Island 2: Forest · step 4 of 4

How to beat every boss and mini-boss in How to Fish

Every boss is summoned the same way, by a specific bait or a specific item on the ground, and beaten the same way, by enough damage before its timer runs out. The numbers differ by a factor of fifty.

The five story bosses in the order you meet them, from the Spider Crab to the Mutated Bowhead Whale.

Checked against Patch 1.0.11Updated 2 September 2026Written by Desh Okafor

Every boss and what summons it

Boss	Summoned by	Bait price	Island	Health	Time limit	Sells for
Spider CrabBoss	Empty Beer Can	Quest reward	1 (quest)	750	5 min	$10,000
The Old PikeMini	Beginner Boss Lure (50%)	$40	2+	1,000	3 min	$80
SunfishMini	Beginner Boss Lure (50%)	$40	2+	1,500	3 min	$50
Blue SharkMini	Standard Boss Lure	$280	3+	2,300	3 min	$300
Giant PiranhaBoss	Leech Bait	Quest reward	2 (quest)	2,500	5 min	$11,000
TunaMini	Professional Boss Lure	$1,200	4+	6,000	3 min	$2,000
Goblin SharkMini	Scientific Boss Lure	$5,800	5+	7,500	3 min	$6,200
AlbatrossBoss	No bait reaches it	—	—	7,800	5 min	$13,000
PufferfishBoss	Carrot	Quest reward	3 (quest)	18,000	5 min	$12,000
Bowhead WhaleMini	Fish Bucket	Quest reward	5 (quest)	20,000	3 min	$8,000
Mutated Bowhead WhaleBoss	No bait reaches it	—	—	38,000	5 min	$15,000

Every boss bait is used up on the catch. A mini-boss stays for three minutes and a full boss for five, counted from the moment it appears, and if it is still alive at the end it simply leaves. That is why damage per second matters more than anything else in these fights.

Sunfish, as it appears in How to Fish — The mini-bosses, each hooked by a boss lure and gone after three minutes.

The Old Pike, as it appears in How to Fish — The mini-bosses, each hooked by a boss lure and gone after three minutes.

Health depends on your difficulty setting

What the difficulty setting changes
Difficulty	Creature health	Damage you take	Mutated Bowhead Whale health
Easy	75%	50%	28,500
Default	100%	100%	38,000
Hard	125%	125%	47,500

Every health figure below is the Default value, with the Easy and Hard values beside it. Nothing about the bait, the timer or the drop changes with difficulty.

Which weapon for which boss

What is the biggest fight you are preparing for?

Island 1 and 2: Spider Crab, Giant Piranha, the mini-bosses

A Shotgun with a few ammunition steps, or upgraded melee on island 1 where nothing else is sold. The hits-to-kill tables below show how few shots these need.

Island 3 and 4: Pufferfish, Blue Shark, Tuna, Albatross

The Shotgun taken further up its ladder is still the cheapest damage, and it is enough. A Sniper Rifle from island 4 makes the Albatross, which stays in the air, far easier to hit.

Island 5: Bowhead Whale, Goblin Shark, the final boss

A fully upgraded Shotgun remains the best damage per dollar. The Sniper Rifle at its top damage is the alternative for players who prefer to shoot from range. The final boss has by far the most health in the game, so bring the sniper’s extended magazine and every ammunition step you can afford.

Every boss with hits to kill for every weapon

Spider Crab (island 1)

Summoned by the Empty Beer Can, which the lighthouse keeper gives you for a Beer. Its shell is what the lighthouse keeper wants for the boat.

Boss · leaves after 300 seconds

Summoned by: Empty Beer Can (quest reward, not sold)
Sells for: $10,000
Drops: Spider Crab Shell — wanted by the island 1 boat quest

Spider Crab health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
563	750	938

Hits to kill the Spider Crab on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Brass Knuckles	5	150	60	13
Knife	16	47	120	7
Pistol	25	30	160	5
Shotgun	75	10	700	2

Sunfish and The Old Pike (island 2 mini-bosses)

The Beginner Boss Lure hooks one of two mini-bosses at even odds, so wanting a specific one means budgeting for two lures on average.

Beginner Boss Lure, both outcomes
Catch	Chance	Average casts	Sells for
SunfishMini-boss	50%	2	$50
The Old PikeMini-boss	50%	2	$80

Mini-boss · leaves after 180 seconds

Summoned by: Beginner Boss Lure ($40, island 2+), 50% per catch
Sells for: $50
Drops: nothing

Sunfish health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
1,125	1,500	1,875

Hits to kill the Sunfish on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Knife	16	94	120	13
Pistol	25	60	160	10
Shotgun	75	20	700	3

Mini-boss · leaves after 180 seconds

Summoned by: Beginner Boss Lure ($40, island 2+), 50% per catch
Sells for: $80
Drops: nothing

The Old Pike health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
750	1,000	1,250

Hits to kill the The Old Pike on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Knife	16	63	120	9
Pistol	25	40	160	7
Shotgun	75	14	700	2

Giant Piranha (island 2 boss)

Hand three Leech to the lady in the forest for the Leech Bait. Leeches are picked up from the ground in the swamp, never hooked; unlocking every island has how many are out at once. The bait costs a dollar and the piranha sells for eleven thousand, which makes this the best-value fight in the game. The skeleton it leaves opens island 3.

