water fishing rather than replacing or enabling it. Each pond holds one fish type at a time, and its fish reproduce up to the pond’s capacity.

If you want to plan a pond into the limited farm space, construction requires 5,000g, 200 stone, 5 seaweed, and 5 green algae. It occupies a 5-by-5-tile footprint and takes two days to build. These requirements are game mechanics listed by the community-maintained Stardew Valley Wiki’s Fish Pond reference.

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Rank #3
Stardew Valley - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]
  • You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life.
  • Now with Multiplayer! Invite 1-3 players to join you in the valley! Players can work together to build a thriving farm, share resources, and build relationships with townspeople or each other.
  • New Single Player Content! Including the new Winter Market Festival, more collectibles, added character cut-scenes and even hats for your horse!
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Who should pick Riverland?

  • Good fit: players who want frequent access to viable fishing, enjoy a distinctive water-heavy look, and are comfortable with less crop and animal space.
  • Less suitable: players who want to maximize broad crop fields or run a large animal-focused farm without working around constrained land.

The map details and version-specific Fish Smoker note are documented in the community-maintained Farm Maps, The Farm, and Getting Started references.

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