Why is the next island missing?

You usually have not handed in the correct boss quest item, or the Radar is not bought or held.

How many islands are there?

Five, in a fixed order: Lighthouse, Forest, Desert, Rocks, and Volcano. There is no extra playable island on the radar.

No. Join with a Steam invite or a Public lobby; the lobby allows 8 players even though Steam prints 1–4.

Black screen when joining?

Use the same game version, then have the host create a new Invite-only multiplayer lobby.

Guide coverage: patches through 1.0.12

How to Fish Wiki: Guides, Bosses & Boat Fixes

How to Fish is a five-island co-op fishing game by Dazed Games, out on Steam since 20 August 2026. To reach the next island you finish the current island’s quest and hand its boss trophy to the NPC — money on its own never unlocks a new island. Start with Getting started for the first fifteen minutes, or jump straight to the boss you are stuck on. This is a game guide, not a real-world fishing tutorial.

Main menu of How to Fish — The main menu when you first open the game

Earning money does not unlock the next island. Complete the current island’s main quest so the next location appears on the radar, then travel there by boat. On Lighthouse Island, you must also obtain the boat keys and buy the radar.

Current patch: 1.0.12 · Steam Cloud saves, plus piranha and tuna balance
Saves now go through Steam Cloud — play once and exit normally on the PC you saved on to upload. Piranha rebalanced, tuna slightly nerfed, item velocity limited so gear is harder to lose, and the final boss now takes explosive damage even when you land on its tail. Full patch notes · Steam Cloud saves · Sale values

What this How to Fish Wiki covers

Use this How to Fish Wiki when you are stuck on a quest, looking up a number, or joining a friend. Walkthroughs stay on the island and boss pages. Tables for all 48 creatures, rods, bait, and weapons stay on the reference pages. Co-op, achievements, and crash fixes have their own guides so a black screen or a missing radar marker does not sit inside a story page.

The game is a short campaign, not an open fishing sim. Story progress comes from handing the correct trophy to the right NPC. Meat chunks, extra fish, and casino wins never open the next island. If a guide elsewhere still says the lobby is 1–4 players only, this wiki records the current cap: Steam still prints 1–4, the lobby allows 8, and combat is built for at most 4.

Start with Getting started if you are still on the lighthouse beach. Open the island list when you need the five-stop order. Open Stuck if the radar is blank. Creature prices, bait tables, and gun upgrades are linked from every island page so you can check a number without rereading the story.

Start where you are

Getting started: your first 15 minutes Repair nothing you do not need, catch two creatures, sell the beach clams, and buy the Crab Fishing Rod.
Why is the next island missing? You usually have not handed in the correct boss quest item, or the Radar is not bought or held.
Controls and keybinds
How many islands are there? Five, in a fixed order: Lighthouse, Forest, Desert, Rocks, and Volcano. There is no extra playable island on the radar.
Lighthouse Island walkthrough Clams, the Crab Fishing Rod, the beer-for-can trade, the Spider Crab, boat keys, and the $10 Radar.
Forest Island walkthrough Three leeches on the ground, Leech Bait, the Giant Piranha, and the flash drive with island 3's coordinates.
Desert Island walkthrough Trade a non-Drip endangered catch for the Carrot, beat the Pufferfish, and hand in the small fin.
Rocks Island walkthrough Catch a Tuna with the Professional Boss Lure, lay it on the grass for the Albatross, and hand in the head.
Volcano Island walkthrough Five creatures for the Fish Bucket, the Bowhead Whale, the crater, the mutated whale, and the Whale Fin.
Boss baits and summon steps Which bait summons which boss, where to place the trophy, and what the shop NPC takes.
Spider Crab: beer can and backstab Buy beer, trade it for the Empty Beer Can, dodge the charge, stab the back, and hand in the shell.
Giant Piranha: leeches and skeleton Collect 3 leeches on vegetated ground, trade them for Leech Bait, and hand in the skeleton.
Pufferfish: carrot and poison Trade an endangered catch for the Carrot, keep a tree between you, and watch for poison after half health.
Albatross: tuna summon and house cover Catch a Tuna with the Professional Boss Lure, lay it on the grass, fight from the house, and hand in the head.
Bowhead Whale and the mutated whale Five creatures for the Fish Bucket, throw the whale into the crater, beat the mutated form, and hand in the fin.
All 48 creatures: locations, prices, bait Island, base sale price, weight, usable bait, and HP for every creature in one table.
Rods & bait: which bait catches what Bait consumption per catch, and the rod each bait requires.
Weapons, attachments and upgrades Per-gun attachments and bullet upgrades do not carry across weapons.
Money: sale formula, grill, ground-item cap Sale value is base price × weight × grill × roulette × killscore; 64 dropped items persist between sessions.
Casino: roulette and skins
Is there a match ID? No. Join with a Steam invite or a Public lobby; the lobby allows 8 players even though Steam prints 1–4.
28 achievements
Black screen when joining? Use the same game version, then have the host create a new Invite-only multiplayer lobby.

