Every fish that swims past your dock in Net a Fish carries a nametag, and the most important part of that tag is the small number on the end. A plain fish earns its base rate. A mutated fish has a prefix in front of its species name, like Golden, Crystal, or Albino, and a cash multiplier that scales what it earns once it sits in your pool. Learning to read those tags lets you spot which catches are worth chasing and when to fish hardest.
Quick answer: A mutation is the prefix on a fish’s nametag, and the “x” number beside it is its cash multiplier. Wave Rush events raise both rare spawns and mutation odds while their timer runs.
How to read a Net a Fish nametag
Fish nametags float above the water as each fish swims by. They can show up to four pieces of information, in this order: the mutation prefix, the species, the rarity tier, and the multiplier. A tag like Golden Tiger Shark Mythical x25 tells you the mutation is Golden, the species is Tiger Shark, the tier is Mythical, and the fish earns 25 times its base value.
Not every tag shows every field. Some fish display a mutation and a multiplier with no rarity label, such as Gold Striped Bass x55. Others show only a mutation and species, such as Shiny River Minnow or Molten Megalodon. If there is no prefix at all, you are looking at an ordinary, unmutated fish.
- Prefix — the mutation, such as Magma, Gold, or Crystal.
- Species — the base fish, from River Minnow up to Megalodon.
- Rarity — tiers include Legendary, Mythical, and Secret.
- Multiplier — the “x” value applied to the fish’s base cash rate.
Net a Fish mutation list and multipliers
These are the mutation prefixes that appear on fish passing the dock, along with the example fish, tier, and multiplier each one carried.
| Mutation | Example fish | Rarity | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magma | Magma Catfish | Legendary | x13 |
| Golden | Golden Tiger Shark | Mythical | x25 |
| Albino | Albino Megalodon | Secret | x50 |
| Gold | Gold Striped Bass | Not shown | x55 |
| Crystal | Crystal Royal Sturgeon | Not shown | x75 |
| Molten | Molten Megalodon | Not shown | Not shown |
| Shiny | Shiny River Minnow | Not shown | Not shown |
Two details are easy to miss. First, Gold and Golden are separate mutations, and they showed very different multipliers. Second, the multiplier does not simply climb with rarity. A Secret-tier Albino Megalodon displayed x50, while a Crystal Royal Sturgeon with no rarity label displayed x75. Read the number on the tag rather than assuming the rarest-sounding fish is the most valuable one.
Molten Megalodon is a glowing red variant and stands out on sight, but its nametag did not display a multiplier value, so check it in your own pool before deciding what it is worth.
Wave Rush: The event that boosts mutations
Wave Rush is a timed event that applies global modifiers to every fish spawn. When it is active, a banner appears in the top-right corner of the screen showing the current wave, the modifiers, and a countdown timer.
| Banner field | Example value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Wave | Small wave 2/4 | Second of four waves |
| Rare | x1.8 | Rare spawn rate boost |
| Mut | x1.25 | Mutation multiplier boost |
| Timer | 1:59 | Time left in the wave |
The “Rare” value pushes more high-tier fish into the water, and the “Mut” value pushes mutation odds up. During a Small wave, those values sat at x1.8 and x1.25. The wave counter suggests the event moves through stages, so watch the banner as each one ends to see whether the numbers shift. The short timer means a wave lasts only a couple of minutes, which makes it the moment to stay at the dock and keep throwing your net.
Several of the strongest catches in the list above, including the Golden Tiger Shark, Albino Megalodon, and Molten Megalodon, swam past while Wave Rush was running.
Catching mutated fish and putting them to work
Mutated fish only matter once they are earning. The loop is the same across every world: catch the fish, place it in your pool, and let its multiplied rate add to your cash per second.
[E] Pet Fish Open prompt. This is where you place fish so they generate income.
Rare tiers are easier to reach with the Spear Gun on your dock, which catches fish above Common rarity and is needed for the rarest fish in the game. Unlocking new Index entries also pays out one-time rewards that include Mutation boosts, so open the Index whenever a new fish lands.
Fish multipliers versus other money boosts
The fish multiplier is only one of several numbers on screen, and they stack on different things. Keeping them apart helps you understand why your income moves.
| Boost | Where it appears | What it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Fish multiplier | Fish nametag | That one fish’s value |
| Wave Rush | Top-right banner | Rare and mutation spawns |
| MINI BOOST | Top of screen | Row of 2x boosts on a timer |
| SPIN! and x2 | Slot 10 of inventory bar | Timed boosts |
| Crews | Right-side HUD | +5% money, +10% per friend |
Wave Rush changes what spawns; it does not change the multiplier on a fish already in your pool. The timed boosts and crew bonuses act on your money instead. Your inventory bar shows each held fish with its own per-second rate, which makes it the simplest place to compare a mutated fish against a plain one of the same species.
You will know a mutated catch is paying off when its nametag multiplier carries over to a higher per-second rate in your inventory bar and the bottom-left counter climbs faster. Time your heaviest fishing to Wave Rush, read every tag for its “x” value, and the right fish will find their way into your pool.
