If you are trying to figure out which lure catches which fish in How to Fish, the game does not make the full catch table particularly obvious. Your lure matters a lot because different lures open up different groups of creatures.
This guide puts all of the known lure combinations in one place, including the regular lures, special baits, boss lures, and the fish or bosses they can summon.
Keep this page nearby while filling out your encyclopedia, hunting specific fish, or working toward Collector and Fishipedia.
Basic Lure – The Chip?
The basic lure can catch:
- Rock Crab
- Shrimp
- Mackerel
- Gar
- Pike
- Goldfish
If you are just starting the game, this is the lure you will be using to build up your first collection.
Hot Dog
The Hot Dog bait can catch:
- Rock Crab
- Lobster
- Piranha
This lure is particularly useful when you are looking for the creatures in this smaller pool rather than randomly cycling through other fish.
Beginner Lure
The Beginner Lure can catch:
- Pike
- Cod
- Goldfish
- Perch
- Triggerfish
- Golby
If one of these creatures is missing from your encyclopedia, the Beginner Lure is the first one worth trying.
Standard Lure
The Standard Lure has a much larger catch pool.
It can catch:
- Angelfish
- Yellow Boxfish
- Bowlfish
- Catfish
- Sea Urchin
- Seahorse
- Clownfish
- Bluegill
- Salmon
- Needlefish
This lure is also useful for completing some of the game’s side objectives because certain fish from this group can have special properties such as being endangered.
Professional Lure
The Professional Lure can catch:
- Parrotfish
- Voxelfish
- Bass
- Halibut
- Eel
- Tigerfish
- Flying Fish
- Sengarat
- Red Snapper
- Dripper
This is one of the more advanced regular lure pools and becomes increasingly useful as you work toward completing your creature collection.
Scientific Lure
The Scientific Lure gives you access to the following creatures:
- Anglerfish
- Blobfish
- Oarfish
- Superdwarf Fish
- Stonefish
If you are missing one of these creatures, make sure you have the Scientific Lure equipped before spending time fishing.
Boss Lures and Special Bait
Boss encounters work differently from normal fishing.
Instead of simply equipping a regular lure and hoping for the correct creature, certain bosses require a specific bait or boss lure.
Here is the complete list.
| Bait / Lure | Boss |
|---|---|
| Empty Beer Can | Spider Crab |
| Modified Leech | Giant Piranha |
| Beginner Boss Lure | The Old Pike |
| Standard Boss Lure | Blue Shark |
| Carrot | Pufferfish |
| Professional Boss Lure | Tuna |
| Scientific Boss Lure | Goblin Shark |
| Fish Bucket | Bowhead Whale |
Empty Beer Can
Boss: Spider Crab
Use the Empty Beer Can as bait to summon the Spider Crab.
This is the first boss encounter and is also connected to the Who Stole My Beer achievement.
Once defeated, the Spider Crab provides the trophy item required for the lighthouse keeper’s quest.
Modified Leech
Boss: Giant Piranha
The Modified Leech is used to summon the Giant Piranha.
You obtain the modified leech through the forest quest on island 2.
After defeating the Giant Piranha, you need to return its tail to the lady in the forest to complete the quest.
Beginner Boss Lure
Boss: The Old Pike
The Beginner Boss Lure summons The Old Pike.
It can be purchased for $40 and is the cheapest boss-style lure available.
Because of its low price and relatively easy boss encounter, it is particularly useful when working on achievements such as Yummy in My Tummy and Competitive Eating.
Standard Boss Lure
Boss: Blue Shark
The Standard Boss Lure summons the Blue Shark.
It costs $280 and is associated with the grill quest on island 3.
Defeating the shark and bringing it back to the grill master unlocks access to the grill.
Carrot
Boss: Pufferfish
The carrot is special because it is not simply purchased from a shop.
You obtain it by helping the tourist on island 3.
Give the tourist an endangered fish, and he rewards you with the carrot.
Use the carrot as bait to summon the Pufferfish boss.
Professional Boss Lure
Boss: Tuna
The Professional Boss Lure summons the Tuna.
It costs $1,200.
The Tuna is part of the island 4 seagull quest.
After fishing up the Tuna, place it on the ground as bait. The terrorizing seagull will come down for it, starting the boss encounter.
Scientific Boss Lure
Boss: Goblin Shark
The Scientific Boss Lure summons the Goblin Shark.
This is an optional endgame encounter and is especially important if you are working toward Collector.
The lure costs $5,800, so make sure you have enough money before buying it.
Fish Bucket
Boss: Bowhead Whale
The Fish Bucket is used to summon the Bowhead Whale.
This is the whale encounter associated with the later stages of the game.
The whale is also part of the route toward the final boss.
Quick Lure Reference
For a faster reference while playing:
| Lure | Creatures / Boss |
|---|---|
| Basic Lure | Rock Crab, Shrimp, Mackerel, Gar, Pike, Goldfish |
| Hot Dog | Rock Crab, Lobster, Piranha |
| Beginner Lure | Pike, Cod, Goldfish, Perch, Triggerfish, Golby |
| Standard Lure | Angelfish, Yellow Boxfish, Bowlfish, Catfish, Sea Urchin, Seahorse, Clownfish, Bluegill, Salmon, Needlefish |
| Professional Lure | Parrotfish, Voxelfish, Bass, Halibut, Eel, Tigerfish, Flying Fish, Sengarat, Red Snapper, Dripper |
| Scientific Lure | Anglerfish, Blobfish, Oarfish, Superdwarf Fish, Stonefish |
| Empty Beer Can | Spider Crab |
| Modified Leech | Giant Piranha |
| Beginner Boss Lure | The Old Pike |
| Standard Boss Lure | Blue Shark |
| Carrot | Pufferfish |
| Professional Boss Lure | Tuna |
| Scientific Boss Lure | Goblin Shark |
| Fish Bucket | Bowhead Whale |
Best Way to Use This Guide
If you are completing the creature encyclopedia, do not simply fish randomly and hope the missing creature appears.
First open your encyclopedia with Tab and check which creatures you are missing.
Then identify which lure contains that creature and equip it.
This is particularly important for Collector because the creature you catch is determined by the lure rather than simply by the island you are standing on.
That means you can concentrate on a specific lure pool instead of repeatedly travelling between islands hoping that the correct creature appears.
For drip creatures, the same general idea applies: check your encyclopedia, equip the appropriate lure, and keep fishing until the missing variant appears.
Drip creatures can respawn, so using one for the Reel of Fortune does not permanently remove that creature from your collection.
Once you know which lure controls which catch pool, completing the How to Fish encyclopedia becomes much more manageable.