How to Fish Island Progression — All Main Story Unlocks

Main-story progression at a glance

Official: Steam confirms that quests and bosses unlock new islands with more dangerous creatures and better gear.

Video-tested: The supplied walkthroughs show a repeatable structure: complete the island NPC request, use the resulting bait, kill the story target, keep the distinctive quest drop, then exchange it for coordinates or access to the next area.

Stage	Mandatory chain	Progress item
Crash Island	Beer → Empty Beer Can → Spider Crab	Boat access / keys
Second Island	3 Leeches → Leech Bait → Giant Piranha	Giant Piranha Skeleton → Island 3 coordinates
Third Island	Endangered Creature → Carrot → Pufferfish	Pufferfish Tail → Island 4 coordinates
Casino Island	Professional Boss Lure → Tuna → Giant Bird	Bird Head → Island 5 coordinates
Volcano Expedition	Feed Scientist smaller creatures → Whale bait → Whale → volcano event	Final encounter / route home

The most important rule: do not sell the strange boss part

Several groups in the videos killed the right boss but then hesitated because ordinary Meat Chunks did not advance the quest. The progression item is usually a visually distinct trophy such as the Giant Piranha Skeleton, Pufferfish Tail, or Bird Head.

Coordinates come after the hand-in

If your radar does not show the next island, revisit the quest NPC and make sure the correct trophy was handed in. Buying a faster engine does not itself unlock a destination.

Optional quests versus required progress

The Grill Master on Island 3 is useful because cooking improves food and sale value, but the Tourist/Pufferfish chain is the progression path. Casino gambling is optional for the story even though it helps some achievements.

Use the Interactive Island Atlas when you want the whole chain on one screen. The atlas is deliberately schematic: it shows verified progression relationships without inventing exact coordinates.