How to Fish: All 49 Fish Locations and Bait
Fill the 49-entry Collector encyclopedia by working lure pools island by island, then handle quest bait and bosses in the right order so no catch gets wasted.
Goal: Fill the 49-entry Collector encyclopedia (open it with Tab). Players get stuck because they treat this like "stand on the right island," when the equipped rod plus lure is what opens each creature pool. Bosses and story fish are the other half of the list and need one-off bait you cannot buy off the normal lure shelf. Work missing slots by lure first, then handle quest bait.
How the List Actually Works
- 1Regular creatures: same lure equals same pool.
The island mainly sells that lure and unlocks the next shop. Island choice matters for shop access, not for which fish appear.
- 2Early crustaceans still want the Crab Fishing Rod.
Keep it equipped through Forest for crabs and lobsters.
- 3Bosses and story fish need dedicated bait plus the right island.
Do not sell the body if the next step needs it.
- 4Drip / Fishipedia is a second pass with the same lures.
Finish Collector first. Grind Drip after you own every lure because the rolls are much rarer.
1Lighthouse (Start)
- 1Pick up a Clam on the ground and kill it.
It is an encyclopedia entry.
- 2Buy the Crab Fishing Rod.
Fish with Free Lure or Ham for Brown Crab and Shrimp.
- 3Buy Hot Dog or Sausage ($1).
Use it for Rock Crab and Lobster. Piranha later still uses this combo on Forest.
- 1Buy a Beer Can ($12), give it to the Lighthouse Keeper, get the Empty Beer Can.
- 2Equip Empty Beer Can plus Crab Rod, hook Spider Crab, kill it.
- 3Keep the shell.
That unlocks boat keys and opens the path to Forest.
2Forest (Island 2)
- 1Buy the normal Fishing Rod and Beginner Lure.
- 2Cycle Free Lure for Mackerel, Gar, Pike, Goldfish.
- 3Cycle Beginner Lure for Cod, Goby, Perch, Triggerfish.
Pike and Goldfish can show on both lures.
- 4Keep Crab Rod plus Hot Dog for normal Piranha.
- 1Pick 3 Leeches off the ground by the lake.
Turn them in to the woman for the Modified Leech.
- 2Buy Beginner Boss Lure ($40).
That pool is two entries: Sunfish and The Old Pike. Keep fishing until both are logged. They are not the same as regular Pike.
- 3Use Modified Leech in the lake for Giant Piranha.
- 4Return the skeleton to open Desert.
3Desert (Island 3)
- 1Buy Standard Lure.
Farm: Catfish, Bluegill, Yellow Boxfish, Boxfish, Angelfish, Needlefish, Sea Urchin, Clownfish, Seahorse, Bowlfish, Salmon. Lists vary slightly by patch, but this is the Standard pool.
- 2Buy Standard Boss Lure ($280) for Blue Shark.
Keep it if you still need grill or side objectives.
- 1Catch anything marked Endangered Species (Seahorse is a common one players use) and give it to the Tourist for a Carrot.
- 2Use Carrot for Pufferfish.
That opens Rocks.
4Rocks (Island 4)
- 1Buy Professional Lure.
Farm: Bass, Eel, Red Snapper, Sengarat, Halibut, Tigerfish, Flying Fish, Voxelfish, Parrotfish, Dripper.
- 2Buy Professional Boss Lure ($1,200) for Tuna.
- 3Do not sell the Tuna body.
Drop it on the ground as bait for Albatross.
5Volcano (Island 5)
- 1Buy Scientific Lure (around $500) for the late regulars.
Anglerfish, Blobfish, Oarfish, Superdwarf Fish, Stonefish. This pool is the one still getting small patch tweaks.
- 2Buy Scientific Boss Lure (around $5,800) for Goblin Shark.
Optional but it is on the 49 list.
- 3Finish the scientist's multi-fish request for the Fish Bucket.
- 4Use Fish Bucket for Bowhead Whale.
- 5Throw the defeated Bowhead into the volcano for Mutated Bowhead Whale.
Key Decisions
Common Mistakes
- Assuming one lure covers a whole island. Most islands have two regular pools plus a boss pool.
- Selling quest bodies. Spider Crab shell, Giant Piranha skeleton, Tuna, and Bowhead are all needed for the next step.
- Treating Old Pike as regular Pike. They are separate encyclopedia entries on different lures.
- Starting Fishipedia (Drip) mid-story. Same lures, much rarer rolls. Do Collector first, then farm Drip with extras thrown back when possible.
- Triggering a boss with the right bait but no weapon ready. Catch to kill is the loop. The encyclopedia only updates when it dies.
Spider Crab Fight Demonstrations
Spider Crab is the quest players keep clipping and asking about (Empty Beer Can to fight to shell to boat keys). After that, Tab plus lure cycling is faster than watching a full 49-fish video.