In How to Fish, I make money with physics-based fishing rods, weapons, and kill multiplier. I also complete quests to unlock islands because I find there are lots of achievements. The main quest is short and I complete it in a few hours without collecting skins, side quests, and drip variants. In this guide, I explain how I proceed faster through the game and earn high points.
How to Fish Complete Guide and Tips
I explain how to play How to Fish, how to do fishing, and how the combat system works. There are 28 achievements to unlock and I show how I unlock each one.
How to Fish is a physics fishing / FPS comedy game by Dazed Games (Melvin + Carl-Vilhelm). I drink, crash, and shoot mackerel for money. There are 28 Steam achievements, one save, and co-op is optional.
- Time: The story is short if I ignore the casino. Bean is finished in 1 hour. Collection, Drip, and slots take the most time.
- Missables: Nothing is permanently missable. I can do Noob, 360, the seagull achievements, and Handyman after the credits. Bean needs a clean rush, not my first Drip hunt.
- Online: 1-4 players. Achievements work solo. Friends just make the trick shots louder.
The loop
- First, I hook or scare a creature out of the water.
- I kill it with my hands, knife, knuckles, pistol, rifle, dynamite, or grill.
- Next, I stack multipliers while it is airborne. Style pays.
- I sell the corpse and buy rods, guns, attachments, boat engines, and other toys.
- I talk to every weirdo on the island. Quests unlock the next island and boss.
- I gamble if I want skins. I do not gamble if I want Bean.
Killscore
I combine airborne skills with actions like headshots, no scopes, 360s, and one-shot kills. Impressive requires a 5x multiplier on one kill. In co-op, one player launches the creature while the other takes the shot. Solo, I reel hard, switch to the gun mid-air, spin, and shoot.
Drip
Drip is a rare or shiny variant of a creature. It uses the same spawn but has worse odds. Collector requires every species, while Fishipedia requires every Drip variant. I leave Drip hunting until later.
Hub
The starter island has a wooden cabin, a board with lures, pistol, knife, dynamite, and knuckles, plus the lighthouse keeper in the captain hat and Melvin in orange overalls. If something has a name tag, I talk to it twice.
Tips and Tricks
The boat key
I do not buy a second boat. I finish the lighthouse line with Who stole my beer, talk to the keeper and Melvin again, then check the wreck and cabin board. The key comes from a quest handoff, not the shop.
Multipliers print, Drip does not early
A mid-game fish with 5x sells like a late-game fish with 1x. I focus on Impressive before chasing shinies.
Noob is the opposite of Impressive
For Noob, I kill on the ground with no spin, no air, and no scope. People fail this because they are already too good at the game.
360 no scope Achievement
I get the fish into the air, take out the gun, do a full spin, and hip-fire. Using the scope fails the attempt.
Seagulls are content
- Let me go – I hold still with a fish, or nothing, and let the bird lift me, not just the corpse.
- Everyone’s dream – I wait for the steal and throw dynamite at the bird. I do not snipe it if I still need this achievement.
Grill
I start the grill the first time I see it for Grillmaster. I leave a trash fish on too long and eat it for Yummy in my tummy. I also cook a mini-boss on the same grate for Competitive eating. I cook that one instead of selling it.
Boat fly
For I’m the bird now, I first buy the best engine for I am speed. Then I hit a wave, ramp, or downhill at full speed and hold jump. It is physics, not a menu button.
Casino
For GOLD GOLD GOLD, I need a legendary skin from the slots, not a jackpot number. For All in, I need to bet on green in roulette and win. I use small bets until it hits and leave this until I have money from the story.
10-second boss
For Easy, I keep my gun out and stand on the boss spawn. The first clip should finish the fight. I do not bother with the rod here.
100,000 sell
Rich! Millionaire requires one transaction worth 100,000, not a lifetime total. I use a late-island creature, a Drip, stacked killscore, or a boss corpse and sell that one piece.
