How to Fish — Complete Fish Compendium

The How to Fish compendium tracks every species you can catch across the five islands. Catching all 38 normal species unlocks the Collector achievement; finding every Drip variant completes Fishipedia. This guide is the species map based on documented gameplay through Patch 1.0.11, sourced from community testing and official Dazed Games information.\n\nPlayers often confuse lure tiers with species rarity. The bait you use determines which pool you fish in, but Drip variants — rainbow-named creatures with higher sell prices — appear from the same lure as their normal counterparts. No special “Drip lure” exists. Coconut is Bing Bong only and is not a general-purpose rare bait.\n\nCommunity catalogs list 49 total creatures: 38 normal catches and 11 bosses or mini-bosses. Bosses require specific quest bait and are not part of the everyday lure pool.\n\n## Island 1 — Lighthouse (Starter Reef)\n\nThe starting zone introduces basic mechanics with shallow-water catches worth $10–$24. Clams are ground pickups, not rod-caught fish. The Empty Beer Can is a quest item, not food. The Crab Fishing Rod is the only rod on this island.\n\n| Species | Rod | Bait | Sell Price | Type\n|---------|-----|------|-----------|------\n| Brown Crab | Crab Fishing Rod | Ham | $3 | Shell\n| Shrimp | Crab Fishing Rod | Ham | $3 | Shell\n| Rock Crab | Crab Fishing Rod | Hot Dog | $8 | Shell\n| Lobster | Crab Fishing Rod | Hot Dog | $10 | Shell\n| Spider Crab | Crab Fishing Rod | Empty Beer Can | — | Story boss\n\nThe Spider Crab is the Island 1 boss. Defeat it, collect the Shell, and return it to the Lighthouse Keeper to unlock the boat and Radar. Drip variants of these species spawn occasionally with rainbow names and higher values. The Island 1 Reel of Fortune only rolls melee skins.\n\n## Island 2 — Forest (Kelp Forest)\n\nMid-depth fishing opens after the Spider Crab. The Forest introduces the Fishing Rod with Beginner Lure ($3) and Beginner Boss Lure ($40). The Giant Piranha is the story boss, summoned with Modified Leech bait crafted from three ground leeches.\n\n| Species | Rod | Bait | Sell Price | Type\n|---------|-----|------|-----------|------\n| Mackerel | Fishing Rod | Free Lure | $10 | Normal\n| Gar | Fishing Rod | Free Lure | $12 | Normal\n| Pike | Fishing Rod | Free Lure or Beginner Lure | $12 | Normal\n| Cod | Fishing Rod | Beginner Lure | $10 | Normal\n| Goby | Fishing Rod | Beginner Lure | $12 | Normal\n| Goldfish | Fishing Rod | Free Lure or Beginner Lure | $24 | Normal\n| Perch | Fishing Rod | Beginner Lure | $18 | Normal\n| Triggerfish | Fishing Rod | Beginner Lure | $18 | Normal\n| Salmon | Fishing Rod | Beginner Lure | $14 | Normal\n| Piranha | Fishing Rod | Hot Dog | — | Normal\n| Sunfish | Fishing Rod | Beginner Boss Lure | $120 | Mini-boss\n| The Old Pike | Fishing Rod | Beginner Boss Lure | $150 | Mini-boss\n| Giant Piranha | Fishing Rod | Modified Leech | — | Story boss\n\nThe Giant Piranha has 2,500 HP and sells for $11,000. Its tail is the quest hand-in for the Dinnertime achievement. Drip variants use the same lures — watch for rainbow names during any catch.\n\n## Island 3 — Desert (Deep Reef)\n\nThe Desert introduces the Standard Lure ($15) and Standard Boss Lure ($280). The Tourist NPC on this island sends you hunting endangered fish with the Standard Lure. Endangered is a tag on a caught fish, not a separate species.\n\n| Species | Rod | Bait | Sell Price | Type\n|---------|-----|------|-----------|------\n| Salmon | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $14 | Normal\n| Catfish | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $46 | Normal\n| Clownfish | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $46 | Normal\n| Sea Urchin | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $52 | Normal\n| Yellow Boxfish | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $53 | Normal\n| Needlefish | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $60 | Endangered\n| Bluegill | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $62 | Normal\n| Angelfish | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $62 | Normal\n| Seahorse | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | $100 | Endangered\n| Bowlfish | Fishing Rod | Standard Lure | — | Normal\n| Blue Shark | Fishing Rod | Standard Boss Lure | $300 | Mini-boss (grill)\n| Pufferfish | Fishing Rod | Carrot | — | Story boss\n| Bing Bong | Fishing Rod | Coconut ($350) | — | Hidden easter egg\n\nThe Blue Shark unlocks the Island 3 grill for the Grillmaster achievement. The Pufferfish is the island boss, summoned with the Carrot obtained from the Tourist after handing in an endangered fish. The Pufferfish has a poison trail — cook plenty of food before attempting this fight. Patch 1.0.4 nerfed Pufferfish health.