The Crab Fishing Rod is the first tool you buy in How to Fish, and it is what turns the opening lighthouse island from a waiting room into an actual fishing spot. It costs $3, it sells straight from the lighthouse door, and you grab it with a single button press. Here is exactly how to afford it, buy it, and start pulling creatures out of the water.
Quick answer: Walk to the lighthouse door on the starting island, look at the Crab-Fishing Rod prompt, and press [E] to buy it for $3.
Where the Crab Fishing Rod is sold and what it costs
The game opens with your boat crashed on a small lighthouse island. The rod is not stocked at a counter or in a menu. It sits on the lighthouse door itself, priced at $3. When you stand close and look at the door, a “How to Buy” prompt appears telling you to press [E] to purchase the Crab-Fishing Rod so you can start catching more valuable creatures.
Note: there is a “Reel of Fortune” machine nearby that asks you to insert a drip creature to play for skins. That is not where the rod comes from, so walk past it and head to the door.
How to earn the $3 first
You start with almost no money, so the $3 comes from the island itself. Speak to the Lighthouse Keeper and collect the clams scattered around the area. Clams can be eaten as food, but they can also be handed to the Keeper in exchange for cash.
Give him enough clams to cover the rod instead of eating everything you find. The rod is the priority purchase, since it is what lets you start earning real money from catches.
Buy the rod and start fishing
[E] to buy the Crab-Fishing Rod for $3. The prompt confirms the purchase, and the rod becomes available to equip.[Left Click] to cast your line into the ocean. You can use one of the free lures to begin catching the smaller creatures around the lighthouse.
You will know the purchase worked when the rod can be equipped and you get a line into the water. The catch begins the moment a creature takes the bait.
Reeling in and killing a catch
Once something bites, reel it in by holding or spamming [Left Click]. When the “Creature Caught!” message shows, press [E] to drop the creature onto the ground.
To finish it off, unequip the rod with [X], then punch the creature with [Left Click]. These early catches are not worth much, but they are easy to beat and can be sold to build up cash for your first weapon, such as the Knife or Brass Knuckles.
What the Crab Fishing Rod can catch
The Crab Fishing Rod is the most basic rod in the game. It handles the starting island’s smaller creatures and the first boss, but its range of catches is limited.
| Catch | Where |
|---|---|
| Rock Crab | Lighthouse island |
| Shrimp | Lighthouse island |
| Lobster | Lighthouse island |
| Spider Crab | Lighthouse island (first boss) |
| Piranha | Second island |
Catching and killing the Spider Crab earns you the boat keys from the captain, which is how you leave the starting island. Before you sail, you can also buy the Radar from the Lighthouse Keeper for $10 to follow coordinates toward your next stop.
When to move past the Crab Fishing Rod
Once you reach the second island, the Crab Rod’s usefulness runs out fast. It can only pull in Piranhas there and cannot handle the larger bosses needed to progress. At that point you buy the regular Fishing Rod, known as the Pull Back Rod after purchase, which catches every fish and boss from the second island all the way to the Bowhead Shark at the end.
For now, the Crab Fishing Rod is all you need. Grab it for $3 at the lighthouse door, start fishing, and use those early catches to fund your first weapon and the boat key that opens up the rest of How to Fish.