Co-op cheese
I host the quests while the guest focuses on airborne shots. Dynamite is close to a team kill, so I warn them first.
Early Game Profession
- Kill anything. Getting started only needs a kill. I use my hands or the board knife.
- Beer quest. I find the thief creature, kill it, and carry the body to the lighthouse keeper. It is a kill, not dialogue.
- Board unlocks. The pistol and dynamite change the game. I use the rod for launch angle and the gun for money.
- Grill on. I start the grill and then get one burnt snack.
- Engine 1. I get Getting an upgrade. I am not swimming between islands.
- Noob now. I do it while my brain still accepts a dirty kill.
- 5x. I combine air, headshots, and something stupid for Impressive.
- Talk to the forest lady, tourist, Melvin, and anyone with a prompt. Quests are the map.
If I am broke
I am probably selling raw 1x kills. I launch, shoot, and sell. I buy the next gun slot before spending money on a prettier rod.
Quests, Islands and Bosses
Islands open when I finish the current quest or boss. I do not sit on island 1 farming Drip.
Who stole my beer
I get this from the lighthouse keeper. I hunt the culprit, kill it, and bring the corpse home. This also fixes the confusion for anyone thinking the boat key is something I buy.
Dinnertime
The lady in the forest wants dinner. I catch it and grill it if she does not accept it raw. I turn it in on her island instead of putting it in the sell bin.
Vacation
The tourist cannot swim. I get him into the water through the quest by towing, pushing, or using the boat to get him off the beach. I do not drown him for science.
Terrorizing bird
The islanders are dealing with a big bird. I defend them instead of treating this like another fishing trip. I lead it, dump my mag, and use dynamite if it perches.
Deadliest catch
I get the military ping for a big creature. I bring the upgraded gun and boat because this is a boss hop, not a rod puzzle.
We are so back
This is the credits, last island, last boss, and last quest in the chain. For Handyman, I do this fight with empty hands. I unequip the gun before the cutscene so I do not panic-fire.
Easy
I kill any boss in 10 seconds. I save this for a small boss or a pre-aimed spawn. I do not try to combine Easy and Handyman on the final boss.
Gear and Builds
Rod
I use the rod as a launch platform. I upgrade it when the fish starts out-pulling me. I am building a catapult, not a sim rod.
Guns
I start with the pistol and use the rifle / sniper for air flicks. PC Gamer was not joking.
For Fully equipped, I put every attachment slot on one weapon. I stick with that gun and fill the rails, mag, sight, and grip instead of spreading parts across three weapons.
Melee
I use the knife and knuckles for Noob, close sharks, and Handyman practice. I only fist the final boss once I already know the arena.
Dynamite
I use dynamite on seagulls, groups of fish, and the terror bird. I throw it instead of holding it.
Boat
The first engine gives me Getting an upgrade. The last engine gives me I am speed. After that, I find some airtime for I’m the bird now. More engine means more map, more bosses, and more Bean.
Grill
I use the grill for food quests, the burn achievement, and eating the mini-boss. It is not a DPS tool.
What to buy first
- Something that shoots.
- An engine so I can leave.
- Attachments for that one gun.
- The best engine.
- Casino money only after Rich! Millionaire is possible.
100 Percent Completion Route
I do this in two passes. Story first, stupid stuff second.
- Noob + Getting started + Grillmaster + beer + first engine. Ten minutes if I do not open roulette.
- Impressive + 360 on the first island while the fish are still dumb.
- Let me go the first time a seagull commits. I do not shoot it yet.
- Quest chain: dinner, tourist, terror bird, military, leftover named NPCs, and the final island.
- We are so back. If the clock is under an hour, that is Bean. If not, I do a NG rush and skip Drip, slots, 100k, and attachments.
- I am speed + I’m the bird now + Fully equipped.
- Everyone’s dream with dynamite during a steal.
