To unlock all 5 islands in order: Lighthouse → Forest → Desert → Rocks → Military Volcano. Each island requires killing a specific boss and handing its trophy to the exact designated NPC.
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Island 1: Hand Spider Crab trophy to NPC → Get Boat Keys.
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Island 2: Hand Giant Piranha drop to NPC → Get Island 3 Coordinates.
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Island 3: Hand Puffer Fish tail to NPC → Unlock Island 4.
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Island 4: Hand Bird head to NPC → Point Radar to Volcano.
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Island 5: Throw Bowhead Whale into Volcano → Trigger final boss fight.
Where to Start: The Lighthouse and the Boat Keys
The Lighthouse is the mandatory starting location. After helping the keeper, your target is the Spider Crab boss.
Do not waste time upgrading your rod or crafting a harpoon for this fight. The required weapon is an empty beer can.
My Rule: Make sure the beer can is completely empty before starting the fight. When I first tried this, I brought a full can, and the boss encounter failed to trigger properly. Defeat the Spider Crab with the empty can, pick up the trophy, and hand it to the keeper to receive the Boat Keys—your only ticket off the starter island.
Island 2: Forest — Gathering Leeches and the Giant Piranha
Once you land on the Forest island, follow your radar signals. Your primary objective here is to collect leeches scattered across the ground.
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Step 1: Pick up leeches directly from the soil. (Do not attempt to fish for them; they spawn as physical ground pickups.)
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Step 2: Use the leeches to trigger and defeat the Giant Piranha boss.
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Step 3: Deliver the boss drop to the local NPC to unlock the coordinates for Island 3.
| Step | Action | Result |
| 1 | Gather leeches from ground | Boss trigger ready |
| 2 | Defeat Giant Piranha | Boss drop obtained |
| 3 | Hand drop to designated NPC | Island 3 coordinates unlocked |
Island 3: Desert — Navigating the Carrot Trade
The Desert island requires a strict multi-step item trade. First, locate the tourist NPC who demands an endangered species. Handing this over is mandatory to obtain the Carrot.
The Carrot acts as the summoning item for the Puffer Fish boss. Use it, defeat the Puffer Fish, and collect its tail.
Warning on Softlocks: You must hand the Puffer Fish tail back to the exact NPC who requested it. I once handed the tail to the nearest vendor by mistake, and the progression stalled entirely—the radar will not update to Island 4 until the correct NPC receives the item.
Island 4: Rocks — Luring the Terrorizing Bird
On the Rocks island, the progression trigger is tied to a specific catch. Cast your line until you hook a single Tuna.
Catching the Tuna automatically summons the terrorizing bird boss. Defeat it, loot the bird head, and turn it in to the NPC. This turns your radar toward the final Military Volcano zone.
Island 5: Military Volcano — The Final Mutated Encounter
The final zone is the Military Volcano area. Speak to the scientist NPC, who will mandate clearing smaller sea creatures before you can lure the Bowhead Whale.
Once the Bowhead Whale appears, do not attempt to fight it directly in open water. You must physically throw the Bowhead Whale into the volcano crater. This action triggers the mutated Bowhead Whale boss encounter. Clearing this fight unlocks the final route back to the mainland.
Hand-in Rules to Avoid Progression Halts
The hand-in logic in How to Fish is strictly 1:1 and does not accept substitute items:
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Spider Crab trophy → Boat keys
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Giant Piranha drop → Island 3 coordinates
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Puffer Fish tail → Island 4 unlock
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Bird head → Volcano radar
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Bowhead Whale → Volcano throw → Final fight trigger
If your radar stops updating after a boss fight, my rule of thumb is to double-check your inventory and re-verify the NPC before sailing anywhere else.
About How to Fish
How to Fish is an exploration-driven fishing adventure game focused on navigating distinct island biomes and defeating aquatic boss encounters. The core gameplay loop revolves around arriving at new islands, collecting mandatory boss-trigger items, clearing boss fights, and turning in unique trophies to advance the narrative.
The game is available on PC via Steam. Progression is linear and strictly gated by the trophy hand-in system, with the in-game radar serving as the primary navigation tool between regions.
