How to Fish Walkthrough: Five Islands, Island 6 and the Islet Update

Current version: 1.1.3 (2026-09-29). This walkthrough is written against that build. The island route itself has not changed since launch, but two things around it have: the 1.1.0 Islet Update (2026-09-28) added content to the world map, and it “adjusted the distance between each island”, so travel times in launch-week guides no longer match.

The route is Lighthouse → Island 2 Forest → Island 3 Desert → Island 4 Rocks → Island 5 Volcano → mainland/endgame. These are five prerequisite story islands followed by the area Patch 1.0.11 calls island 6.

Version timeline that matters for a walkthrough

Everything here is from Dazed Games’ own patch notes. If you are following an older guide, check which line it predates.

What the Islet Update adds to the route

1.1.0 is a content update, not a route change. Its own note lists: a bundle with PEAK, a new weapon, multiple mini-islands, more creatures, a new mini-boss, more items, a new bait, a new NPC, new achievements, and a new outfit. The patch note does not name any of them, so this page does not invent names — it records what changed and where it shows up.

What you can act on immediately:

• Mini-islands now appear as dots on the radar, and 1.1.2 enlarged those dots specifically so they are easier to spot.
• They are optional detours, not gates. The 1.1.0 note inserts nothing into the five-island quest chain; the story gates below still run in the same order.
• The new bait is the one that interacts with existing fish. 1.1.2 had to fix Tench not being able to spawn from it, and raised its spawn count on the new mini-island from 2 to 3 — so if Tench is on your list, that bait is the intended route.
• The Fishipedia is now the lookup tool it should have been. Since 1.1.3 it names the bait for any fish you have already killed once, which turns “what do I throw at this?” into a menu check instead of a search.

Getting started and controls

Learn movement, interaction, pickup, casting and reeling in the Lighthouse area. Sell ordinary catches, but keep every item named by a quest — since 1.0.11 an item must have been held once before it can be sold at all, so a trophy you never picked up cannot be dumped by mistake either. Buy the Knife ($45) and upgrade it twice on the anvil ($12, then $28) before the first boss. For co-op, assign one player to carry quest items and one to watch the white boss escape bar.

Island 1 walkthrough: Lighthouse

Complete the Lighthouse Keeper’s opening request: buy a Beer for $12, hand over the full can, equip the empty can as rod bait and use it to trigger Spider Crab. Defeat it and return the shell. Take the boat key, buy the handheld Radar for $10, equip it, and follow the green marker northwest. These are separate steps; the key does not automatically grant the Radar.

Island 2 walkthrough: Forest

Buy the Extra Inventory Slot, then the Pistol and Shotgun (about $150) and upgrade them as far as this island allows. Accept the lake woman’s 3/3 request. The three leeches are ground pickups in the grass: look down for the E prompt. Trade them for the Modified Leech, summon Giant Piranha, and return its distinct skeleton. Free Lure, Beginner Lure and Beginner Boss Lure serve other catches; none replaces the story bait. Dynamite is on sale here and clears several fish at once — but note 1.0.11: it kills you too, even with friendly fire off. Buy the Big Motor before you leave.

Island 3 walkthrough: Desert

This is the equipment turning point. Use Standard Lure for the ordinary pool, then buy the SMG (about $650), the Boat Radar upgrade and gun attachments. Do not sell the SMG when you finish this island — later islands still need it. Catch an endangered fish with a Standard Lure (Needlefish, Bowlfish and Seahorse all count), hand it to the beach tourist for the Carrot, use the Carrot to summon Pufferfish, break its line of attack around trees and the merchant hut, then return its fin. Side quest: catch Blue Shark with a Standard Boss Lure and hand it to the grill master for a lighter; the relit grill cooks fish golden-brown for a higher sale price.

Island 4 walkthrough: Rocks

Two shops here: the main store stocks Professional-tier lures, the Gun Merchant next door sells the Sniper Rifle and attachments. There is also a roulette table, but it is optional. Farm cash with the Professional Lure ($50), save about $1,200 and buy the Professional Boss Lure, then hook the Tuna mini-boss. Tuna was nerfed in 1.0.12, so this fight is easier than launch footage suggests. Leave the Tuna body intact and drop it in the middle of the island to attract Albatross. Take cover behind the merchant hut during its dives and downward fire, and snipe it when it pulls away. Return the head.

Island 5 walkthrough: Volcano and final boss

Buy the Extra Inventory Slot and the Assault Rifle from the military shop, then max the upgrades. Talk to the scientist and hand over any 5 fish for the Fish Bucket, summon Bowhead Whale, and preserve the whole body. It slams down on the island after splashing, so watch the landing spot. Throw that body into the volcano to trigger Mutated Bowhead Whale. Avoid the lava landing zones, bring healing, return the final fin, then use the military boat/RHIB route toward the mainland to reach the ending. Lava replaces the grill here, so you can cook fish by throwing them straight in. If you are carrying explosives for this fight, 1.0.12 fixed the case where the boss took no explosive damage while landing on its tail.

Boat upgrades and best order

Upgrade only when travel or combat is the current bottleneck. One engine upgrade earns Getting an upgrade; the highest tier earns I am speed. Strong weapons make cleanup and the 10-second boss achievement faster, but no purchase substitutes for a missing trophy hand-in.

If the Radar does not update

Check the active request, exact bait, intended boss, named drop and receiving NPC in that order. Patch 1.0.5 officially removed the old locked-island travel bug, so a route from an early speedrun video may no longer work. If a marker still will not update after 1.1.2/1.1.3, remember the new mini-island dots are a different thing from the story marker — a bigger dot is not a new gate.

Sources: How to Fish on Steam and the official Dazed Games patch notes for 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.9, 1.0.10, 1.0.11, 1.0.12, 1.1.0, 1.1.2 and 1.1.3, read 2026-09-30. Island-by-island fight tactics are multi-source guide strategies; exact hidden HP and timer values are not officially published.