Tide LogHOW TO FISH FIELD NOTES
UPDATED AUG 2026
HOW TO FISH BEGINNER GUIDE / UPDATED 25 AUG 2026

How to Fish beginner guide: catch, sell, upgrade, escape

The first hour teaches the whole game. This walkthrough keeps your money moving toward the next island instead of disappearing into a bad gamble.

How to Fish first island gameplay
First island routeOfficial Steam screenshot
Official release trailer · Dazed Games
WATCH BEFORE YOU SAIL

See the actual game loop.

Fishing is only the opening move. The trailer shows the hand-off from catch to physics combat, selling, gear and co-op chaos.

  • Watch the line tension and throw timing.
  • Notice how weapons become part of the catch.
  • Use the visual rhythm before reading the checklist.
How to Fish starting island screenshot
01 / Find the shoreline
How to Fish fish combat screenshot
02 / Make the catch useful
How to Fish boss encounter screenshot
03 / Read the danger
FULL WALKTHROUGH / VIDEO

Watch the whole route, then use the notes.

This community walkthrough covers the complete game without commentary. Use the timestamps in the player description for island transitions, quest hand-ins and the final fight, then cross-check details here when a mechanic is easy to miss.

  • Start: opening rod, first catches and the dock merchant
  • Middle: boat repairs, Island 2 leeches and boss bait
  • Endgame: late-island gear checks and the final arena

Open the walkthrough on YouTube ↗

1. Start with the fishing rod

How to Fish is a physics game disguised as a fishing trip. Walk the shoreline until you see a ripple, cast short, then ease the reel whenever the tension bar climbs. A calm catch is worth more than a broken line and a long swim back.

2. Sell duplicates, keep variants

Take your first catch to the dock merchant. Sell common duplicates, but keep the first rare variant you see. The collection goal becomes expensive to rebuild later, while common fish are always available around Lighthouse Bay.

3. Buy upgrades in this order

  1. Old Wooden Rod
  2. Canvas Bag II
  3. Boat repair quest supplies
  4. Short-Barrel Shotgun before the Spider Crab

4. How to make money fast

Throw fish onto open ground, use a trick shot only when the landing is safe, and never gamble the money needed for the next unlock. Air kills are a bonus loop, not your early-game economy.

5. Co-op roles for four players

One player fishes, one watches tension and clears hazards, and two players carry fish to the merchant. During a boss, keep one player free for revives. Four rods in one puddle is not teamwork; it is traffic.

ROUTE NOTES / PATCH-SENSITIVE

What the video can miss

01—03
QUEST BLOCKER

Leeches are pickups

On Island 2, the 0/3 leech request is solved on foot. Sweep the grass and shoreline, return all three to the NPC, then use the modified leech bait for Giant Piranha.

  • Talk to the NPC before searching
  • Do not waste time fishing the lake
FISH DATABASE

Inspect before selling

Press F on unusual catches. Needlefish, Sunfish and Old Pike remain community leads, so keep the first copy until the quest or bait requirement is clear.

  • Check island and bait in the info panel
  • Keep boss-bait fish in a spare slot
MORE HOW TO FISH HELP

Continue your route