All Lures & Bait in How to Fish
✓ Verified for Patch 1.0.9 · Aug 26, 2026Three kinds of bait: everyday lures sold per island, four purchasable boss lures, and quest-only bait for the story bosses. Catch lists come from the KeenGamer per-island tables; prices from community price lists — unconfirmed prices are marked, not guessed.
Everyday lures & bait by island
Conflicting community names
Some guides use Modified Leech or Free Lure for early bait while current tables use French Fry and Beginner Lure. Treat the in-game item label in your installed build as authoritative; this table keeps the names supported by the cited current catch lists instead of merging them as aliases.
| Lure / bait | Island | Price | Catches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ham | Lighthouse (Island 1) | not confirmed* | Brown Crab, Shrimp |
| Hot Dog | Lighthouse (Island 1) | not confirmed* | Rock Crab, Lobster |
| French Fry | Forest (Island 2) | not confirmed* | Mackerel, Gar, Pike |
| Beginner Lure | Forest (Island 2) | not confirmed* | Pike, Cod, Piranha, Triggerfish, Goby, Salmon, Goldfish, Perch |
| Standard Lure (Pink) | Desert (Island 3) | $15 | Catfish, Bluegill, Yellow Boxfish, Angelfish, Needlefish, Sea Urchin, Clownfish, Seahorse, Bowlfish |
| Professional Lure | Rocks (Island 4) | not confirmed* | Sengarat, Red Snapper, Tigerfish, Parrotfish, Bass, Halibut, Flying Fish, Eel, Voxel Fish, Dripper |
| Scientific Lure | Volcano (Island 5) | $500 | Stonefish, Blobfish, Anglerfish, Oarfish, Superdwarf Fish |
* Public sources checked on 2026-08-26 do not agree on these shop prices, so we list them as unconfirmed rather than guessing.
Boss lures (purchasable)
| Boss lure | Price | Sold on | Summons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner Boss Lure | $40 | Forest (Island 2) | Sunfish, The Old Pike |
| Standard Boss Lure | $280 | Desert (Island 3) | Blue Shark |
| Professional Boss Lure | $1,200 | Rocks (Island 4) | Tuna |
| Scientific Boss Lure | $5,800 | Volcano (Island 5) | Goblin Shark |
Boss lures are consumed on use. Prices per the Nerd's Chalk lure comparison table, checked 2026-08-26.
Quest bait (not for sale)
Empty Beer Can
Buy a Beer Can on the Lighthouse and give it to the Lighthouse Keeper — he drinks it and hands back the empty can.
Summons: Spider Crab (Lighthouse story boss)
Leech Bait
Find three Leeches on the ground around the Forest and return them to the woman by the lake.
Summons: Giant Piranha (Forest story boss)
Carrot
Catch a Needlefish with the Standard Lure and give it to the Tourist under the tree on the Desert island.
Summons: Pufferfish (Desert story boss)
Tuna (body)
Defeat the Tuna mini-boss (Professional Boss Lure), then drop its body on the grass instead of selling it.
Summons: Albatross (Rocks story boss)
Fish Bucket
Complete the scientist's requests on the Volcano island — five Volcano-native fish on the Scientific Lure.
Summons: Bowhead Whale (Volcano story boss)
Bowhead Whale (body)
Carry the defeated Bowhead Whale to the volcano crater and throw it in.
Summons: Mutated Bowhead Whale (final boss)
👹 All 11 bosses →
Boss checklist with bait chains and step-by-step summons.
🐟 Fish database →
Reverse lookup: pick a creature, see its island and lure.
📖 Bait deep-dive →
The long-form guide to fish locations and bait mechanics.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best lure in How to Fish?
Lures are island-gated, not strictly better: each island's pool only answers its own tier. The Standard Lure ($15 per community price lists) is the best farming value because all nine Desert catches use it, while the Scientific Lure ($500) is required for the five Volcano creatures.
Do lures break or get consumed in How to Fish?
Boss lures are consumed when they summon their mini-boss, so budget a fresh lure per attempt. Community guides also note purchased lures can break on use — bring a spare when a summon matters.
Can I use a boss lure instead of quest bait for story bosses?
No. Story bosses ignore boss lures entirely: the Giant Piranha needs Leech Bait, the Pufferfish needs the Tourist's Carrot, the Albatross needs a placed Tuna body, the Bowhead Whale needs the Fish Bucket, and the Spider Crab needs the Empty Beer Can.
Where do I buy lures in How to Fish?
Each island's own shop sells its lure tier: Ham/Hot Dogs at the Lighthouse, French Fries and the Beginner Lure in the Forest, the Standard Lure in the Desert, the Professional Lure on the Rocks, and the Scientific Lure on the Volcano. Boss lures are sold on the island whose mini-boss they summon.
Sources
- KeenGamer — How to Fish: Complete Walkthrough & All Fish Locations · per-island bait tables, Scientific Lure $500, quest bait chains · checked 2026-08-26
- Nerd's Chalk — Standard Boss Lure & lure comparison table · Standard Lure $15, boss lure prices $40/$280/$1,200/$5,800 · checked 2026-08-26
Prices not confirmed by the sources above are marked "not confirmed" instead of being estimated. Report a correction via the contact page.