How to Fish Guides: Illustrated Walkthroughs and How-Tos
Eighteen illustrated guides for version 1.1.3, each built from player videos and checked against the game data, with screenshots and the source video.
Guides checked for How to Fish 1.1.3Guides marked with a video note contain numbers taken only from player videos; they are not officially verified.
Island walkthroughs
- Island 1 Lighthouse: Beat the Spider Crab and Get the Boat KeysThe starting island with screenshots: money for the Knife and Beer, the Spider Crab fight, the shell hand-in and the Radar.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (route unchanged since 1.0)
- Island 2 Forest: Three Leeches and the Giant Piranha BossThe Forest island with screenshots: the three leeches, what to buy first, both phases of the Giant Piranha and the skeleton hand-in.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (Giant Piranha rebalanced in 1.0.12)
- Island 3 Desert: Unlock the Grill and Beat the PufferfishThe Desert island with screenshots: one SMG kit for the Blue Shark and the Pufferfish, the grill, the endangered catch and the fin.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (Pufferfish nerfed in 1.0.4)
- Island 4 Rocks: Catch the Tuna and Kill the AlbatrossThe Rocks island with screenshots: fund the Sniper Rifle, catch the Tuna, read the Albatross by its calls and fetch the head.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (Tuna nerfed slightly in 1.0.12; Albatross respawn lock fixed in 1.0.10)
- Island 5 Volcano: Bowhead Whale, Mutated Bowhead Whale and the EndingThe Volcano with screenshots: the Fish Bucket, the first whale, the climb to the crater, the mutated whale and the boat home.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (whale nerfed in 1.0.4; final boss explosive fix in 1.0.12)
- Islet Update Mini Islands: How to Find Them and Earn and Spend EurosHow the five 1.1.0 mini islands spawn, which of them pay euros, and what the euros buy.Written for How to Fish 1.1.0+ (bait spawn, wishbone prices and radar dots adjusted in 1.1.2)
Bosses
- Manta Mini-Boss: The Black Barrel, Where to Fight It and What It PaysThe illustrated Manta guide: the barrel islet, sinking the barrel, moving the fight to a big island and the euro payout.Written for How to Fish 1.1.0+ (added in The Islet Update)
- Optional Bosses: The Old Pike, Sunfish, Blue Shark, Goblin Shark and Bing BongThe five optional fights side by side: which lure summons each, how to beat it and which two are worth doing on every run.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3
Achievements, Bean and collections
- All 31 Achievements: Exact Conditions and the Quickest Method for EachOne guide for all 31 achievements: what each one really asks for and the quickest way to set it up, with the Handyman shortcut players report.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (31 achievements; three added in 1.1.0)
- Bean Achievement: A Legit Route to Finish How to Fish in Under One HourThe illustrated version of the Bean route: three successful runs merged into one island-by-island plan with screenshots and the video.Written for How to Fish 1.0.5+ (locked islands can no longer be skipped); tested routes from 1.0.10 to 1.1.x
- Drip Creatures: How to Farm Every Drip for the Fishipedia AchievementFinish the Fishipedia achievement by fishing the lure that holds each missing drip, releasing every other bite and raising the odds with the Wishbone.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (62 Fishipedia entries; Wishbone from 1.1.0)
- Speedrun Categories, Records and the Tricks That Still Work on the Current PatchWhat the leaderboard categories mean, the current records on v1.0.11+, why older records look impossible and which tricks still work.Written for How to Fish Leaderboards split v1.0.4, v1.0.5-1.0.10 and v1.0.11+; snapshot from 2026-09-29
Weapons, skins and the Islet Update
- Best Weapons Ranked: Which Gun to Buy on Each IslandWhich gun to buy on each island, why the published tier lists disagree about the cheap guns, and the damage per second behind the rankings.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (Bow from 1.1.0 not ranked by the tier lists)
- Bow: Where to Buy It, Its Upgrades and the Hobin Rood AchievementFind the hooded trader's islet, pay €25 for the Bow, and finish any creature with an arrow for Hobin Rood.Written for How to Fish 1.1.0+ (two bow skins and reload rebinding added in 1.1.2)
- Reel of Fortune: How Skins Work, Drop Odds per Island and the Fastest Way to RollHow the slot machines hand out skins, what each island rolls and the shell farming method most players use.Written for How to Fish 1.1.3 (bow skins added; brass knuckle skins left the Island 2 pool; gold fishing rod no longer drops)
Co-op, saves and mods
- Co-op Multiplayer: Hosting, Inviting Friends and Lobbies of Up to EightHow to host a co-op world, get friends in, run lobbies of up to eight and fix a friend who cannot join.Written for How to Fish 1.0.4+ (8-player lobbies); 1.0.5 invite-only lobbies; 1.0.11 self-explosive damage
- How to Install Mods: BepInEx, Thunderstore Mod Managers and the Current Mod ListInstall How to Fish mods with a mod manager or by hand with BepInEx, keep co-op in sync and stay away from mod-menu cheats.Written for How to Fish 1.1.x (mods updated on or after the 1.1.0 release)
- Save Files: Where They Are, How to Back Them Up and Steam Cloud SyncFind the save folder, back up or duplicate a world, and move progress between PC and Steam Deck through Steam Cloud.Written for How to Fish 1.0.12+ for Steam Cloud; save buttons since 1.0.6, backups since 1.0.11
Each guide follows one task from start to finish: the five islands, the optional bosses and the Manta, Bean, the achievements, drip creatures, skins, weapons, the Bow, co-op, saves, mods and the Islet Update.
They combine the narration of current-release YouTube videos with the game data used on the rest of the site; where a number comes only from a video, the guide says so.