How do you fish in stardew valley?

once you're fishing level 2 willy sells the fiberglass rod, which takes bait. bait makes bites come a lot quicker so you spend less time staring at the water. the trap bobber and other tackle need the iridium rod at level 6, that's the one that really makes the minigame easier. food with a fishing buff before a session helps too.

Cast with the use button, wait for the ! and click, then the minigame starts. Hold to raise the green bar, let go to drop it, and keep it over the fish until the meter on the side fills. The bar is tiny at fishing level 0, so start with easy fish at the beach or the river in town and don't bother with the mountain lake or anything legendary yet. It gets much easier after a few levels. Willy sells a training rod for cheap too, which makes the bar easier to handle early on.