Boss · leaves after 300 seconds

Summoned by: Leech Bait (quest reward, not sold)
Sells for: $11,000
Drops: Giant Piranha Skeleton — wanted by the island 2 island quest, opens island 3

Giant Piranha health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
1,875	2,500	3,125

Hits to kill the Giant Piranha on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Knife	16	157	120	21
Pistol	25	100	160	16
Shotgun	75	34	700	4
SMG	24	105	70	36

Blue Shark (island 3 mini-boss)

The Standard Boss Lure hooks it every time. One is what the grill quest on island 3 accepts, alongside the far more expensive Goblin Shark.

Mini-boss · leaves after 180 seconds

Summoned by: Standard Boss Lure ($280, island 3+)
Sells for: $300
Drops: nothing

Blue Shark health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
1,725	2,300	2,875

Hits to kill the Blue Shark on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Pistol	25	92	160	15
Shotgun	75	31	700	4
SMG	24	96	70	33

Pufferfish (island 3 boss)

The tourist gives you the Carrot in exchange for one of seven named creatures. What the tourist wants lists them and the cheapest way to get one. The fin opens island 4.

Boss · leaves after 300 seconds

Summoned by: Carrot (quest reward, not sold)
Sells for: $12,000
Drops: Pufferfish Fin — wanted by the island 3 island quest, opens island 4

Pufferfish health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
13,500	18,000	22,500

Hits to kill the Pufferfish on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Shotgun	75	240	700	26
SMG	24	750	70	258
Sniper Rifle	200	90	500	36

Tuna (island 4 mini-boss) and the Albatross (island 4 boss)

The Professional Boss Lure hooks a Tuna. The Albatross has no bait at all: it spawns once a Tuna has lain on the ground inside a fixed zone on island 4, with nobody holding it and no other boss active, for the number of seconds shown below. Kill the tuna, carry it ashore, drop it, step back. The zone is one spot on the island, so if nothing happens after the wait, move the tuna and try again.

Mini-boss · leaves after 180 seconds

Summoned by: Professional Boss Lure ($1,200, island 4+)
Sells for: $2,000
Drops: nothing

Tuna health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
4,500	6,000	7,500

Hits to kill the Tuna on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Shotgun	75	80	700	9
SMG	24	250	70	86
Sniper Rifle	200	30	500	12

Boss · leaves after 300 seconds

Summoned by: a Tuna left on the ground in its zone for 3 seconds, with no other boss active
Sells for: $13,000
Drops: Albatross Head — wanted by the island 4 island quest, opens island 5

Albatross health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
5,850	7,800	9,750

Hits to kill the Albatross on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Shotgun	75	104	700	12
SMG	24	325	70	112
Sniper Rifle	200	39	500	16

Goblin Shark (island 5 mini-boss)

The Scientific Boss Lure is the most expensive bait in the game and hooks a Goblin Shark worth barely more than the bait. It is the other creature the island 3 grill quest accepts.

Mini-boss · leaves after 180 seconds

Summoned by: Scientific Boss Lure ($5,800, island 5+)
Sells for: $6,200
Drops: nothing

Goblin Shark health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
5,625	7,500	9,375

Hits to kill the Goblin Shark on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Shotgun	75	100	700	11
Sniper Rifle	200	38	500	15
Assault Rifle	40	188	100	75

Bowhead Whale and the Mutated Bowhead Whale (island 5)

Five creatures of any kind, handed to the whale quest-giver on island 5, buy the Fish Bucket. It hooks the Bowhead Whale, a mini-boss with the usual three-minute timer. Kill it first: the lava only accepts a dead whale, and only while nobody is holding it and no other boss is alive. Drop it in and the Mutated Bowhead Whale, the final boss, rises from the lava. Its fin ends the story.

Mini-boss · leaves after 180 seconds

Summoned by: Fish Bucket (quest reward, not sold)
Sells for: $8,000
Drops: nothing

Bowhead Whale health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
15,000	20,000	25,000

Hits to kill the Bowhead Whale on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Shotgun	75	267	700	29
Sniper Rifle	200	100	500	40
Assault Rifle	40	500	100	200

Boss · leaves after 300 seconds

Summoned by: a dead Bowhead Whale, not held by anyone, dropped into the lava while no other boss is active
Sells for: $15,000
Drops: Whale Fin — wanted by the island 5 final quest

Mutated Bowhead Whale health by difficulty
Easy	Default	Hard
28,500	38,000	47,500

Hits to kill the Mutated Bowhead Whale on Default, body shots
Weapon	Damage, base	Hits, base	Damage, maxed	Hits, maxed
Shotgun	75	507	700	55
Sniper Rifle	200	190	500	76
Assault Rifle	40	950	100	380