How to Fish – Boss Guide + Useful Tips

Quick Boss Guide

General Tips

• Keep some food on the ground before and during boss fights so you can heal quickly when needed.
• Spider Crab meat chunks are highly recommended. Each piece costs $4 and restores both health and hunger to maximum.
• Staying mobile is important for most bosses. Avoid standing in one place for too long.

Spider Crab

As the first boss, the Spider Crab appears when you have very limited resources. Fortunately, its attack pattern makes it relatively easy to defeat.

• Circle around the boss and wait for it to charge at you.
• Sidestep the charge to make the boss miss.
• While it is stunned, attack it with melee.
• Move away as the stun is about to end.
• Repeat the process until it is defeated.

Phiranna

The Phiranna can be one of the more annoying bosses because it spawns smaller Phirannas during the fight.

• Keep running in circles around the boss.
• Continuously fire the shotgun in the boss’s general direction.
• This will kill many of the spawned Phirannas while also dealing damage to the boss.
• If necessary, focus on the smaller Phirannas first.
• Stay mobile throughout the fight.

Pufferfish

The Pufferfish is relatively straightforward.

• Run around the boss in circles.
• Use an SMG to continuously damage it.
• Once the Pufferfish becomes large enough, you can use trees as obstacles to block its movement or attacks.

Albatross

The Albatross can be difficult to fight in the open.

• Hide inside a building while the Albatross is shooting or swooping toward you.
• When you have an opportunity, use a sniper rifle to shoot the Albatross.
• Return to cover when necessary and repeat the process.

Whale

There are multiple ways to fight the Whale. One of the easier methods is to use the bird island.

• Summon the Whale on the bird island.
• Hide inside the armoury.
• When the Whale is in the air, briefly peek outside and shoot it.
• While it is unable to hit you, deal as much damage as possible.
• Return to the armoury for cover before the Whale can damage you.
• Repeat until the Whale is defeated.

Mutated Whale

The Mutated Whale can be particularly difficult, especially when playing solo. A previously effective cheese strategy was patched, but the boat can still be used to create distance.

• Use the boat to drive away from where the whales land.
• While the Mutated Whale is in the air, shoot it from a safe distance.
• Continue using the boat to maintain distance and avoid its attacks.

Pufferfish (Alternative Method)

Recommended Weapon

• The SMG is the most effective weapon against the Pufferfish based on the author’s experience.

Healing

• Keep several cooked fish in your inventory.
• You can also leave cooked fish on the ground so they are easily accessible during the fight.
• Use them to keep your health up throughout the battle.

Using Trees for Cover

• Trees can be used to control the Pufferfish’s movement.
• If you circle around a tree, the Pufferfish can get stuck on it, allowing you to attack it safely.
• This strategy becomes less effective once the Pufferfish reaches 50% HP, as it starts leaving a poison trail behind it.
• At this stage, move between multiple trees instead of relying on a single tree to avoid the poison.

1-Hour Singleplayer Speedrun Guide

1st Island

• Roam around the island and quickly sell clams until you have enough money to buy the Knife.
• Buy the Crab Fishing Rod and a Hot Dog.
• Buy Beer and use it to kill the Spider Crab.

2nd Island

• Get the Shotgun.
• Alternatively, you can get the Pistol and use it to kill the Big Piranha, but this takes longer and is more difficult.
• Upgrade the Shotgun’s damage. The upgrade is relatively cheap.
• Buying the Laser is optional.
• Kill the Big Piranha.

3rd Island

• Get the SMG.
• Do not buy damage upgrades for the SMG. An Extended Magazine and Laser are optional.
• You can skip the Blue Shark at this point. Killing it takes a long time, and it is easier to defeat on the 4th Island after getting upgrades.
• Proceed to the Pufferfish.

4th Island

• If you skipped the Blue Shark, upgrade the SMG with attachments such as the Compensator.
• Get the Sniper Rifle.
• Do not buy Sniper Rifle upgrades except for the Laser and Red Dot, which are optional but can make fighting the Tuna and Albatross easier.
• Kill the Tuna and Albatross.
• If you skipped the Blue Shark earlier, you can also defeat it here with your upgraded equipment.

5th Island

• Buy 5 Beers to use as Whale bait.
• Get the Assault Rifle.
• Buy damage upgrades for the Assault Rifle.
• The Suppressor, Laser, and Red Dot are optional.
• Proceed to the Whale.

General Speedrun Tips

• After the 2nd Island, you can drop the Knife to free up an inventory slot. It is no longer useful and does not provide any multipliers.
• Keep cooked clams and footsnails in empty inventory slots so they are available for healing during boss fights.
• Avoid spending money on motor upgrades if you are short on cash. Skipping them should not cost you much time.
• Practice movement techniques that can speed up kills:
  • Jump while making the final shot to trigger aerial kill multipliers such as Aerial, 360, and Impressive.
  • Use the shotgun’s second shot effectively.
  • Practice getting kills without using the scope.
• Getting comfortable with these techniques can help reduce the time needed for each kill.

Fish Lures and Fishing Conditions

Crab Rod

Rod	Bait	Fish
Crab Rod	No bait	Shrimp, Brown Crab
Crab Rod	Sausage	Rock Crab, Lobster

Fishing Rod

Rod	Bait	Fish
Fishing Rod	No bait	Gar, Mackerel
Fishing Rod	Sausage	Same fish as the Crab Rod with sausage
Fishing Rod	Beginner Lure	Triggerfish, Salmon, Goby, Piranha, Cod, Perch, Pike, Goldfish
Fishing Rod	Standard Lure	Catfish, Clownfish, Sea Urchin, Yellow Boxfish, Needlefish, Angelfish, Bluegill, Seahorse, Bowlfish
Fishing Rod	Professional Lure	Bass, Eel, Red Snapper, Sengarat, Halibut, Tigerfish, Seahorse, Flying Fish, Voxel Fish, Parrotfish, Dripper
Fishing Rod	Scientific Lure	Blobfish, Oarfish, Anglerfish, Stonefish, Superdwarf Fish

Boss Lures

Lure	Boss
Beginner Boss Lure	The Old Pike, Sunfish
Standard Boss Lure	Blue Shark
Professional Boss Lure	Tuna
Scientific Boss Lure	Goblin Shark

Island-Specific Bosses

These bosses are tied to specific islands rather than requiring one of the standard boss lures:

• Spider Crab
• Giant Piranha
• Pufferfish
• Albatross
• Bowhead Whale
• Mutated Bowhead Whale