How to Fish Guide
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FAN-MADE STEAM GUIDE · UPDATED FOR PATCH 1.0.10

How to Fish Game Guide

Stuck on an island, missing a fish, or trying to beat a boss? Follow the island-by-island walkthrough, look up fish and bait, and fix the exact step blocking your run.

For How to Fish, the Steam game by Dazed Games.

Start the Walkthrough →Find Fish & Bait →
I'm stuck — show me the fix →

QUICK HELP

Stuck in How to Fish? Start Here

Pick the problem you’re having and jump straight to the answer.

Boat won't unlock

Turn in the Spider Crab Shell, then claim the quest interaction.

See boat unlock steps →

Can't find the 3 Leeches

All three are fixed Forest spawns—not fish and not random catches.

Find all 3 Leeches →

Need the Carrot

Give the Desert NPC one accepted creature to receive the Carrot.

Get the Carrot →

Can't beat Pufferfish

Use the Carrot to catch the boss, then bring back its fin.

Beat Pufferfish →

Albatross won't spawn

Catch and kill Tuna, then keep the body for the Albatross trigger.

Fix Albatross spawn →

Mutated Whale won't spawn

Drop the dead normal whale into the main lava with no boss active.

Trigger Mutated Whale →

Game won't end

Turn in Whale Fin, clear active bosses, then use the End Game interactable.

Trigger the ending →

Fishipedia missing one

Compare all 49 normal and Drip entries with the checklist.

Find your missing entry →

FULL PROGRESSION AT A GLANCE

How to Fish Walkthrough

Follow the full island-by-island progression from Lighthouse to the ending.

  1. ISLAND 1

    1

    Lighthouse

    Unlock the Boat

    REQUIRED ITEM
    Spider Crab Shell
    BOSS
    Spider Crab
    UNLOCKS
    Boat / Forest route
    Show required steps ↓
    1. 1.Beer
    2. 2.Empty Beer Can
    3. 3.Spider Crab
    4. 4.Spider Crab Shell
    Lighthouse walkthrough →

  2. ISLAND 2

    2

    Forest

    Reach the Desert

    REQUIRED ITEM
    3 Leeches
    BOSS
    Giant Piranha
    UNLOCKS
    Desert
    Show required steps ↓
    1. 1.3 Leeches
    2. 2.Modified Leech
    3. 3.Giant Piranha
    4. 4.Skeleton
    Forest walkthrough →

  3. ISLAND 3

    3

    Desert

    Reach the Rocks

    REQUIRED ITEM
    Carrot
    BOSS
    Pufferfish
    UNLOCKS
    Rocks

    Optional: Unlock the Grill

    Show required steps ↓
    1. 1.Accepted Creature
    2. 2.Carrot
    3. 3.Pufferfish
    4. 4.Pufferfish Fin
    Desert walkthrough →

  4. ISLAND 4

    4

    Rocks

    Reach the Volcano

    REQUIRED ITEM
    Albatross Head
    BOSS
    Tuna → Albatross
    UNLOCKS
    Volcano

    KEEP THE TUNA

    Show required steps ↓
    1. 1.Professional Boss Lure
    2. 2.Tuna
    3. 3.Keep the body
    4. 4.Albatross
    5. 5.Albatross Head
    Rocks walkthrough →

  5. ISLAND 5

    5

    Volcano

    Finish the Game

    REQUIRED ITEM
    Whale Fin
    BOSS
    Mutated Bowhead Whale
    UNLOCKS
    Ending

    DEAD WHALE → LAVA

    Show required steps ↓
    1. 1.Fish Bucket
    2. 2.Bowhead Whale
    3. 3.Dead Whale → Lava
    4. 4.Mutated Whale
    5. 5.Whale Fin
    Volcano walkthrough →

HOW TO FISH FISHIPEDIA

Find Any Fish or Creature

Search by name to see its island, lure, value, variant, and related requirements. Results understand connections—not just titles.

Popular searches

Enter a search term

Try a creature, lure, quest item, or boss drop.

BAIT LOOKUP

How to Fish Bait & Lure Guide

What bait catches what? Start with the creature you want—or a lure already in your inventory.