Basic progression

Every island uses the same loop. The details change — bait, boss, and trophy — but the order does not: catch, kill, sell or hand in, buy what that island’s shop just unlocked, then check the radar.

Equip the appropriate rod and bait, cast into the water, and reel when a creature bites. Some bait only counts down while you reel.
Drop the caught creature on land and kill it before it returns to the water or is carried away by a seagull.
Sell ordinary catches for money. Keep quest items such as shells, fins, heads, and skeletons for the requesting NPC. Press F on a held item to see its current sale value.
Use the money to buy the rod, bait, weapon, and upgrades needed for the current island. Attachments and bullet upgrades are per gun and do not carry across weapons.
Complete the island’s main quest, check the radar, and take the boat to the next island. Place the Radar on the boat with Q so you can steer and still see the green marker.

Five islands

The game does not display official names for the five islands. This How to Fish Wiki uses descriptive names based on each island’s scenery so they are easier to distinguish. The order is fixed; there is no sixth playable island on the radar.

1. Lighthouse Defeat the Spider Crab and give its shell to the lighthouse keeper. He will give you the boat keys. 2. Forest Find 3 leeches, exchange them for leech bait, defeat the Giant Piranha, give its skeleton to the woman, and take the flash drive containing the next island’s coordinates. 3. Desert Exchange an endangered creature for a carrot, use it to summon the Pufferfish, and give the Pufferfish fin to the seated tourist. 4. Rocks Catch a Tuna with the Professional Boss Lure, use the defeated Tuna to summon the Albatross, and give the Albatross head to the person inside the shop. 5. Volcano Complete the five-creature request to receive the Fish Bucket, defeat the Bowhead Whale, throw its body into the crater, defeat the mutated whale, give the Whale Fin to the research NPC, and sail home.

1. Lighthouse. Start here. Sell beach clams, buy the Crab Fishing Rod, trade beer for an Empty Beer Can, defeat the Spider Crab, hand in the shell for boat keys, and buy the $10 Radar before you leave. Full walkthrough

2. Forest. Collect 3 leeches on vegetated ground — not in the water, and not 5. Trade them for Leech Bait, defeat the Giant Piranha, and hand in the skeleton for the next coordinates. Full walkthrough

3. Desert. Trade a non-Drip endangered Seahorse, Needlefish, or Bowlfish for a Carrot, defeat the Pufferfish, and hand in the small fin. A Blue Shark unlocks the grill as a side objective. Full walkthrough

4. Rocks. Catch a Tuna with Professional Boss Lure, place it on the grass to summon the Albatross, and hand the head to the shop NPC. Lucky Bait Casino on the hill is optional. Full walkthrough

5. Volcano. Deliver five creatures for the Fish Bucket, defeat the Bowhead Whale, throw it into the crater, defeat the mutated whale, hand in the Whale Fin, and sail home. Full walkthrough

Reference pages

These tables answer lookup questions: what a creature sells for, which bait it wants, and what a gun costs to upgrade. They are not a substitute for the island walkthroughs.