How to Fish Forest Island Guide

Last verified: August 27, 2026

The Forest — bigger fish, first guns, and the game's most confusing quest bait.

The Forest (Island 2) sits northwest of the Lighthouse and is where How to Fish stops being a tutorial. It adds nine regular catches, the first proper lures, the first weapons — and the game's most commonly fumbled quest: the leech hunt. Get past the Giant Piranha and the Desert coordinates are yours.

Getting Ready for the Forest

Arrive with the boat keys from the Lighthouse Keeper's quest and, ideally, a decent knife (sharpen it to 20 damage at the lighthouse anvil before you leave). The Forest's regular catches are tougher than crustaceans but still die to melee.

• Buy the Beginner Lure — it's the workhorse bait for this island's fish.
• Save for the Shotgun. It's the best all-round weapon in the game and the single best investment on this island. The Beginner Boss Lure and Dynamite are both optional — you won't need either to clear the story.
• Fish with Free Lure or Hot Dog too. Early Forest catches (Mackerel, Gar, Pike) still bite the old baits, which stretches your money further.

The Forest is where co-op starts pulling its weight — someone can fish while someone hunts leeches.

All Forest Fish

The Forest has the largest collection of any island: nine regular creatures, two optional mini-bosses, and the story boss. The mini-bosses (Sunfish and The Old Pike) only bite the Beginner Boss Lure — they're optional for the story but count toward the Collector achievement.

The Leech Quest — How to Get the Modified Leech

The Giant Piranha does not use the Beginner Boss Lure. It's summoned with the Modified Leech, which comes from the woman sitting by the lake. The quest sounds simple — find three leeches — but the leeches aren't where you'd look:

1. Speak with the woman by the lake. She asks you to collect three leeches.
2. Search the ground. The leeches lie on the forest floor — they are not in the water. Walk the whole island looking for them on the ground.
3. Return all three leeches to her.
4. Take the Modified Leech she gives you as bait.
5. Equip it and cast in the Forest. The Giant Piranha takes it immediately.
6. Beat the boss and return its drop to her — she hands over the Desert coordinates.

How to Beat the Giant Piranha

Clear the minions first — a calm arena wins this fight.

The Giant Piranha is your first boss that doesn't fight alone. It spawns minions — smaller piranhas that harry you during the fight. They don't deal much damage, but they make dodging the main boss harder, so clean them up as they appear.

• Use the Shotgun. Its spread handles both the minions and the boss's body.
• Kill minions first, always. A clear arena makes the boss's charge patterns readable.
• Mind the white escape bar under its health pool — keep attacking, don't play purely defensive.
• Watch your hunger. Long fights drain it, and a hungry character is slower.

What Unlocks Next

Feeding the skeleton to the lake woman completes the Forest's story quest and gives you coordinates for the Desert (Island 3). Before you go, consider grabbing the two optional mini-bosses (Sunfish, $50, and The Old Pike, $80) with the Beginner Boss Lure — they're quick money and two fewer gaps in your Collector checklist. The Desert guide covers what waits on the other side:

Continue to the Desert Island guide →