How to Fish: Complete Walkthrough & Tips

This guide covers the physics fishing game from Dazed Games from your first $3 rod to the Mutated Bowhead Whale. It includes the fishing and combat basics, an island-by-island walkthrough with every story boss, the money loop and co-op tips.

Researched September 2026 — current as of patch 1.0.12 (Steam Cloud update, Sept 4, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• The loop is catch, kill, sell, upgrade. Fish don't die when you land them. You have to punch, stab or shoot them before they flop back into the water.
• Buy the Basic Fishing Rod ($3) first, then a knife. Early fish fight back, so you need a weapon.
• Progress comes from quests, not catch counts. Each island has an NPC quest that ends in a boss fight. The boss drop is what unlocks the next island.
• Never sell or cook a boss drop until you've turned it in. The Shell, Skeleton, Trophy, Head and Fin are progression keys.
• Buy the Radar ($10) once you have the boat keys. You need it equipped to find Island 2.
• Cook your fish once you have a grill. Cooked fish sells for about 1.5x and heals you.
• Bosses telegraph, then stun themselves. Dodge the big charge or slam, then punish during the dazed window. Hit once or twice and back off.
• Set the difficulty to fit you (added in 1.0.9). Easy gives creatures 25% less health and makes them deal 50% less damage. Hard gives them 25% more health and damage.
• Co-op makes bosses much easier. Extra players can revive you, split up the minions and draw aggro.

What the Game Is

How to Fish is a physics-based fishing action game from Dazed Games. It released on Steam on August 20, 2026 and has an Overwhelmingly Positive rating. The story is that you crashed your boat on a tiny island after a drunken trip, and you have to fish your way back home across five islands. It's Steam Deck Verified and runs on GeForce NOW as of patch 1.0.11.

Multiplayer: the game launched with 1-4 player co-op. Patch 1.0.4 added support for lobbies of up to 8 players, and 1.0.5 added invite-only private lobbies, although the store page still says 1-4. Explosives can hurt you even though friendly fire is off.

Fishing and Combat Basics

Casting and reeling

• Stand near the water with your rod equipped and press or hold Left Mouse to cast.
• When the minigame starts, hold Left Mouse to reel. When you hit a barrier, mash to break through it.
• Pull the green bar all the way to the bottom to land the catch.
• Bait and lures decide what bites. Special bait (like the Empty Beer Can, Modified Leech, Carrot or Fish Bucket) is how you summon bosses.

Once it's landed

• Fish flop around and fight. Kill them quickly with fists, knives, guns or dynamite.
• Grab the carcass, carry it to the shop and sell it. Since 1.0.11 you have to hold an item once before you can sell it.
• Items you drop on the ground are saved between sessions (1.0.10, up to 64 items with weapons and tools prioritized), so you can stash things at camp.
• Weapons and tools get cleaned when you dip them in water.

Weapons you'll use

Tier | Examples | Use

Early | Fists, Brass Knuckles, Knife / Sharpened Knife | Small fish and the Spider Crab

Mid | Shotgun | Burst damage in boss stun windows

Late | Uzi/SMG, Assault Rifle, Sniper | Albatross and the final whale from range

Utility | Dynamite | Farming fish fast, but it can hurt you

Patch 1.0.11 added toggle options for aiming, sprinting and attacking. It also removed iron sights from the shop and recolored item dots: weapons are now orange, and dead players are turquoise.

Island-by-Island Walkthrough

# | Island | Boss | How to summon it | Drop / unlock

1 | Lighthouse | Spider Crab | Empty Beer Can | Shell, then boat keys

2 | Forest | Giant Piranha | Modified Leech | Skeleton, then Island 3

3 | Desert | Pufferfish | Carrot | Trophy, then Island 4

4 | Rocks | Albatross | Tuna caught with the Professional Boss Lure | Head, then Volcano location

5 | Military / Volcano | Mutated Bowhead Whale | Throw a Bowhead Whale carcass into the crater | Fin, then the ending

Island 1: Lighthouse

• Buy the Basic Fishing Rod ($3), fish near the dock and sell everything to build a cushion. Buy a knife or Brass Knuckles next.
• Buy a Beer Can and give it to the Lighthouse Keeper. He hands back the Empty Beer Can, which is the Spider Crab bait.
• Equip the Empty Beer Can, stand on the wooden dock, cast and reel. The catch is scripted, so the crab gets dragged onto land and the fight starts right away.
• Spider Crab tips: it's fast, hits hard and tries to drag you into the water. Kite it around the rocks and the dock. It stuns itself after big attacks, so hit it once or twice and back off.
• Turn in the Shell to get the boat keys, then buy and equip the $10 Radar to navigate to Island 2.

Island 2: Forest

• Pick up a Shotgun when you can afford one.
• Collect 3 Leeches (they spawn on the ground; you need three, not five) and give them to the quest giver in exchange for the Modified Leech lure.
• Giant Piranha tips: it charges and spawns smaller piranhas during the fight. Circle wide and clear the small ones so they don't grind you down. Punish it with the shotgun after it charges.
• Bring the Skeleton back to unlock Island 3.

