How to start How to Fish: first catches, the beer thief and the boat

What the starting rod actually catches

You begin with the Crab-Fishing RodCrab-Fishing RodCosts$3Sold onIsland 1+ and no bait. That is not a problem: the rod has its own built-in table, and it bites without any bait equipped.

Both catches are cheap, and both are food. Eating a catch restores hunger and health, so the first few crabs are as useful in your mouth as at the shop.

What to eat, and what is lying on the beach

Every creature restores hunger and health when eaten, and the amounts are set per creature. The two cheapest catches are the ones to eat; the Lobster is the one to sell.

The ClamClamSells for$1Health0Weight0.05 kg is not fished at all. The island puts clams on the ground and replaces them as you pick them up, so they are free food from the first minute.

The one bait worth buying here

The shop on island 1 sells a single bait, the Hot DogHot DogCosts$1Bite timer1–3sCatches2 creatures, and it costs almost nothing. It bites while sitting still, so drop it in and wait rather than working the line, and it opens up the two catches the bare rod cannot reach.

Average catch is the mean sell value of the bait's own table. Profit subtracts the share of the bait price you lose per catch; a quest reward costs nothing, so its profit is the catch. Both figures are for an average weight roll, before cooking.

The LobsterLobsterSells for$9Health85Weight0.50 kg – 3.5 kg is the money catch on this island. The hot dog is lost on a share of catches, so buy a handful at a time rather than one.

Weapons: what island 1 sells and what to do with it

Island 1 sells two melee weapons and nothing that fires. Both are enough for the crab, and the sharpness station on this island upgrades them step by step.

Every melee weapon’s full ladder and cost per step

The beer quest, step by step

1. Buy a BeerBeerCosts$12Sold onIsland 1+ from the island 1 shop.
2. Hand it to the lighthouse keeper. He gives you the Empty Beer CanEmpty Beer CanCostsQuest rewardBite timer2–4sCatchesSpider Crab.
3. Put the can on your rod and fish. It hooks exactly one thing, and it is used up whether or not you land the kill.
4. Kill the Spider CrabSpider CrabSells for$10,000Health750Weight4.5 kg – 31.5 kg before its timer runs out. It leaves a Spider Crab Shell behind.
5. Give the shell to the lighthouse keeper on the same island. That is the boat.

Sell it or eat it?

The crab sells for a lot for this stage, and its shell is what the quest wants, not the crab. Sell the body, keep the shell.