How to Catch the Tuna in How to Fish: Professional Boss Lure Guide
Updated 2026-08-26
Catch the Tuna mini-boss on Island 4 with the Professional Boss Lure, dodge its leaping attacks, and use the body to trigger the Albatross fight — do not sell it.

Quick answer: lure, island, and the one rule
The Tuna is the Island 4 mini-boss and the mandatory first step of that island's quest chain. Community lure tables agree it is summoned with the Professional Boss Lure, sold on Island 4 for $1,200 — the lure is consumed on cast, so arrive prepared. The one rule that saves players an hour: the Tuna's body is the trigger for the Albatross, the island's real boss. Do not sell it, cook it, or leave it where physics can punt it into the water.
Before you cast: what to bring
Walkthrough testing describes the Tuna as a leaping attacker — it throws itself at you rather than circling at range. The standard preparation from community guides: a shotgun as the primary weapon (walkthrough authors call it the best option against the Tuna at this stage), healing items in spare slots, and the Professional Boss Lure plus enough reserve cash that a lost lure is annoying rather than run-ending. If Patch 1.0.9's difficulty settings are available on your build, set and verify your chosen difficulty on an ordinary creature before casting — boss lures are not refundable.
The fight: dodge the jump, punish the recovery
The Tuna's pattern is simple but punishing if you face-tank it: it launches itself at your position, and the hit hurts. The documented counter is lateral movement — dodge the incoming jump sideways, then shoot during its recovery before it repositions. Keep open ground behind you so a dodge never puts you against a hut or the waterline. This is a shorter, easier fight than the Pufferfish or the Albatross that follows it; treat it as the gatekeeper it is, not a DPS test.
After the kill: triggering the Albatross
Walkthroughs agree on the sequence: pick up the defeated Tuna and lay it on the grass in the island's central area indicated by the quest, then wait — the Albatross arrives within seconds. The NPCs hiding inside huts are the game's own hint that the next threat comes from the sky. Before placing the Tuna, make the Albatross preparation first: community guides recommend a long-range option such as the sniper rifle (one field guide records a $3,800 Island 4 price, plus a separately purchased scope), because the bird spends most of the fight out of shotgun range. Placing the Tuna under-geared means fighting the Albatross with the wrong weapon or abandoning the trigger. Our Albatross guide covers that fight in detail.
Where the Tuna fits in Island 4 progression
Island 4's chain is: buy the Professional Boss Lure → summon and defeat the Tuna → use the Tuna to draw the Albatross → defeat the Albatross → hand its head to the NPC for the coordinates to the final island. The Tuna itself is not a hand-in item and has no special sale value worth derailing the chain for; its entire purpose is the Albatross trigger. If the Albatross does not appear after placing the Tuna, re-check the exact spot the quest indicates and give it a few seconds before assuming a bug — and if it genuinely never triggers on the current build, that is a reportable issue for the Steam discussions, not something to fix by buying more lures.
How to apply this guide safely
Begin with “Quick answer: lure, island, and the one rule” and compare it with the objective, inventory, and controls shown by your installed build. Do not change several variables at once. If the guide concerns progression, complete one dialogue or hand-in and confirm the objective changed before sailing away. If it concerns combat, test the control or equipment choice on an ordinary encounter before spending a boss trigger. If it concerns troubleshooting, preserve the save and start with reversible checks such as restarting the session and verifying files.
Keep a short run record with the game version, solo or co-op state, host identity, starting objective, relevant equipment, steps taken, and outcome. Physics, network state, and retail patches can make two attempts look different even when both players describe them honestly. A controlled record lets you identify which condition changed. It also gives the developer a useful reproduction if the result points to a defect rather than a missed quest step.
Evidence and version check
This article uses Destructoid — Complete How to Fish game walkthrough, Nerd's Chalk — How to Fish Standard Boss Lure (boss lure price table), games.gg — How to Fish: How to Beat Albatross. Official store text and developer announcements establish supported features and broad progression. Steam achievement wording establishes that a named action exists, but it does not prove an exact coordinate, probability, price, damage value, or hidden timer. Community discussions can reveal a repeated problem and possible workaround, but one reply is not treated as a universal mechanic. Where evidence stops, the guide uses cautious testing steps instead of inventing a precise answer.
Before relying on an older route, check the Steam news and discussion dates against the updated date at the top of this page. Prefer the current in-game objective when it conflicts with a video or forum post. Avoid unknown executables, replacement saves, cheats, or destructive file edits offered as shortcuts. A legitimate workaround should be explainable, reversible, and testable without surrendering account credentials or deleting the only known-good save.
Completion check
Finish with “Where the Tuna fits in Island 4 progression,” then verify the result in the system that matters: quest log for progression, inventory for items, Steam for achievements, or a repeatable symptom check for a technical fix. Do not treat a visual animation alone as proof that the save registered the event. Wait for a normal transition and inspect the state before selling items, changing hosts, or starting another objective. If the result differs from this page, send the URL, build number, exact steps, and observed result through the contact page; that evidence is how we correct guides without turning uncertain reports into false facts.
Sources & Evidence
Claims are backed by the following sources. Unknowns are marked explicitly.
- Destructoid — Complete How to Fish game walkthroughThird-party / Tier 4Checked 2026-08-26
- Nerd's Chalk — How to Fish Standard Boss Lure (boss lure price table)Third-party / Tier 4Checked 2026-08-26
- games.gg — How to Fish: How to Beat AlbatrossThird-party / Tier 4Checked 2026-08-26