How to Fish Map: Mini Islands & Story Route

01Find mini islands with the Radar, then identify the landmark

Keep the Radar available while travelling through the water between main islands. Germany328’s first-person 1.1.1 guide describes small yellowish crosses that appear when you get close; official Patch 1.1.2 makes mini-island dots larger. Approach a nearby marker until you can distinguish the island’s structures, then use the matching stop below.

A useful search loop is to travel between main islands, check the nearby dots and move on when the scenery belongs to a different task. Snake and OfficialPapi describe encountering changing islets while boating. Treat the palm, sand, targets, bridge and pillars as your final identification check.

• One palm on a tiny sandy island → Money in a Bottle.
• Three low sand patches with bones → Crab Carcass bait.
• Targets on surrounding rocks and a round stone wall → Bow shop.
• Two rocky patches joined by a bridge, warning sign and oil barrels → Manta trigger.
• A rising set of rock pillars → Wishbone upgrade at the top.

02Money in a Bottle: land at the single-palm island

Look for a very small sandy island with one palm tree. Walk around the trunk and inspect the ground for the bottle. Germany328’s 1.1.1 route reports that picking it up unlocks Money in a bottle; selling it to a merchant converts the item into spendable euros.

1. Identify the tiny sand island by its lone palm before landing.
2. Look beside the tree and pick up Money in a Bottle when its interaction prompt appears.
3. Carry the bottle to a merchant and sell it if you need euros for your next purchase.

03Crab Carcass: inspect all three low sand patches

The bait stop is three low sand patches close to the water, with pale bones visible across them. Snake’s 1.1.3 screenshot shows how low the island sits, so inspect the sand after approaching rather than expecting trees or a shop. Find the small Crab Carcass pickup, equip it on the Fishing Rod and use it for the Islet catch pool.

Check each patch before leaving. Official Patch 1.1.2 increases the new bait spawns from two to three and fixes Tench failing to spawn from this bait. If Tench is your missing catch, check the version on the main menu before another fishing session.

1. Approach the three sand patches and inspect the ground around the visible bones.
2. Aim at the small pickup until the Crab Carcass interaction appears, then collect the available bait.
3. Equip Crab Carcass on the Fishing Rod before casting; use the catch finder to check the fish you still need.

04Bow shop: follow the archery targets to the round wall

Look for archery targets on small rocks surrounding a larger rocky islet. The central structure resembles a short circular castle wall. Land at that central island and find the robed NPC; this is the stop for the Bow, arrow and quiver upgrades. Bring euros from the bottle or Islet catches before making the shopping trip.

05Manta: use the movable barrel on the bridge island

Identify two small rocky patches connected by a bridge, with a warning sign and oil barrels nearby. Germany328 and Snake both describe a movable barrel that summons Manta when thrown into the sea. Germany328 identifies it as darker and separated from the other barrels. Use the pickup prompt to confirm the interactive object.

1. Prepare your weapon and healing before handling the encounter trigger.
2. Inspect the darker, separated barrel near the warning sign and pick it up.
3. Throw that barrel into the water to start the Manta encounter, then switch to your combat equipment.

06Wishbone: climb the stone pillars and inspect the top

The Wishbone stop is a group of rock pillars rising above the sea, with lower rocks forming a jumping route. Start at the accessible low rocks and work toward the tallest pillar. The small Wishbone object at the top has the purchase prompt; bring euros if you want the upgrade.

Buying Wishbone applies an upgrade rather than adding a carried item. If the prompt says “Maxed for this island”, you have reached the purchase limit shown for that stop. Check your current offer instead of budgeting from a launch-day price list: official Patch 1.1.2 changes Wishbone pricing.

07Radar or pickup problem? Match the symptom to the next check

Use these checks before repeating an entire route. Mini-island discovery, finding the correct interactive object and unlocking the next story destination require different actions.

• No nearby mini-island marker: travel through the open water between main islands and check the Radar again. The 1.1.1 route describes markers appearing at close range; 1.1.2 makes the dots easier to see.
• Marker leads to the wrong island: identify the scenery, then keep exploring for the landmark that matches your task.
• Bait island found but pickup unclear: inspect the sand on all three patches and look for Crab Carcass’s own interaction prompt among the larger bones.
• Oil barrel will not move: compare the barrels near the sign and try the darker one standing apart from the group.
• Wishbone bought but inventory unchanged: the purchase applies an upgrade; inspect the prompt at the top pillar for the current offer or purchase limit.
• Next story destination missing: finish the current quest return, check the changed dialogue, then reopen the Radar.

08Main-story route: complete the hand-in before the next trip

Use the route chart for the Lighthouse → Forest → Desert → Rocks → Volcano sequence and its quest gates. The Islet Update changes island spacing, so use your live Radar for the trip and check the active request before leaving each island.

09Lighthouse to Forest: finish Spider Crab, then the leech task

At Lighthouse, finish the Keeper’s Empty Beer Can and Spider Crab route, then complete the requested return to receive boat access. Check the new Radar destination after the hand-in. At Forest, collect the three leeches on land and return them to unlock the Giant Piranha bait step. After the encounter, keep the distinct progression object and return it to the quest giver before sailing for Desert.

10Desert to Rocks: return the Pufferfish progression item

Complete the Tourist’s requested catch to obtain the Carrot route for Pufferfish. After the encounter, protect the distinct progression item and take it to the quest giver. If Rocks has not appeared, compare the active request with the item you are carrying or left nearby, then finish that return before checking the Radar again.

11Rocks to Volcano: keep Tuna for the bird encounter

At Rocks, Professional Boss Lure brings up Tuna, whose defeated body triggers the Terrorizing Bird, also called Albatross in player guides. Keep the body while the local quest is active, complete the bird encounter and return its distinct quest item. At Volcano, follow the scientist’s Whale experiment and the updated objective after each hand-in.

If a story cue remains missing, inspect the last return item, revisit the relevant quest giver and reopen the Radar after dialogue changes. If you lost the physical Radar, a Steam player report describes replacement units near local shops; check the shop on your current build. If the completed quest still fails to advance, record the version, solo or co-op state and last dialogue when reporting the issue.