The Best Trout Derby Prizes In Stardew Valley

The Trout Derby is a small fishing festival in Stardew Valley that takes place during the summer on the 21st and 22nd. It begins at 6:10 AM, and ends at 2:00 AM, and is located in the Cindersap Forest under Marnie’s ranch. The main goal of the derby is to catch Rainbow Trout.

When you catch the Rainbow Trout, you’ll be given a Golden Tag which you give to the booth, and in return, they give you a variety of prizes. Willy will always be there, as well as random NPCs who are “visiting” for the derby. Keep reading to find out which prize is best.

11 Omni Geode

Endless Gems

The Omni Geode is the worst prize that you can get in the Trout Derby, simply because it’s very easy to get them. It’s nice that you get three of them, but after a while, these become commonplace, especially when you do a lot of mine runs.

That being said, you can open the Omni Geodes to get gems, gift them to a few villagers, and you can use them to buy goodies from the Desert Trader.

10 Diamond

Gems Galore

One of the lesser prizes that you can get is a Diamond. Diamonds have a lot of uses, including selling for 750g, giving as a loved or liked gift, or being used to craft different items, such as the Ring of Yoba or Fairy Dust.

This is lower on the list because you can find diamonds throughout the mine. You can also make a Crystalarium and have endless diamonds through that.

9 Quality Sprinkler

Water Your Plants

You can earn a quality sprinkler in the Trout Derby. The Quality Sprinkler is a mid-level sprinkler that waters plants directly surrounding it. There are eight plots in total that the sprinkler hits.

You can craft a quality sprinkler with an Iron Bar, Gold Bar, and Refined Quartz. Towards the beginning of the game, these are super helpful, but eventually, you’ll want to update to iridium sprinklers since they have a wider range.

8 Triple Shot Espresso

Stay Caffeinated

One of the prizes is two Triple Shot Espressos. This gives you +1 speed for four minutes and twelve seconds, as well as eight energy and three health.

You can make this yourself if you have a kitchen, the espresso recipe, and three coffees, but it’s still very worthwhile. It helps you move and fish faster, and it stacks with other buffs.

7 Warp Totems

Back To The Farm

You might find yourself with three Farm Totems as one of the prizes. A Farm Totem can send you back to your farm from anywhere in Stardew Valley, including Ginger Island.

You can make Farm Totems as well, but they require Hardwood, Honey, and Fiber, so it’s better to find or earn them. The best use for these totems is to head home from Ginger Island or the Skull Cavern caves.

6 Mounted Trout

Picture Perfect

The Mounted Trout Painting is a framed mounted rainbow trout. It’s got red and brown colors with a small plaque underneath the fish, and it’s great for farmers who like any of the fisherman-like furniture.

This piece of furniture is exclusive to the Trout Derby, which makes it an exciting prize to achieve. It can be placed inside your house or any shed that you create on your farm.

5 Deluxe Bait

Fishy Fish

Deluxe Bait is a great prize, especially for a fishing festival. This bait causes fish to bite even faster and even increases the size of the fishing bar. If you get this at the beginning of the Derby, you can use it to catch more Rainbow Trout.

If you want to keep this bait for another day, it helps catch difficult fish. You can pair it with different tackles and food that add to your fishing level.

4 Mystery Box

Endless Mystery

The Mystery Boxes are very cool. You can get three at once, which means it’s worth three prizes. You can take Mystery Boxes over to the Blacksmith’s shop to have them opened for 25g.

You’ll find various items within these boxes, such as food, totems, seeds, rings, and more. You can also trade mystery boxes with the Raccoon’s wife for a golden mystery box, which has better prizes.

3 Bucket Hat

Stylin’ Accessory

The Bucket Hat is a super stylish black hat that sits low on the farmer’s head. It’s pretty straightforward, but it’s unique to the Trout Derby, so it’s exciting to get it.

You cannot sell or gift a bucket hat, which lowers its value. Once you get one, as exciting as it might be, you don’t have a use for the second or third one that you might receive.

2 Crab Pots

Lobsters, Crabs, Snails, Oh My!

The Crab Pots prize is one of the best pots in the entire derby. You only get one each time you get the prize, but you can get it multiple times a day if you get enough Rainbow Trout.

You can put your Crab Pots in lakes, rivers, or the ocean to get a variety of items such as lobsters, shrimp, crayfish, or snails. If you’re unlucky, you might pull in the trash, but you can just add another piece of bait and try again the next day.

1 Tent Kit

Sleepover Time

The Tent Kit is a great prize to get. You can place a Tent Kit anywhere outside to sleep somewhere other than your house. The only place that the Tent Kits don’t work is inside mines.

You can craft a Tent Kit as well with hardwood, fiber, and cloth, but it’s always great to get one for free. You can use it during the Trout Derby to sleep near the water, but you can also camp out with it anywhere on Ginger Island or near the Skull Cavern for a run.