How to Fish Gear Guide
Weapons, attachments, lures, engines and items — what each does, what it costs, and when it is actually worth the money.
Last checked against Patch 1.0.12 · September 8, 2026
What to buy first
Buy against your bottleneck, not down a list. If fights drag, that is a weapon problem. If the sailing is what eats the session, that is an engine problem. One focused loadout beats a little of everything.
The early order most guides land on: a knife for the first boss, then a shotgun as soon as you can afford it, because it stays useful for longer than anything else at that price. The Radar is the cheap purchase people skip and regret — quests start handing out coordinates rather than directions.
Weapons and prices
Catches fight back, so a weapon is not optional. Availability is tied to how far you have got — the later guns simply are not on sale on the early islands.
| Weapon | Price | Available on | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brass Knuckles | $24 | All islands | Cheapest thing in the shop. Mostly a curiosity once you can afford anything else. |
| Knife | $45 | All islands | Sharpen it at the anvil. The weapon the game expects you to take into the Spider Crab. |
| Dynamite | $25 | Islands 2–5 | Described as the best damage per dollar in the game. Good for clearing groups. |
| Pistol | $50 | Islands 2–5 | First proper ranged option and cheap enough to buy early. |
| Shotgun | $150 | Islands 2–5 | The all-rounder. Spread damage makes it the boss weapon for most of the mid game. |
| SMG | $650 | Islands 3–5 | Handles swarms — the piranha fight is the obvious use. Carries a long way for the money. |
| Sniper Rifle | $3,800 | Islands 4–5 | The answer to the Albatross, which fights from the air. |
| Assault Rifle | $20,000 | Island 5 only | The most expensive weapon in the game. Guides agree the final fight wants it fully upgraded. |
| Bow | — | Mini islands (Patch 1.1.0) | Not in the gun shops — reported to be sold for euros by a trader on a mini island. Needed for the Hobin Rood achievement. |
The four attachment slots
Every weapon takes four attachments. Two slots have only one option each; the other two make you choose, and there is no reason to own both halves of a pair for the same gun.
| Slot | Options |
|---|---|
| Magazine | Extended magazine — fixed |
| Sight | Laser sight — fixed |
| Optic | Red dot or sniper scope |
| Muzzle | Compensator or suppressor |
Because two slots are either-or, a fully kitted weapon takes four purchases rather than six. Attachments in detail →
Lures and bait
A higher-tier lure is not a universal upgrade. Each island pool is tied to its own lure, so the Scientific Lure will not quietly catch everything a Beginner Lure would.
| Lure or bait | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free Lure | Lighthouse | Starting bait. Also works on some Forest catches. |
| Hot Dog | Lighthouse | Used with the Crab Fishing Rod for lobster and piranha. |
| Beginner Lure | Forest | The everyday lure for the second island pool. |
| Standard Lure | Desert | Covers the entire Desert pool. |
| Professional Lure | Rocks | Covers the entire Rocks pool. |
| Scientific Lure | Volcano | Covers the entire Volcano pool. |
| Beginner Boss Lure | Forest | Spawns The Old Pike, and catches Sunfish. |
| Standard Boss Lure | Desert | Spawns the Blue Shark. |
| Professional Boss Lure | Rocks | Spawns the Tuna — which is itself the bait for the Albatross. |
| Scientific Boss Lure | Volcano | Spawns the Goblin Shark. |
| Empty Beer Can | Lighthouse (quest) | Quest bait for the Spider Crab. |
| Modified Leech | Forest (quest) | Quest bait for the Giant Piranha. |
| Carrot | Desert (quest) | Quest bait for the Pufferfish. |
| Fish Bucket | Volcano (quest) | Quest item for the Bowhead Whale. |
Which lure catches which fish is on the fish and lure index.
Engines and items
Engines do not make you stronger, they make the map smaller. Buy one when the trip between islands is what is costing you time — not before.
| Engine | Price | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Engine | $230 | Forest |
| Rocks Dual Motors | $860 | Rocks |
Items
| Item | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crab Fishing Rod | Lighthouse | Not interchangeable with a normal rod — crabs, shrimp, lobster and piranha need it. |
| Radar | Lighthouse | Cheap, and needed once NPCs start giving you coordinates rather than directions. |
| Grill | After the Blue Shark | Cooking raises what a catch sells for. |
| Healing items | Shops | Buy before a boss. There is no shop once a fight starts. |
How this page is sourced
Weapon names, attachment slots and lure tiers are cross-checked across several published guides, which agree on them. The prices come from one weapons list and one gear guide, so treat them as close rather than exact.
Not yet verified in-game by this wiki. If a price has moved in a patch or an item is missing, tell us.