Island 3: Desert · step 1 of 2

What the tourist on island 3 wants, and the cheapest way to get it

The tourist wants one of seven named creatures. All seven are endangered species, but not every endangered species counts, and the cheapest of them sits on a lure sold on the same island.

Needlefish, as it appears in How to FishSeahorse, as it appears in How to FishBowlfish, as it appears in How to FishOarfish, as it appears in How to FishSuperdwarf Fish, as it appears in How to FishDripper, as it appears in How to FishBing Bong, as it appears in How to Fish
All seven creatures the tourist accepts. The Needlefish is the cheapest to produce.

Checked against Patch 1.0.11Updated Written by Mira Holt

The seven creatures he accepts

Every creature the island 3 quest accepts, with the bait most likely to hook it
CreatureBest chanceBest bait for itSells for
Needlefish11.6%Standard Lure (11.6%)$60
Seahorse4.3%Standard Lure (4.3%)$100
Bowlfish4.3%Standard Lure (4.3%)$150
Oarfish15%Scientific Lure (15%)$1,450
Superdwarf Fish10%Scientific Lure (10%)$2,200
Dripper3.8%Professional Lure (3.8%)$380
Bing Bong100%Coconut (100%)$300

The list is fixed in the quest itself. Every creature on it is an endangered species, but the rule is not “any endangered species”: the PufferfishPufferfishSells for$12,000Health18,000Weight0.25 kg – 1.8 kg and the VoxelfishVoxelfishSells for$340Health380Weight0.50 kg – 3.5 kg carry the same flag and are refused.

The cheapest way to one of them

Three of the seven sit on the same table, and that table’s lure is sold on island 3.

Standard Lure, as it appears in How to FishNeedlefish, as it appears in How to FishCarrot, as it appears in How to FishPufferfish, as it appears in How to Fish
The whole chain: Standard Lure to Needlefish, Needlefish to Carrot, Carrot to Pufferfish.
Standard Lure, every possible catch
CatchChanceAverage castsSells for
Catfish17.4%6$46
Bluegill14.5%7$62
Sea Urchin14.5%7$52
Angelfish11.6%9$62
NeedlefishEndangered11.6%9$60
Yellow Boxfish11.6%9$53
Clownfish8.7%11$46
BowlfishEndangered4.3%23$150
SeahorseEndangered4.3%23$100
Blue SharkMini-boss1.4%69$300

Which lure do you already own?

Nothing above the Beginner Lure

Buy the Standard LureStandard LureCosts$15Bite timer1–2.5sCatches10 creatures. It is the next lure you would buy anyway, and it carries three of the accepted creatures. The NeedlefishNeedlefishSells for$60Health130Weight0.000025 kg – 0.000175 kg holds the largest share; the SeahorseSeahorseSells for$100Health350Weight100 kg – 700 kg and the BowlfishBowlfishSells for$150Health160Weight3 kg – 21 kg are on the same table if it is slow to appear.

Professional or Scientific Lure

Keep fishing what you have. The OarfishOarfishSells for$1,450Health1,000Weight10 kg – 70 kg and the Superdwarf FishSuperdwarf FishSells for$2,200Health120Weight0.000025 kg – 0.000175 kg are both on the Scientific LureScientific LureCosts$500Bite timer0.75–1.5sCatches5 creatures table, and either one is accepted. Do not hand over a Superdwarf Fish unless you have a spare: it is the most valuable regular catch in the game.

You already have a Dripper or a Bing Bong

A DripperDripperSells for$380Health350Weight1.1 kg – 7.9 kg and a Bing BongBing BongSells for$300Health2,000Weight1.3 kg – 8.8 kg are both accepted. The Bing Bong comes from the CoconutCoconutCosts$350Bite timer1–2.5sCatchesBing Bong, which costs more than the creature sells for, so buy it only if you want the journal entry as well.

Needlefish odds on every table

What you get, and what to do with it

The tourist hands back the CarrotCarrotCostsQuest rewardBite timer1–2.5sCatchesPufferfish. It hooks the PufferfishPufferfishSells for$12,000Health18,000Weight0.25 kg – 1.8 kg and nothing else, and it is used up on the cast. The Pufferfish leaves a fin, and the fin is what the third island 3 NPC wants to open island 4.