\n\n## Island 4 — Rocks (Oceanic Trench)\n\nThe Rocks island introduces the Professional Lure ($50) and Professional Boss Lure ($1,200). This is where the game shifts toward higher-value catches and the mid-game equipment check. The Albatross is a story boss that requires the Tuna corpse as bait.\n\n| Species | Rod | Bait | Sell Price | Type\n|---------|-----|------|-----------|------\n| Bass | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $250 | Normal\n| Eel | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $280 | Normal\n| Red Snapper | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $290 | Normal\n| Sengarat | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $295 | Normal\n| Halibut | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $290 | Normal\n| Tigerfish | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $310 | Normal\n| Flying Fish | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $320 | Normal\n| Voxel Fish | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $340 | Normal\n| Parrotfish | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | $350 | Normal\n| Dripper | Fishing Rod | Professional Lure | — | Normal\n| Tuna | Fishing Rod | Professional Boss Lure | $2,000 | Mini-boss, Albatross bait\n| Albatross | Fishing Rod | Tuna corpse | — | Story boss\n\nThe Tuna is a 6,000 HP mini-boss. After defeating it, leave the corpse on the ground to attract the seagull that starts the Terrorizing Bird (Albatross) fight. The Albatross drops its head, which unlocks Volcano Island on the Radar. Do not sell the Tuna if you are following the story sequence.\n\n## Island 5 — Volcano (The Void)\n\nThe final island uses the Scientific Lure ($500) and Scientific Boss Lure ($5,800). This is where the rarest and most valuable fish live. Storm cycles affect spawn rates for legendary species.\n\n| Species | Rod | Bait | Sell Price | Type\n|---------|-----|------|-----------|------\n| Stonefish | Fishing Rod | Scientific Lure | $1,500 | Normal\n| Blobfish | Fishing Rod | Scientific Lure | $1,360 | Normal\n| Oarfish | Fishing Rod | Scientific Lure | $1,450 | Normal\n| Anglerfish | Fishing Rod | Scientific Lure | $1,500 | Normal; 1.0.10 nerf\n| Superdwarf Fish | Fishing Rod | Scientific Lure | $1,700 | Normal\n| Goblin Shark | Fishing Rod | Scientific Boss Lure | $6,200 | Mini-boss\n| Bowhead Whale | Fishing Rod | Fish Bucket | — | Setup boss\n| Mutated Bowhead Whale | Fishing Rod | Bowhead in volcano | — | Final boss\n\nFive volcano-native fish to the scientist produce the Fish Bucket. The Bowhead Whale is summoned with Fish Bucket obtained from the scientist. After defeating it, throw the carcass into the volcano to trigger the Mutated Bowhead Whale — the final story boss. The Anglerfish received a slight health nerf in Patch 1.0.10.\n\n## Drip Variants\n\nDrip variants are rainbow-named versions of normal species with higher sell values. They use the same lure as the normal form on the same island. Every creature listed above can appear as a Drip variant. Drip variants respawn, so handing one in for a quest does not permanently remove it from the game. The Fishipedia achievement requires catching every Drip variant.\n\nCommunity testing confirms Drip Voxelfish can be a completion blocker — some players report needing multiple runs to register properly in the Fishipedia tracker. Patch 1.0.5 attempted to fix the Drip tracking issue.\n\n## Rare Spawn Rules\n\nSome species only appear under specific conditions:\n\n- Endangered tag: Attach to Needlefish, Bowlfish, or Seahorse on Island 3 with the Standard Lure. Hand to the Tourist for a Carrot.\n- Storm cycles: Islands 4 and 5 legendary bosses only spawn during active storms, which occur randomly every 3–5 in-game days.\n- Bing Bong: Buy Coconut ($350) from the interactable tree at Desert island center and fish with it there.\n\nThe barometer item purchased at the Island 2 tackle shop predicts storm cycles 24 in-game hours in advance. Use it to position your boat over deep water when rare species are scheduled to appear.\n\n## Tips for Compendium Completion\n\n- Start with the cheapest lure per island and work upward only when the pool exhausts.\n- Keep one of each Drip variant before handing them to NPCs for quests.\n- In co-op, different players can equip different lures and fish the same spot simultaneously to cover more pool territory.\n- Patch 1.0.10 saves up to 64 ground items, so you can leave a catch pile at camp between sessions.\n\n## Related pages\n\n- Fish Locations — bait tables by island\n- Lures & Bait — lure tiers and boss baits\n- Boss Fights — mini-boss strategies\n- Rare Variants — Drip variant details\n- Updates Hub — Patch 1.0.10 Anglerfish nerf

I'm Playing 100% of How to Fish — Skoottie