- Yummy + Competitive eating on the grill. Mini-boss last.
- Easy on a replayed small boss. Handyman on a replayed final boss.
- Rich! Millionaire with one 100k sell.
- All in on green. GOLD GOLD GOLD in the slots.
- Collector for every species. Fishipedia for every Drip. I leave these until last.
- Drip as a side achievement whenever a shiny appears. I do not farm it during Bean.
List of How to Fish Achievements 1
Getting started
I kill my first creature.
Who stole my beer
I find the culprit, kill it, and carry it to the lighthouse keeper.
Drip
I kill one rare-variant creature. If a shiny already drops in a spot, I keep pulling from that same spot.
Let me go
I get picked up by a seagull.
Grillmaster
I start the grill and interact with it to turn it on.
Getting an upgrade
I buy the first boat engine upgrade.
Dinnertime
I catch dinner for the forest lady and turn it in to her.
Impressive
I get a 5x killscore on one kill by combining air and stacked medals.
Noob
I get a kill with no multiplier. Grounded, ugly, valid.
Vacation
I help the tourist swim by following his prompt. I do not invent a drowning.
We are so back
I finish the game with the last boss and last quest.
Yummy in my tummy
I eat a burnt creature off the grill.
360 no scope
I do a 360 and then get a hip-fire kill. Having the fish in the sky helps.
Terrorizing bird
I defend the islanders and kill the bird terrorizing them.
Achievements 2 – Toys Collection
Deadliest catch
I complete the military quest and kill the big creature they marked.
I am speed
I buy the best boat engine. This is the last tier, not the first upgrade.
Fully equipped
I put every attachment on a single weapon.
GOLD GOLD GOLD
I get a legendary skin from the slot machine. I save a stack, spin, and do not rage-sell the rod.
Easy
I kill any boss in 10 seconds. I pre-aim the spawn.
Rich! Millionaire
I make one sale worth 100,000 or more.
Collector
I find and kill every creature. I walk around each new island and check rocks, shallows, and night if the game has a clock.
All in
I bet on green in roulette and win.
Bean
I finish the game in 1 hour. I follow the quest highway and skip Fishipedia on the first run.
Competitive eating
I eat a mini-boss. I grill it if eating it raw does not count. I do not sell it.
I’m the bird now
I make the boat fly using the best engine, speed, and a lip of land or wave.
Fishipedia
I kill every Drip variant. After Collector, the book still has silhouettes. Those are the Drip variants.
Everyone’s dream
I kill a seagull with dynamite.
Handyman
I defeat the final boss with bare hands. I unequip my guns. Knuckles count if the game accepts them as hands. If it does not pop, I use truly empty fists.
Endgame and Problems
After credits
I stay on the same islands and finish missing Drip variants, medals, Handyman, and casino achievements. I also use co-op for 5x farming if solo flicks start feeling bad.
Common walls
- Boat key. It is not in the shop. I complete the beer quest, talk to the keeper and Melvin, then check the wreck.
- Noob will not pop. I keep getting a 2x. I kill the creature on the sand with a knife.
- Impressive will not pop. The fish is dying before it leaves the water. I launch it first.
- 360 failed. I used the scope. I use hip fire after the spin.
- Seagull only steals the fish. I hold the fish and wait. I let it take me for Let me go and use a later bird for dynamite.
- Boat will not fly. I am still on engine 1. I buy I am speed and find a downhill.
- Handyman fired a pistol. I unequip it before the arena loads.
- 100k sell is 80k. I stack multipliers or wait for a later island, Drip, or boss. Ten 10k sales do not count as one 100k sale.
- All in ate the wallet. Green is rare. I bet small until it hits.
- Bean failed at 1:04. I opened the slots. My next run is quests only.
- Fishipedia is stuck. I have the base species but not the Drip. I keep using the same spot and make more casts.
- Co-op stole the kill. I host the quest turn-in. The guest still handles the shots for medals.