The five-island route
How to Fish has five story islands in a fixed order:
- Lighthouse
- Forest
- Desert
- Rocks
- Volcano
The official Steam description establishes the progression loop: complete quests, fight bosses, and reach islands with more dangerous creatures and better gear. Current walkthroughs agree on the trigger and hand-in chain below.
Lighthouse to Forest
Give the Beer Can to the Lighthouse Keeper and use the returned Empty Beer Can as bait. Defeat the Spider Crab, pick up its quest drop, and deliver it to the Keeper. The reward includes the keys needed to use the boat. Buy and equip the Radar before setting out so the Forest marker is easy to follow.
Forest to Desert
Collect three Leeches for the woman beside the Forest lake. She turns them into the Modified Leech used to summon the Giant Piranha. After the fight, keep the Giant Piranha Skeleton and hand it back to her. That delivery supplies the Desert coordinates.
Desert to Rocks
Find the Tourist beneath a palm tree and bring him a creature marked Endangered. He exchanges it for the Carrot that summons the Pufferfish. Kill the boss, separate its Fin from ordinary meat, and return the Fin to the Tourist. The Rocks marker then becomes the next destination.
The Blue Shark and Grillmaster task on this island is valuable, but the Pufferfish trophy is the story gate.
Rocks to Volcano
Use the Professional Boss Lure to catch and defeat a Tuna. The Tuna’s body is not a sale item in this sequence: place it on dry ground to attract the Albatross. After the aerial fight, carry the Albatross Head to the islander inside the shop to receive the Volcano coordinates.
Volcano to the ending
Give five fish to the scientist in the yellow protective suit. Use the resulting Fish Bucket to summon the ordinary Bowhead Whale, defeat it, and carry the intact body up the wooden path. Throwing that body into the crater starts the Mutated Bowhead Whale fight.
Return the final Whale Fin to the scientist, collect the RHIB keys, and use the military boat’s steering wheel to trigger the ending. Defeating the boss alone is not the final input.
Progression safety checklist
- Save immediately after every trophy hand-in and coordinate unlock.
- Never cook, sell, eat, or gamble the active bait or trophy.
- Confirm the new Radar marker before leaving an island.
- In co-op, use one named carrier for the quest object while the rest of the group manages supplies.
The route was checked against version 1.0.10 on September 2, 2026.