How to Fish Islands in Order — Full Unlock Order & Quest Chains

How to Fish has five islands, unlocked strictly in order through quest and boss chains: Lighthouse → Forest → Desert → Rocks → Volcano. Here’s what gates each island and what you’ll find on it.

Island order at a glance

#	Island	Rod tier	Gate (what unlocks it)
1	Lighthouse	Crab Fishing Rod	Starting island
2	Forest	Free / Beginner lures	Early Keeper quests
3	Desert	Standard Lure	Giant Piranha skeleton quest chain
4	Rocks	Professional Lure ($50)	Desert quest completion
5	Volcano	Scientific Lure ($500)	Late-game whale quest chain

Island 1 — Lighthouse

Your crash site. The Lighthouse Keeper teaches you the economy: bring him clams from the ground for your first dollars. You’ll catch Rock Crabs, Shrimp and Lobster here, and drink your first beer — because the Empty Beer Can summons the Spider Crab, your first boss.

Island 2 — Forest

New lures unlock Mackerel, Pike, Cod and friends. Two important chains happen here:

• The Lady by the Lake asks for three leeches (ground pickups). Community reports say leech spawns are bugged or extremely slow — see our dedicated guide if they’re not showing up.
• Handing in the leeches converts them into a Modified Leech lure, which summons the Giant Piranha. Its skeleton is your ticket onward.

Island 3 — Desert

Standard Lures open up the tropical table: Angelfish, Clownfish, Seahorse and more. Two milestones:

• The Blue Shark boss (Standard Boss Lure) unlocks the grill — cooked fish sell for ×1.5, a permanent income upgrade.
• The Tourist quest needs a Needlefish and rewards a Carrot, the only way to summon the Pufferfish boss.

Island 4 — Rocks

Professional Lures cost real money ($50) but the fish get serious: Halibut, Eel, Tuna. The island’s signature moment is the Albatross — place a caught Tuna on the ground and the terror bird shows up to take it back. Bring something fast; shotguns struggle against flying targets.

Island 5 — Volcano

Endgame. Scientific Lures run $500 each, so bring your trick-shot money multiplier. Feed the scientist five volcano fish to earn a Whale Bucket, use it to hook the Bowhead Whale, then carry its carcass to the crater and throw it in — congratulations, you’ve summoned the final boss, the Mutated Bowhead Whale.

Progression tips

• Don’t skip the grill unlock — ×1.5 on cooked sales compounds for the rest of the game.
• Boss escape timers punish unprepared fights; stock ammo before summoning.
• Every fish species has a rare variant to collect, and the Fishipedia tracks a separate set of rare “Drip” creatures — plan collection runs per island rather than backtracking.