How to Fish: How to Get the Boat Keys and Leave the First Island

Leaving the first island in How to Fish comes down to one gatekeeper and one device. The lighthouse keeper holds the boat keys, but he only hands them over after you finish a short favor and win a fight. Once the keys are yours, the boat itself is simple to drive, and a handheld radar points you toward the next landmass across the water.

Quick answer: Give the lighthouse keeper a beer can to unlock a new bait, fish up and defeat the boss, then collect the boat keys he awards. Board the boat, unequip whatever you are holding, interact with the steering wheel, and use the radar to steer toward the green direction until you reach the forested island.

What you need before leaving the first island

The boat is docked from the start, but the keys are locked behind the lighthouse keeper’s quest. You cannot skip this. The keeper sits on a bench near the lighthouse, and the whole chain runs through him.

Requirement	How it works
Beer can	Give it to the lighthouse keeper to unlock a new bait.
New bait	Use it while fishing near the dock to hook the boss.
Boss defeated	Beating the boss is what makes the keeper hand over the boat keys.
Radar device	Held in hand to check the correct direction once you are driving.

Get the boat keys from the lighthouse keeper

Walk up to the lighthouse keeper on his bench and start talking. When the “Talk [E]” prompt shows above him, interact to hand over the beer can. This unlocks the new bait you need.

Talk [E] prompt above the seated lighthouse keeper near the lighthouse — The “Talk [E]” prompt appears over the lighthouse keeper, so you can start the conversation and hand over the beer can. Image credit: Dazed Games

Equip your fishing rod and cast a line into the water near the dock. Use the new bait to fish up the boss.

Defeat the boss you hooked. Once it is down, return to the keeper. He awards the boat keys for finishing the fight.

Checkered knife equipped with a Change Weapon Skin prompt while walking back to the keeper — With the checkered knife equipped, the HUD shows “Change Weapon Skin [Z/C]” as you walk back to the seated keeper for the keys. Image credit: Dazed Games

Note: The keeper will not unlock the bait until you actually give him the beer can, and he will not release the keys until the boss is beaten. Both are hard requirements.

Drive the boat and steer with the radar

Head to the wooden boat docked nearby and jump inside. With the keys in hand, you can now board it.

Unequip whatever you are holding, then interact with the steering wheel. The boat starts moving once you take the wheel.

First-person view holding the raft's wheel while driving across the open ocean — Holding the raft’s wheel to drive out across the open ocean toward the next island. Image credit: Dazed Games

Stop briefly and pull out the radar device to check your heading. Look for the green direction it shows, then line the boat up with it.

Keep driving across the ocean along that green heading. Follow it until the forested island comes into view ahead of you.

How to know you reached the new island

You are on the right path when the radar shows the green direction and your boat is pointed along it. Hold that line and the forested island appears at the end of the crossing. If the boat will not budge, you likely still have an item equipped or have not taken the steering wheel yet. Fix both and it moves. If the keeper offers you nothing, you either skipped the beer can or have not beaten the boss.