Open the full bait database →

BEST

Standard Boss Lure

Best — dedicated mini-boss pool

ALSO POSSIBLE

Standard Lure

Also possible — low pool weight

Desert · Needed for Grill quest

Blue Shark guide →

BOSS PROGRESSION

How to Fish Boss Guide

Every required encounter, in order — plus how to summon it and what it unlocks.

  1. 01Lighthouse

    Spider Crab

    SUMMON WITH
    Empty Beer Can

    Collect Spidercrab Shell.

    Boss guide →
  2. 02Forest

    Giant Piranha

    SUMMON WITH
    Modified Leech

    Collect Giant Piranha Skeleton.

    Boss guide →
  3. 03Desert

    Pufferfish

    SUMMON WITH
    Carrot

    Collect Pufferfish Fin.

    Boss guide →
  4. 04Rocks

    Tuna

    SUMMON WITH
    Professional Boss Lure

    Defeat Tuna.

    Boss guide →
  5. 05Rocks

    Albatross

    SUMMON WITH
    Drop the dead Tuna on Rocks

    Collect Albatross Head.

    Boss guide →
  6. 06Volcano

    Bowhead Whale

    SUMMON WITH
    Fish Bucket

    Kill the normal Bowhead Whale.

    Boss guide →
  7. 07Volcano

    Mutated Whale

    SUMMON WITH
    Put the dead normal Bowhead Whale into Main Lava while it is not held and no boss is active

    Collect Whale Fin.

    Boss guide →
View all bosses & mini-bosses →

POPULAR PROBLEMS

Popular How to Fish Guides

More stuck solutions →

ITEM

Find All 3 Leeches

Forest · Quest item

Open guide →

BAIT

How to Get Carrot

Desert · Boss bait

Open guide →

SECRET CATCH

How to Catch BingBong

Desert · Secret creature

Open guide →

BOSS

How to Summon Albatross

Rocks · Main boss

Open guide →

FINAL BOSS

Spawn Mutated Bowhead Whale

Volcano · Main route

Open guide →

ACHIEVEMENT

How to Get 5× Killscore

Mechanic · Achievement

Open guide →

CHECKLIST

Complete Every Fishipedia Entry

49 normal + 49 Drip

Open guide →

MONEY

Make Money Fast

Stage-by-stage catches

Open guide →

100% COMPLETION

How to Fish Achievements & 100% Checklist

Going for 100%? Track achievements, Fishipedia entries, and the mechanics that block completion.

28 Steam Achievements

  • Bean
  • Fishipedia
  • 360 no scope
  • Impressive
  • Handyman
  • GOLD GOLD GOLD
All achievements →

COMPLETION TOOL

Fishipedia Checklist

Track all 49 normal entries and identify confirmed Drip variants without mixing the two goals.

Open checklist →

CALCULATOR

Killscore Calculator

Build a verified 5×+ multiplier combination.

Build a multiplier →

MONEY

Best Fish to Sell at Each Stage

See the full money guide →
StageBest regular catchBase value
LighthouseLobster$9
ForestGoldfish$24
DesertBowlfish$150
RocksDripper$380
VolcanoSuperdwarf Fish$1,700

Don’t blindly sell the highest-value boss catches. Tuna is needed for Albatross, and the dead Bowhead Whale is needed for the final mutation.

GEAR

Best Weapons & Upgrades

8 weapons · 13 damage states

Compare damage, magazine size, and upgrade costs before spending your money.

Pistol

10-round magazine

$50

25 → 160 DMG

SMG

30-round magazine

$650

24 → 70 DMG

Sniper Rifle

5-round magazine

$3,800

200 → 500 DMG

Damage is only one part of a weapon comparison. Fire rate and several handling values remain unresolved, so this guide does not invent a “best weapon.”

Compare all weapons →

LATEST HOW TO FISH UPDATE

Updated for Patch 1.0.10

Aug 27, 2026 · Guides checked for v1.0.10

  • Tuna / Albatross death-respawn fix
  • Roulette fixes
  • Dropped items now save
  • Radar marker change

Guide data checked

ABOUT

About This How to Fish Game Guide

This is an independent fan-made guide for How to Fish, the Steam game by Dazed Games. It covers island progression, fish and bait locations, boss strategies, Fishipedia, achievements, money, weapons, and common progression problems.

Guides that may change between updates show the game version they were checked against.

How to Fish Guide is not affiliated with Dazed Games or Valve.