How to Fish All Islands & Unlock Route
Five story rocks. Radar coordinates appear only after the local trophy hand-in.
How to Fish has five story islands. Community guides nickname them Lighthouse, Forest, Desert, Rocks, and Volcano (sometimes military). You start on the Lighthouse rock after the crash. Every later stop is locked until the local NPC receives the correct boss trophy. Patch 1.0.5 removed sailing to islands you have not unlocked, so old advice about going straight to the Volcano is obsolete. Buy the Radar for $10 from the Lighthouse Keeper after the Spider Crab hand-in. Without it, the boat has nowhere useful to point. On Rocks, a Boat Radar ($200) in the red shack mounts that map on the dashboard. Patch 1.0.10 removed the confusing X marker that was only your last death.
Lighthouse (Island 1)
Unlock: session start. Everyday bait: Ham, Hot Dog. Shop: Crab Fishing Rod ($3), Beer ($12), Knife ($45), Brass Knuckles ($24), clams-to-cash via the keeper. Story boss: Spider Crab (Empty Beer Can). Exit: Shell then Boat Keys.
This is the tutorial rock: hunger, selling by feeding the seadog, first melee, first reel. Do not linger for hours. Once you have keys and Radar, leave. Remaining Drip farm can wait; the Island 1 Reel of Fortune only rolls melee skins.
Forest (Island 2)
Unlock: Spider Crab trophy. Everyday bait: French Fry, Beginner Lure. Shop: Shotgun, dynamite ($25), Beginner Boss Lure, first engine upgrade ($230). Story boss: Giant Piranha (Modified Leech from three ground leeches). Optional: Sunfish, Old Pike.
Dynamite here is what makes the boat fly for the I’m the bird now achievement. Leeches are not a fishing pool. Search grass and paths.
Desert (Island 3)
Unlock: Giant Piranha Skeleton. Everyday bait: Standard Lure. Shop: Standard Boss Lure, SMG-tier guns as cash allows, extra inventory slot. Story boss: Pufferfish (Carrot from the Tourist). Optional: Blue Shark to light the grill. Hidden: Bing Bong via $350 Coconut at the center tree. This is the heal island. Finish Grillmaster before you treat Pufferfish as a DPS race. Endangered catches (Needlefish, Bowl Fish, Seahorse) pay the Tourist. Patch 1.0.4 nerfed the puffer.
Rocks (Island 4)
Unlock: Pufferfish trophy. Everyday bait: Professional Lure. Shop: Professional Boss Lure, sniper-tier guns, Dual Motors (~$860), Boat Radar ($200) in the red beach shack below Lucky Bait Company. Story boss: Albatross, baited with a dead Tuna. Optional: Tuna itself. Keep the bird head. That is the military and Volcano coordinate. Patch 1.0.4 made the intended path to the final island easier to see. Patch 1.0.10 fixed a Tuna-death plus Albatross respawn soft-lock.
Volcano (Island 5)
Unlock: Albatross head. Everyday bait: Scientific Lure ($500). Shop: Assault Rifle and attachments, Scientific Boss Lure ($5,800). Setup: five native fish to the scientist, then Fish Bucket summons Bowhead Whale into the crater. Finale: Mutated Bowhead Whale. Exit: Whale Fin to the scientist, then RHIB keys to mainland.
Anglerfish lost a little health in 1.0.10. Goblin Shark is optional Collector bait. Fight the lava whale on flat ground. After credits, you can still roam unlocked islands for Fishipedia, skins, and gambling.
Travel rules
You may return to any unlocked island. You may not skip forward. Difficulty does not open locked water. Boats do not fly as a map skip; the dynamite launch is an achievement, not Fast Travel. Ground items persist through Patch 1.0.10’s 64-slot world save.
Related pages
- Walkthrough for quest order
- Lighthouse, Forest, Desert, Rocks, and Volcano island pages
- Fish Locations for full bait tables
- Lures and Bait for shop versus quest hooks