How to Fish Rods, Guns & Explosives
Shop names from the five-island route. No Master Rod, no rocket launcher.
How to Fish shops sell a short, island-gated kit. Rankings below use those names. Community lists that invent a Carbon Rod, Trick Rod, Deep Sea Rod, or Rocket Launcher are describing a different game. You still want a real melee weapon before Spider Crab and a scoped rifle before Albatross.
Rods and lures
The Crab Fishing Rod (~$3) is the Island 1 tool. After that, the important upgrade is the lure tier, not a second named rod with tension stats:
| Island | Everyday bait | Boss-tier shop lure |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse | Ham, Hot Dog | Empty Beer Can (quest) |
| Forest | French Fry, Beginner Lure | Beginner Boss Lure |
| Desert | Standard Lure | Standard Boss Lure |
| Rocks | Professional Lure | Professional Boss Lure (~$1,200) |
| Volcano | Scientific Lure (~$500) | Scientific Boss Lure (~$5,800) |
Story bosses ignore the shop lure and want quest items (Modified Leech, Carrot, Tuna body, Fish Bucket). Full species tables: Fish Locations.
Melee
- Fists: fine for clams and crabs, a bad Spider Crab plan solo.
- Brass Knuckles (~$24): first real punch. Not allowed for the Handyman last hit.
- Knife (~$45): usual lighthouse clear. Sharpen on the anvil if the island gives you one.
Guns by island
- Shotgun (Forest): Giant Piranha and close mini-bosses. Delete the small piranhas, then dump into the boss during the window.
- SMG (Desert cash): Pufferfish wants strafe-and-dump. Extended mag and compensator help when it rolls and later trails poison (Patch 1.0.4 nerfed its health, not the poison idea).
- Sniper (Rocks): Albatross stays in the air. Fight from a hut or casino doorway. Hipfire pistols will not reliably reach it.
- Assault Rifle (Volcano): Mutated Bowhead Whale on flat military ground. Fully equipped is every attachment on one gun. Patch 1.0.4 nerfed whale health; Hard mode (1.0.9) puts it back.
Invert look arrived in 1.0.5. PlayStation glyphs in 1.0.8. Dip guns in water after cooking (1.0.10) if they picked up grill residue. Ground piles of spare rifles persist up to 64 world items; quest trophies still belong in inventory before you sail.
Attachments on the Island 5 Assault Rifle are the Fully equipped achievement, not optional cosmetics. Magazines, compensators, and scopes are the difference between a Hard-mode whale wipe and a clean Fin hand-in. Easy mode from Patch 1.0.9 lets you delay that kit; Hard mode does not.
Explosives
Dynamite is an Island 2 shop item (~$25). Uses that are documented:
- I’m the bird now — bundle under the floating hull (Flying Boat).
- Everyone’s dream — dynamite a seagull.
- Cook piles — blast fish toward lava or the Island 3 grill.
It is not a hidden skip to the Volcano. Patch 1.0.10 capped explosion velocity so loot is less likely to leave the world.
Related pages
- Gear Hub — buy order
- Tier List — short rankings
- Boss Fights — which fight needs which gun
- Difficulty Settings — why Hard eats more ammo