All How to Fish bosses in order

Where am I in the boss chain?

Tick the bosses you have already finished. Progress is saved in this browser only. The tracker names the fight you are on and what it needs next, and the search box below looks up any bait or progression item in the chain.

1. Step 1 Spider Crab Island 1 · Crash Island

   Bait / trigger

   Buy a Beer Can and hand it to the Lighthouse Keeper (do not drink it) to get the Empty Beer Can, then use it as bait.

   Keep for progression

   The unique Spider Crab quest part → hand it back to the Lighthouse Keeper for boat / next-island access.

   Fight note

   Let the charge run past you and attack inside the self-stun window. A Knife or Brass Knuckles plus food makes the first attempt much safer.

   Fight guide Quest step Video-tested

2. Step 2 Giant Piranha Island 2 · Leech Island

   Bait / trigger

   Find 3 Leeches as ground pickups (not fish), turn all three in for Leech Bait, then use the bait.

   Keep for progression

   The Giant Piranha Skeleton → hand it to the quest NPC for the flash drive / Island 3 coordinates.

   Fight note

   It is a swarm fight: clear the small piranhas before they surround you, and eat the ones you kill mid-fight for a heal.

   Fight guide Quest step Video-tested

3. Step 3 Pufferfish Island 3 · Grill & Tourist Island

   Bait / trigger

   Finish the Tourist's Endangered Species hand-in for the Carrot, then use the Carrot as bait.

   Keep for progression

   The Pufferfish Tail → hand it back for the next island. Keep it out of seagull reach.

   Fight note

   Fight around trees or a solid corner so the boss has to change direction, and shoot in the gap that pathing creates.

   Fight guide Quest step Video-tested

4. Step 4 Giant Bird Island 4 · Casino Island

   Bait / trigger

   Catch Tuna with the Professional Boss Lure, lay the Tuna on the grass, and the bird comes for it.

   Keep for progression

   The Bird Head → the hand-in that opens Island 5.

   Fight note

   The dive is the whole fight: fight where you can actually see the approach, and use range instead of chasing it.

   Fight guide Quest step Video-tested

5. Step 5 Whale Island 5 · Volcano Expedition

   Bait / trigger

   Talk to the Scientist, complete her smaller-creature setup, then take on the regular Whale.

   Keep for progression

   The Whale corpse → throw it into the volcano. That hand-off is the bridge to the final fight.

   Fight note

   Bring food and your best reliable firearm, and keep the inventory simple so a death does not lose the quest drop.

   Fight guide Quest step Needs confirmation

6. Step 6 Magma Whale Final · Volcano

   Bait / trigger

   Follows the Whale-to-volcano hand-off; the Magma Whale phase is the final boss of the launch build.

   Keep for progression

   No hand-in after this one — it is the finish-game sequence.

   Fight note

   Do not tow it away from the volcano: pulled too far, it despawns. Build the fight around the arena instead.

   Fight guide Quest step Needs confirmation

Item finder

Every progression item the chain uses, with the step it belongs to.

• Beer Can Step 1 · Spider Crab Buy it from the first-island shop, then hand it to the Lighthouse Keeper. Read the full step →
• Empty Beer Can Step 1 · Spider Crab The Lighthouse Keeper returns it when you hand in a full Beer Can instead of drinking it. Read the full step →
• 3 Leeches Step 2 · Giant Piranha Small ground pickups around the Island 2 quest area — they are not fish you hook. Read the full step →
• Leech Bait Step 2 · Giant Piranha Reward for handing in all three Leeches to the Island 2 NPC. Read the full step →
• Giant Piranha Skeleton Step 2 · Giant Piranha Drops from the Giant Piranha itself — not from the small piranhas or Meat Chunks. Read the full step →
• Endangered Species Step 3 · Pufferfish The Tourist's Island 3 request. Read the label: a rainbow-text Drip Creature is a different thing. Read the full step →
• Carrot Step 3 · Pufferfish Reward for the Tourist's Endangered Species hand-in; it is the Pufferfish bait. Read the full step →
• Pufferfish Tail Step 3 · Pufferfish Drops from the Pufferfish. Keep it out of the water and away from seagulls before you sort normal loot. Read the full step →
• Professional Boss Lure Step 4 · Giant Bird The lure used to catch Tuna for the Island 4 bird encounter. Read the full step →
• Tuna Step 4 · Giant Bird Caught with the Professional Boss Lure, then laid on the grass to bring the Giant Bird in. Read the full step →
• Bird Head Step 4 · Giant Bird Drops from the Giant Bird; the hand-in that unlocks Island 5. Read the full step →
• Whale (corpse) Step 5 · Whale After the Island 5 Whale dies, the Scientist's sequence is to throw it into the volcano. Read the full step →
• Drip Creature (rainbow text) Not a boss item Special catches shown with rainbow text. They go into the cosmetic skin machine — not into the Tourist quest. Read the full step →
• Meat Chunks Not a boss item Common loot. This is the item that does NOT progress the story — if an island will not unlock, you handed in meat instead of the boss trophy. Read the full step →