How to Fish: How to Get to the Third Island (Leech Quest)

Reaching the tropical third island in How to Fish is gated behind a single quest on the second island. You collect three leeches, hand them to the woman by the water, use the bait she gives you to summon and kill the Giant Piranha, then return its remains to her. Only then does the new island appear on your radar so you can sail to it.

Quick answer: Feed three leeches to the overalls-and-straw-hat woman on the second island, fish up the Giant Piranha with her leech bait, then give her the piranha skeleton. The third island appears as a marker on your radar, northeast across the water.

What you need before starting

You must already be on the second island with a working boat and the radar equipped. A weapon helps for the boss step. The Shotgun sold at the island shop is a strong pick for the Giant Piranha fight, so buy it first if you have the cash.

Requirement	Detail
Leeches	Three, found lying on the ground around the island
Quest giver	Woman in overalls and a straw hat, seated on a rock by the water
Boss bait	Leech bait given after the hand-in
Boss	Giant Piranha (spawns with minions)
Radar	Must be equipped to see the new island marker

Complete the leech quest and beat the Giant Piranha

Search the ground around the second island for leeches. They lie in the grass and dirt, not in the water, so you do not need a fishing rod or a special lure to grab them. Look down and watch for the interaction prompt, then pick up three.

Take the leeches to the woman sitting on the rock by the shore and talk to her. Feed all three. She counts them off as you go, showing progress toward “1/3”, “2/3”, and “3/3”.

Talk prompt above the seated straw-hat NPC on the second island in How to Fish — The “Talk [E]” prompt over the seated woman lets you feed her the leeches to advance the quest. Image credit: Dazed Games / via @PazarGamingGuides

After the third leech, she hands over the leech bait needed to draw out the Giant Piranha. Equip it on your rod, then cast. The boss appears the moment you fish with it, so ready your weapon and food first.

Fight the Giant Piranha. It spawns with several smaller minions, so clear those first to stop the chip damage, then focus fire on the boss. Keep an eye on the white bar under its health. If that timer runs out, the boss escapes and you start over.

Pick up the Giant Piranha skeleton and bring it back to the same woman. Handing in the skeleton completes the quest, and she gives you the third island’s location. That is the trigger that puts the new marker on your radar.

Note: Beating the boss is not enough on its own. The island stays hidden until the skeleton is delivered, so if your radar has not updated, return to her before sailing off.

Check your radar for the new island marker

With the quest finished, open your radar. The third island now shows as a tracked point. Note its direction relative to your position so you know which way to steer once you are on the water.

Handheld green-grid radar scanner active while surveying the wooded island — The radar, held in inventory slot 3, now tracks the third island’s location after the hand-in. Image credit: Dazed Games / via @PazarGamingGuides

Buy the Big Motor before the trip

The crossing is longer than the hop from the first island, so a faster boat helps. The cabin shop on the second island sells the Big Motor upgrade for $230, which raises your boat’s speed and stability. It is worth buying before you set out if you can afford it.

Sail northeast to the third island

Board your boat. You cannot drive while holding an item, so unequip whatever is in your hands, then take the wheel with the drive prompt.

Player on a rainbow raft near shore with a purple pistol equipped in weapon slot 2 — Board your rainbow boat and unequip any held item before you can take the wheel. Image credit: Dazed Games / via @PazarGamingGuides

Check the radar for heading, then drive northeast across the open water. Keep correcting toward the marker as you travel.

Land when the island comes into view and pull up beside the shore. You will know you have arrived when you see the sandy beach, palm trees, a red bench, and a beach shack shop.

First-person view driving a boat along a rainbow track toward a palm-covered island — The palm-covered third island comes into view as you follow the route northeast. Image credit: Dazed Games / via @PazarGamingGuides

If the third island never appears on your radar

The marker only appears after the full hand-in chain is done. The most common reasons it fails to show are simple to check.

You defeated the Giant Piranha but did not return its skeleton to the woman.
You collected fewer than three leeches, so the boss bait was never handed over.
The radar is not equipped, so the tracked point is not being displayed.

Once the skeleton is delivered and the radar is in hand, the new destination locks in and you are cleared to make the run northeast.