Island 3: Desert

• Defeat the Blue Shark (a mini-boss) to activate the grill. From now on, cook your fish for about 1.5x sell value and for healing.
• Catch a Needlefish and trade it to the Tourist for a Carrot, which is the Pufferfish bait.
• Pufferfish tips: it rolls and grows, and it releases poison at half health. Stay behind it, keep away from the poison cloud, and burst it when it's vulnerable.
• Turn in the Trophy to open Island 4.

Island 4: Rocks

• Buy the Professional Boss Lure and catch a Tuna, which is a mini-boss in its own right. Put the dead Tuna on the grass to lure the Albatross.
• Albatross tips: it dive-bombs you and drops damaging "payloads" from the air. Use long range (Uzi, AR or a sniper). The well-known trick is to fight from a doorway: step out, shoot the red weak spot and step back in.
• Give the Head to the man hiding in the shop. He tells you where the fifth island is.

Island 5: Military / Volcano

• Catch five Volcano fish and give them to the Scientist for the Fish Bucket bait. Dynamite is the fastest way to get the five.
• Use the Fish Bucket to catch the regular Bowhead Whale, kill it, then throw its body into the volcano crater to summon the Mutated Bowhead Whale.
• Final boss tips: it's bigger, tougher and spits lava, and a couple of hits can kill you. Fight on the flat military ground with a fully upgraded Assault Rifle, and bring cooked fish to heal.
• The Fin triggers the ending. You can keep playing after the credits roll.

Optional mini-bosses give money and materials: Sunfish, Old Pike, Blue Shark, Tuna, Goblin Shark and the unmutated Bowhead Whale.

Making Money

• Sell common catches from the start and keep a cash buffer before each boss.
• Cook everything after Island 3. That 1.5x adds up fast. Lava cooking on Island 5 is also about 1.5x and doesn't need the timing minigame.
• Rare variants (flashy "drip" versions) sell for much more than normal fish, so don't throw them away.
• Trick shots pay bonuses. Stylish kills are worth practicing once you're comfortable.
• Gambling exists in-game (with fake money only). It's fun, but don't gamble away boss-fight money.
• Balance note: patch 1.0.12 nerfed tuna slightly, so the Tuna fight is a bit easier than in launch-week guides.

Co-op Tips

• Assign roles: one kiter holds boss aggro, two players deal damage from different angles, and one watches the boat and the escape route.
• Revive fast. Dead players show up as turquoise dots (since 1.0.11).
• Keep dynamite away from teammates. Patch 1.0.12 fixed the final boss not taking explosive damage when it lands on its tail, but you can still blow yourself up.
• Since 1.0.12, saves use Steam Cloud, but the host's save still drives progression.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Selling or cooking the boss drop. The Radar won't update and progression stalls, even though the fight is done.
• Spending all your cash on cosmetics right before a boss.
• Fighting fast bosses in open ground. Use rocks, docks and doorways to break their charges.
• Getting greedy in stun windows. One or two hits, then reposition.
• Treating meat chunks and trophies as the same thing. Only the quest drop unlocks progress.
• Forgetting the Radar on Island 1. Without it equipped you can't find Island 2.

Advanced Tips

• Choose upgrades by bottleneck. If fights take too long, buy damage. If you run out of money often, buy a better rod or bait. If travel is slow, buy boat upgrades.
• The Albatross doorway trick makes the hardest mid-game boss almost trivial solo.
• Use dynamite to farm fish in bulk for the Scientist and for easy cash, but stand well back.
• Hard mode (25% more creature health and damage) is the challenge option once you know the boss patterns.
• Stash spare weapons on the ground at a base spot. They persist between sessions.

FAQ

How many players can play How to Fish? The store page says 1-4, but since patch 1.0.4 lobbies support up to 8 players, and since 1.0.5 you can make them private.

How do I get to Island 2? Beat the Spider Crab, turn in the Shell for the boat keys, then buy and equip the $10 Radar.

Where do I get the Carrot for the Pufferfish? From the Tourist on Island 3, in exchange for a Needlefish.

How do I summon the final boss? Trade five Volcano fish to the Scientist for the Fish Bucket, catch and kill the Bowhead Whale, then throw it into the volcano crater.

Is How to Fish on Steam Deck? Yes. It's been Steam Deck Verified since patch 1.0.11.

Does it have difficulty settings? Yes, since 1.0.9: Easy, Normal and Hard.

Is there cloud save? Yes, since patch 1.0.12 (September 4, 2026).

Sources

• Steam: How to Fish store page
• Steam News: How to Fish patch notes
• Destructoid: Complete How to Fish walkthrough
• How to Fish Wiki: Boss Fights
• How to Fish Game Wiki: Island Progression
• How to Fish Game Wiki: Getting Started
• howto.fish community wiki