Fishing in How to Fish is closer to combat than it is to sitting quietly on a dock. You hook a catch, then you fight it, and the weapon in your hands decides how fast that fight ends. Weapons unlock as you push through new islands, so the right pick depends heavily on where you are in the run and how much money you have banked.
Quick answer: Buy the Knife first, switch to the Pistol on Leech Island, and grab the SMG on Grillmaster Island as your long-term workhorse. Save hard for the Assault Rifle before the final Bowheaded Whale fight on Volcano Island.
How to Fish weapon tier list
Weapons are ranked on damage, useful multipliers, how easily they land catches, and how many islands they stay relevant across, including the cost of their upgrades. A weapon that carries you across several areas beats one that only shines in a single spot.
| Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
| S | Pistol, SMG |
| A | Knife, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, Assault Rifle |
| B | Dynamite |
| C | Brass Knuckles |
S Tier weapons work across multiple islands without draining your wallet on upgrades. A Tier weapons dominate their home island but struggle to carry into the next one. B Tier weapons earn their spot in specific fights, mainly boss encounters. C Tier is a straight skip.
Why the SMG and Pistol lead the pack
The SMG is the strongest all-around weapon in the game. It fires fast, stacks ranged multipliers on top of that damage, and stays viable from the moment you buy it on Grillmaster Island all the way through Casino and Volcano islands. Its only real drawback is recoil, which you can tame with the Compensator upgrade.
The Pistol is the smarter early pickup on Leech Island. It costs far less than the Shotgun, carries a much larger ammo pool so you reload less often, and comes loaded with useful multipliers like One Shot, One Kill, and Headshot. It also doubles as your tool for shooting down Seagulls for food.
Knife: the best starter, but it fades fast
The Knife is the best first weapon you can afford. It deals 16 damage out of the box and upgrades up to 22 on the opening island, which crushes the alternative. It stays handy at the start of Leech Island while you save for a gun, but its melee multiplier can’t keep up with ranged options like Last Bullet and Headshot. Do not sink extra money into upgrading it past the first island.
Assault Rifle: the endgame boss killer
The Assault Rifle shreds Standard and Professional bosses with fast, heavy damage, and it becomes essential for the Bowheaded Whale fight and its Mutated second stage. The catch is the price. With all upgrades it can run close to ten times the cost of the Sniper Rifle, so treat it as a pure endgame investment on Volcano Island.
Situational picks and the one to skip
The Shotgun does solid spread damage but costs roughly triple the Pistol, so it only makes sense as a team weapon against the Big Piranha boss. Dynamite is cheap and excellent during that same Big Piranha fight, where swarms of smaller Piranhas spawn in and demand area damage. The Sniper Rifle is built for picking birds out of the air and stacking headshots, and it is a must for the Albatross fight, though its single-round reload gets tedious.
Skip the Brass Knuckles. They add only about 5 damage per hit over bare fists, and their sharpening requirements are steep for almost no payoff. Save that money for the Knife instead.
Tip: The game prompts you to drop your catch before fighting it, which forces you back onto your fists. Instead of dropping the catch, just switch straight to your equipped weapon. That drops the catch and readies your gun in one motion.
Best loadouts for each island
Gear is island-specific, and each new area offers stronger upgrades. The trick is knowing which rod, bait, and weapon combination pulls the most valuable catches while keeping you alive against local bosses. Drop old gear rather than hoarding it.
| Island | Loadout | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse Island | Crab-Fishing Rod + Hot Dog Bait + Knife | Crabs and crustaceans pay out the most on catch, and the Hot Dog targets the highest-value ones. The Knife delivers the best damage for its price, with cheap upgrades here. |
| Leech Island | Fishing Rod + Beginner Lure + Pistol | The Beginner Lure lands better fish while staying cheap, and the Pistol is the most cost-effective weapon on this island. Switch to the Beginner Boss Lure once your weapon is fully upgraded. |
| Grillmaster Island | Fishing Rod + Standard Lure + SMG | The Standard Lure guarantees high-level fish, and the SMG’s rapid fire and damage carry you here. The Beginner Boss Lure works well since bosses are weaker and your weapon is strong. |
| Casino Island | Fishing Rod + Professional Lure + SMG or Sniper Rifle | The Professional Lure pulls the local high-value fish. Swap to a Standard or Professional Boss Lure for tougher enemies. The Sniper handles birds and grounded fish cleanly. |
| Volcano Island | Fishing Rod + Professional Lure + SMG / Sniper Rifle / Assault Rifle | The final area demands your best gear. The Professional Lure still works, but lean on Boss Lures to farm the money you need. The Assault Rifle is the top pick for boss fights. |
You can replace the Pistol with a Shotgun on Leech Island, but the price rarely justifies it in solo play. On Leech Island’s boss lure, be ready for a Pike to appear in place of the calmer Sunfish, which makes that catch trickier than it looks.
How these rankings were decided
Each weapon was weighed on raw damage, its multiplier set, how consistently it lands catches, and how many islands it stays useful across once upgrade costs are factored in. Loadouts prioritize the bait that pulls the highest-value fish for each area alongside the most cost-efficient weapon available at that point in the run.
This ranking reflects How to Fish as of late August 2026. If new weapons or equipment arrive in future updates, the tiers and island loadouts here will shift to match.
