How to Fish speedruns are tracked by the community on Speedrun.com, not by Dazed Games, and the boards are split by game version and player count. A time only means something with its full label, for example "v1.0.11+ Solo Any%".
Current records (v1.0.11+ Solo)
As of the 29 September 2026 snapshot:
- Any% (finish the game as fast as possible): 9:54.867.
- No Dynamite (no Dynamite damage to fish or bosses; using it in the water to get fish is allowed): 14:57.783.
- No Gambling (any use of the roulette table invalidates the run): 15:59.933.
- Crab% (kill the opening Spider Crab, sell the shell and pick up the keys): 0:55.550.
- 100% (the board's full-completion rules, not just the ending): 1:25:49.667.
The leading Any% run was played before The Islet Update, so do not call it a 1.1.0 record. Check the live board's rules before recording, including any input-display requirement for top Any% runs.
Why older world records look impossible
The well-known sub-6-minute Any% run was played on v1.0.4, where you could sail straight to the volcano island from the start. Runners got into the boat at once, used the sun and shadows to steer, and as soon as the volcano appeared on the horizon they quit to the main menu and reloaded, which spawned them on the island.
Patch 1.0.5 stopped travel to islands that are not yet unlocked, and the board keeps v1.0.4, v1.0.5 to 1.0.10 and v1.0.11+ as separate categories. On the current patch every run has to visit all five islands in order, which is why the record sits near ten minutes.
Techniques that still matter
Steer by the sun. Stopping to check the Radar kills the boat's momentum. Runners keep the sun on a fixed side and watch which part of the boat is in shadow; holding the same shadow shape keeps the heading true.
Dynamite piles for the whales. Top runs kill both whales almost instantly with stacked Dynamite: roughly 16 to 18 sticks for the Bowhead Whale and about 21 to 25 for the Mutated Bowhead Whale, split between two piles so the second one finishes it. Buy one or two extra, because sticks do not always behave the same.
Your own explosives kill you. Since patch 1.0.11, your own Dynamite is lethal even with friendly fire turned off. Clear the blast area before you shoot a pile.
Five Beers for the scientist. The scientist accepts any five items, and Beers bought on the spot are faster than fishing for creatures.
Gambling for money. Any% runs often bet a cheap item, such as cooked snails or a catch, on green at the roulette table; a win multiplies its value by 35 and pays for the late game. No Gambling bans this, which is why that category is about six minutes slower.
For the slower, forgiving one-hour route that unlocks the Bean achievement, see the Bean guide. That is a different goal from a leaderboard run.
Source video