Unofficial fan guide · Dazed Games · 1–4 player co-op
How to Fish — Game GuideIslands, Bosses, Weapons & Fish
It looks like a quiet fishing trip and then turns into a shooter with a casino and a boss gauntlet. This guide is organized around the decisions you'll actually make: which island to unlock next, how to summon each boss, which rod and bait catch what, and where the money comes from.
What Is How to Fish?
A physics-based fishing-and-combat game from Dazed Games, out now on Steam for 1–4 players. It looks like a quiet fishing trip and then turns into a shooter with a casino and a boss gauntlet.
You and your friends are out drinking and boating when the trip goes wrong and you crash onto a small island. Getting home means learning to fish — except the game has a loose definition of fishing. You catch creatures with a rod, then beat them into submission with your fists, knives, guns, or dynamite, sell the result, and use the money to buy better gear and reach the next island.
The Setup
A boating trip goes wrong — getting home means learning to fish, except the game has a loose definition of fishing.
- Catch creatures with a rod
- Beat them into submission — fists, knives, guns, dynamite
- Sell the result, buy better gear, reach the next island
The Genre
A mashup rather than a pure simulator — and it actively rewards showing off.
- Part physics-based fishing, part FPS, part boss battler, part economy
- Fish flop around and fight back until subdued
- Kills score multipliers — headshots, no-scopes, 360s, airborne shots — and trick-shot catches sell for more
- Seagulls steal your catch; the casino can swallow the day's earnings (in-game coins only, never real money)
The Progression
You are never stuck by one quiet lake optimizing bait — you're always working toward the next island, the next upgrade, or the next absurd weapon.
- Every island is a step up an escalating ladder
- Tougher creatures, more expensive bait, bigger bosses
- Works alone, but the appeal is four-player co-op chaos — several people making the same bad decisions at the same time
- 5
- Islands
- 28
- Achievements
- 1–4
- Players
- ~1 h
- Speedrun
Lighthouse → Volcano
all earnable solo
online co-op, friends only
there's an achievement for it
The Core Loop, Step by Step
Every island runs on the same five-step loop. Understanding the loop explains most of the game, so it's worth reading once even if you're in a hurry.
Catch or kill
STEP 1Fish come to your rod or your gun.
- What you catch depends on the rod and bait you use and the island you're on
- Rarer fish need better bait
- Some creatures are rare shiny variants of a normal species, worth catching for the collection
Sell for coins
STEP 2Coins are the only currency, and almost everything costs them.
- Cooking a fish before selling it — on a grill, or in the lava on the volcano island — roughly increases its value
- Selling one single item worth 100,000 or more is its own achievement
Buy better gear
STEP 3The gear ladder is the real skill tree.
- The same coins pay for better rods, more bait, weapons, weapon attachments, boat engine upgrades, and extra inventory space
- There is no character skill system, so every upgrade is something you buy
Beat the boss
STEP 4Each island has an NPC with a task, and the task always leads to a specific boss.
- The boss isn't just waiting around — you have to prepare the right trigger (usually a special bait or fish) to summon it
- Watch the white escape timer under its health bar — if it empties, the boss vanishes and forces you to start over
Hand in the drop
STEP 5Beating the boss is only half the job.
- Whatever the boss drops — a shell, a head, a fin — has to go back to the NPC who gave the quest
- Only then does your radar light up with the coordinates for the next island
- Killed the boss but the map hasn't changed? This hand-in is the first thing to check
That's the whole game — and every one of these steps has its own page with the detail that doesn't fit here.
What's on This Site
Whatever you're stuck on — a boss, a fish, a quest hand-in, or just making coins — there's a page for it:
Start hereBeginner's Guide
What to actually do in your first hour: sell your first clams, buy your first rod, and get through your first boss without wasting money. If you just launched the game, start here.
Walk the first hour
Islands & Map
All 5 islands in order — Lighthouse, Forest, Desert, Rocks, Volcano — how to unlock each one, the terrain and facilities (anvil, grill, casino, military base), and how travel works.
Unlock order and facilities
Bosses
The 5 story bosses that gate progression, lure-summoned boss fish, and elite encounters — each with its trigger, its drop, and how to beat it.
Triggers, drops, tactics
Fish & Creatures
Every catchable species grouped by island, with the rod and bait each one needs, plus the rare Drip variants and what completing the collection takes.
Rod and bait tables
Weapons & Gear
Every weapon from fists to the sniper rifle, every rod, attachments, boat engines and the radar — what each is for and where you get it.
The full loadout
Economy & Gambling
Where coins come from, the cooking multiplier, and the casino: the Reel of Fortune slot machine, the roulette wheel, and the skins they pay out.
Income and odds
Achievements
All 28 achievements with how to complete each one and global completion rates — see which are common and which are genuinely rare.
All 28, ranked
NPCs & Quests
Every quest, who gives it, what it asks for, and exactly what to hand in to keep the story moving.
Quest hand-ins
Co-op Guide
How multiplayer actually works: friends-only lobbies, who keeps what, and how to split the work so the chaos goes faster instead of slower.
Lobbies and roles
Where to Start
Pick the situation that matches yours:
Just launched the game?
Read the Beginner's Guide first — it walks the first hour in order and saves you the classic early mistakes, like spending your first coins on the wrong thing. Then open Islands & Map so you know where you're headed.
Beginner's GuideA boss keeps beating you?
Most “I can't beat X” problems are actually trigger or preparation problems — the right bait, the right hand-in. The Bosses page covers both the trigger and the fight.
BossesMoney is the bottleneck?
Go to Economy & Gambling before buying anything else. The fastest income is usually trick-shot bonuses and cooking multipliers, not grinding the cheapest fish.
Economy & GamblingYou're a completionist?
Start with Achievements and Fish & Creatures to see the full scope of what's collectible, then work backward through the pages you need.
AchievementsFAQ
Can you play solo?
Yes. The entire game is playable alone, and all achievements can be earned in single-player. Online co-op is optional.
How many players can play together?
Up to four in online co-op, with friends only — there's no random matchmaking. Co-op doesn't change the progression, just makes the chaos faster and funnier.
Is this a realistic fishing simulator?
No. It's a physics-based comedy game: you shoot fish out of the air for trick-shot bonuses, gamble your catch at a casino, and fight boss whales in a volcano. If you want a serious simulator, this is the wrong game.
Does it support Chinese?
Yes. The Steam store page and game UI are localized in Simplified Chinese.
Does the gambling involve real money?
No. The casino uses the in-game coins and fish you catch. The Steam page explicitly notes there's no real-money gambling.
How long does a run take?
A focused speedrun can finish in under an hour — there's an achievement for completing the game within one hour — while a normal first playthrough takes a few hours, longer if you're fishing everything and playing the casino.
How much does it cost?
Check the Steam store page for the current price in your region; the game launched with an introductory discount. Steam store page