Guide coverage: patches through 1.0.12
How to Fish: Boat Stuck and Radar Not Showing
If the next island does not appear on the radar, you usually still need to hand in the correct boss quest item, or you have not bought or equipped the Radar. Work through the checks below, then confirm bait and summoning. A boat that will not move is a separate issue.
Quick checks
Why is the next island missing from the radar?
You usually have not handed in the correct boss quest item, or the Radar is not bought or held. Meat chunks do not complete the hand-in.
What does the green radar marker mean?
The green marker is the next island after the current quest is turned in. Patch 1.0.10 removed the extra X that marked your last death.
The boat will not move. Is that the same problem?
No. A boat stuck on terrain or flipped by dynamite is a physics or save issue, not a missing quest item.
1. Confirm the correct boss quest item
After a boss dies, it may leave ordinary meat and one unique quest item. The NPC only accepts the quest item: the Spider Crab shell, Giant Piranha skeleton, Pufferfish fin, or Albatross head. These items can be small and easy to miss. Do not sell them; pick them up and give them to the NPC who assigned the island quest.
2. The radar does not show the next island
On Lighthouse Island, obtain the boat keys and buy the Radar for $10. Hold the Radar to view its screen, and use the mouse buttons to change the zoom. The green marker shows the direction of the next island. Press Q to place the Radar on the boat before you start driving. After later island quests, the same Radar updates with the next destination.
3. Check the bait and summoning method
If nothing bites, make sure the bait matches the island and use reeling when the bait requires it. Story bosses use different methods: Empty Beer Can for the Spider Crab, Leech Bait for the Giant Piranha, Carrot for the Pufferfish, Professional Boss Lure to catch the Tuna that summons the Albatross, and Fish Bucket for the Bowhead Whale.
Open the Rods & Bait page for compatible rods, bait, and catches.
Checklist by island
| Island | Requirements to continue | Walkthrough |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse | Defeat the Spider Crab, give its shell to the lighthouse keeper, obtain the boat keys, and buy the Radar. | View guide |
| Forest | Collect 3 leeches on land, exchange them for Leech Bait, defeat the Giant Piranha, and hand in its skeleton. | View guide |
| Desert | Trade a non-Drip endangered creature for a Carrot, defeat the Pufferfish, and give its fin to the tourist. | View guide |
| Rocks | Catch a Tuna with Professional Boss Lure, place it on the grass to summon the Albatross, defeat it, and hand in its head. Patch 1.0.10 fixed a lock that could block respawn if you died to the Tuna and then spawned the Albatross. | Rocks / Albatross |
| Volcano | Obtain the Fish Bucket, catch and defeat the Bowhead Whale, throw it into the crater, defeat the mutated whale, give the Whale Fin to the research NPC, take the military boat keys, and sail home. | Volcano ending walkthrough |
Boat stuck
If the next island is on the radar but the boat will not leave, this is not a missing quest item. Check the physical boat first, then whether an explosion moved it.
- Sit in the driver seat with E. If the boat is beached or wedged against rocks, walk it free or reload the latest save. Patch 1.0.10 does not respawn a missing boat.
- Dynamite under the hull can launch the boat for the “I’m the bird now” achievement (make the boat fly). If it flips, flies away, or lodges in terrain afterward, reload the save from before the explosion.
- Join and save bugs can still drop the boat through the world. See the fixes page for black screens, grey screens, and lost items.