All Baits and What They Catch
| Bait or lure | How to get it | Verified targets |
|---|---|---|
| Free Lure | Default with Crab Fishing Rod | Brown Crab, Shrimp; also listed for Gar, Mackerel, and Pike |
| Hotdog | Buy on Islands 1 and 2 | Rock Crab, Lobster, Piranha |
| Empty Beer Can | Give a Beer to the Lighthouse Keeper | Spider Crab |
| Beginner Lure | Early lure tier; later sold again on Island 5 | Piranha, Cod, Goby, Salmon, Perch, Triggerfish, Goldfish |
| Beginner Boss Lure | Buy from Island 2 onward at listed shops | Sunfish, The Old Pike |
| Modified Leech | Complete the Forest leech exchange | Giant Piranha |
| Standard Lure | Buy from Island 3 onward | Catfish, Clownfish, Sea Urchin, Yellow Boxfish, Needlefish, Angelfish, Bluegill, Seahorse, Bowlfish |
| Standard Boss Lure | Buy from Island 3 onward | Blue Shark |
| Carrot | Trade an endangered Island 3 fish to the Tourist | Pufferfish |
| Coconut | Buy from coconut trees on Island 3 | Bing Bong |
| Professional Lure | Buy on Islands 4 and 5 | Bass, Eel, Red Snapper, Sengarat, Halibut, Tigerfish, Flying Fish, Voxelfish, Parrotfish, Dripper |
| Professional Boss Lure | Buy on Islands 4 and 5 | Tuna |
| Tuna | Defeat the Tuna boss fish | Albatross |
| Scientific Lure | Buy on Island 5 | Blobfish, Oarfish, Anglerfish, Stonefish, Superdwarf Fish |
| Scientific Boss Lure | Buy on Island 5 | Goblin Shark |
| Fish Bucket | Give five fish to the Volcano scientist | Bowhead Whale |
| Bowhead Whale body | Defeat Bowhead Whale and carry it to the crater | Mutated Bowhead Whale |
The dedicated Game8 bait export omits some late-game rows that are nevertheless supported by its fish and boss tables plus multiple walkthroughs. Scientific Lure, Scientific Boss Lure, Fish Bucket, and the Bowhead transformation are included only because those independent materials agree. No unsupported catch probability is added.
How to Equip Bait
Equip the appropriate fishing rod, then use the bait-change control; Game8 identifies B on keyboard. Confirm the selected bait visually or in the inventory before casting. A wrong boss lure can start an expensive optional encounter instead of the quest target.
Ordinary lures define a pool rather than guaranteeing one exact creature. If several fish share Standard Lure, repeated casts may be needed for the endangered entry. Use the all fish table to see every creature in each pool.
Unique quest bait should remain unequipped until preparation is complete. The video transcripts repeatedly show accidental summons when a player tests a lure or forgets what is selected. In co-op, nominate one bait carrier and announce the cast.
Story Boss Bait Chain
On Lighthouse, buy a Beer and give it to the keeper. He returns the Empty Beer Can, which is equipped on the Crab Fishing Rod to summon Spider Crab. Drinking the Beer yourself does not complete this exchange.
On Forest, collect leeches and hand them to the quest NPC for Modified Leech. The dedicated Game8 island guide says three leeches, while the bait export says five; three is supported by more quest-focused sources, but a build requesting five should be marked [Pending verification] rather than treated as a player error. Read the objective displayed by the current build before leaving the collection area.
On Island 3, catch Needlefish, Seahorse, or Bowlfish with Standard Lure and give one to the Tourist. He supplies the Carrot for Pufferfish. Standard Boss Lure is for Blue Shark and cannot replace this quest item.
On Island 4, buy Professional Boss Lure and catch Tuna. Defeat it, keep the body, and place it on dry ground to attract Albatross. This is a two-bait chain, and selling Tuna is the common failure.
On Volcano, give five fish to the scientist for the Fish Bucket. Use it to summon Bowhead Whale, then carry the body to the crater and drop it into lava. The body itself is the trigger for the Mutated Bowhead Whale.
Ordinary Lure Progression
Free Lure and Hotdog cover the small Lighthouse pool and some early Island 2 fish. Beginner Lure becomes the main Forest tier, Standard Lure opens the Desert pool, Professional Lure covers Rocks, and Scientific Lure handles Volcano. Later shops may resell earlier lures for collection clean-up.
The tier names describe progression, not universal quality. Professional Lure is not “better” when you are back on Lighthouse looking for a missing Lobster. Choose based on island and target, not price alone.
Boss Lures follow the same pattern for optional large catches. They cost more and start combat, so buy them when your weapon and food are ready. The boss guide lists each fight and role.
Bait Mistakes to Avoid
Do not sell or eat an endangered fish before receiving Carrot. Do not sell Tuna before Albatross, and do not dispose of Bowhead Whale before the crater. These mistakes are recorded in actual playthrough decision points and corroborated by the written quest sequence.
Do not assume an old lure can catch every early creature from a later island shop. Availability and target pool are different facts. The table states verified targets, while uncertain shop availability is not expanded beyond the collected evidence.
Do not use streamers’ lucky catch streaks as probability data. The materials provide lists of possible targets but not complete spawn percentages. Any rate not backed by a reliable table remains [Pending verification].
Best Bait for Money or Collection
For money, choose the highest island tier you can safely support, then compare its ordinary pool on the fish prices page. Boss Lures can produce valuable catches but include combat time and gear cost. A repeatable ordinary lure is often easier when the next purchase is small.
For collection, target the exact missing creature’s island and supported lure. Preserve Drip catches until their separate entry registers, and use the rare variants guide before sending one to the Reel of Fortune. Correct targeting saves more time than buying a larger stack of unrelated bait.
Related Guides
Open all fish for the full creature table, all bosses for combat preparation, or the walkthrough for the complete quest chain. Players preparing Carrot should continue to Island 3, while Tuna users should open Island 4. These routes connect every unique bait to the quest that consumes it.