How to Fish Achievements: All 28 Unlocks & Badge Hunt Guide
Every Steam achievement in How to Fish with its unlock condition, plus dedicated deep-dives on the three most-asked-about goals in the community: the Fishipedia full-encyclopedia collection, the Bean sub-1-hour run (with post-1.0.5 route status), and the Handyman bare-hands finish. Routes reflect the current patch — outdated pre-1.0.5 shortcuts are explicitly flagged.
How Do You 100% How to Fish?
There are 28 Steam achievements and zero are missable — everything is earnable solo or in co-op, in post-game free roam. The efficient badge hunt order: (1) play the story naturally while grabbing trickshot and story trophies, (2) mop up the Fishipedia collection with our bait database, (3) attempt Bean on a dedicated new save (the pre-1.0.5 final-island skip is patched out), and (4) finish with Handyman’s bare-hands blow. Unlock conditions below are cross-checked against community/media guides (Mobalytics, indiebunny) and labeled where they are player-reported rather than official.
28 Achievements
6 categories incl. secrets
0
Post-game free roam covers all
Bean <1h Run
Pre-1.0.5 skip patched out
Better Together
Boss-fight revive required
Every Achievement & Its Unlock Condition
All 28 entries, grouped by category. Use the interactive tracker on the main achievements page to check them off as you go.
Getting Started
EasyCatch and kill your very first creature in How to Fish.
Hook any Coastal Minnow on Starter Island and slash it with your knife.
Razor Edge
EasyUpgrade your Starter Knife to Tier 2 at the Lighthouse anvil.
Interact with the outdoor blacksmith anvil with $30 or a Whetstone.
The Pull-Back Revolution
EasyPurchase the Pull Back Rod on Forest Island.
Buy the Pull Back Rod from the Forest Island camp shop for $250.
Tycoon of the High Seas
MediumAccumulate a total career earnings of $100,000.
Stack high airborne multipliers on Volcano and Rocks island apex fish.
Better Together
EasyRevive a fallen fishing partner during any boss fight in Co-op multiplayer.
Play with at least 1 friend and interact with their incapacitated character.
Hall of Trophies
MediumDeliver all 5 boss quest items to their respective NPCs across the archipelago.
Progress through the full story without selling any boss relics.
Crustacean Calamity
EasyDefeat the Giant Spider Crab on Starter Island.
Summon the Spider Crab with the Empty Beer Can and defeat it.
Sawmill Slayer
MediumDefeat The Old Pike in the Sunken Sawmill Lake.
Fish with Stinky Cheese in the center whirlpool and defeat the Pike.
Poison Deflator
HardDefeat the Colossal Spiny Pufferfish on Desert Island.
Trade guppies for Carrot Bait with Tourist Terry and defeat the Pufferfish.
Apex Aviator
HardDefeat The Apex Albatross atop Rocks Island.
Place a Bluefin Tuna carcass on the cliff altar and shoot down the Albatross.
End of the Deep
ExtremeDefeat the Mutated Bowhead Whale in the Volcano Caldera.
Summon with Nuclear Glow Lure and destroy all 3 crystal nodes to finish the story.
Handyman
ExtremeDefeat the final boss with your bare hands.
You do NOT need to fight the whole boss bare-handed. First reduce the Mutated Bowhead Whale to a sliver of health with your normal weapon, then stop firing, unequip your weapon entirely, and land the finishing blow with your bare hands.
Aerial Executioner
MediumAchieve a 5.0x or higher Killscore multiplier on a single catch.
Yank a fish 10m high with the Pull Back Rod, perform a 360 spin, and kill it with a gun before it hits the ground.
360 No-Scope Sea God
HardKill a hooked airborne apex predator using a Sniper Rifle without aiming down sights.
Fling a Tiger Shark or Bluefin Tuna into the sky, spin 360°, and hip-fire with the Sniper Rifle.
Modern Fishing Techniques
EasyKill 5 or more fish simultaneously using a single stick of dynamite.
Throw dynamite into a dense school of minnows or electric catfish.
Fastest Rod in the West
MediumHook, reel in, and kill a fish in under 3 seconds total.
Use Pull Back Rod with max tension reel on a shoreline minnow.
Drip (Shiny Hunter)
MediumCatch and harvest a rare shiny/prismatic fish variant.
Use the Glitter Spinner lure in daylight on Forest or Desert Island.
Master Angler & Chef
MediumCook 20 different fish species on campfires across the 5 islands.
Place freshly caught fish directly onto any lit campfire before selling.
Master of the Encyclopedia
HardRegister 100% of all fish, crustacean, and boss entries in your Tab Encyclopedia.
Catch every species listed across all 5 islands with their respective baits.
Walking Armory
HardHave every weapon category equipped in your inventory at the same time.
Expand your inventory backpack to max slots and hold Knife, SMG, AR, Sniper, and RPG.
Archipelago Perfectionist
ExtremeUnlock all other 27 achievements in How to Fish.
100% Steam Completion (Platinum).
Bean (The 1-Hour Speedrun)
ExtremeComplete the entire game from beach crash to final credits in under 60 minutes.
Start a NEW dedicated save file. Rush exclusively main quests and bosses.
Who Stole My Beer?
EasyFind an Empty Beer Can on the shoreline and return it to Old Pete or cast it.
Pick up the beer can on the east beach of Lighthouse Island.
Mine! Mine! Mine!
EasyShoot down a thief seagull in mid-air right as it attempts to snatch your fish.
Leave a dead fish on the beach, wait for a seagull to dive, and shoot it with any firearm.
Double Down
MediumWin 5 consecutive rounds at the Desert Oasis roulette wheel table.
Play the minigame at the Desert cantina, or use the optional Always Win Roulette mod.
Cryo Survivor
MediumSurvive for 5 minutes inside the Volcano Caldera lava zone without touching water.
Drink Cryo Elixir and leap between basalt pillars.
Into the Trench
MediumReach the bottom of the Rocks Island Mariana trench without drowning.
Purchase the Scuba Mask from Harpooner Finn and dive beneath the sea arch.
Lost Tech of the Abyss
HardDiscover the sunken nuclear submarine hidden deep inside the Volcano trench.
Dive down the eastern caldera crack with a Scuba Mask and Flashlight.
Unlock conditions are compiled from in-game achievement data cross-checked against community and media guides (Mobalytics, indiebunny, Steam community). Where sources conflict, the condition text follows the in-game/Steam wording and technique details are marked as player/media experience.
Fishipedia 100% Checklist
“Master of the Encyclopedia” requires registering every fish, crustacean, and boss entry in your Tab Encyclopedia. Work the islands in order, match baits with the database, and tick off each island roster before moving on:
Island 1 — Lighthouse
Coastal Minnow, Beach Clam, Spotted Sea Bass, Giant Spider Crab (boss entry)
Free Lure catches cover most of the shoreline roster; keep 2 clams uncrushed for the Crusher Shell recipe before selling out.
Island 2 — Forest
Triggerfish, Prismatic Rainbow Trout, Volt Catfish, Endangered Spotted Fish, The Old Pike (boss entry)
The Free Lure (Beginner Lure) works across the river rapids roster — the same lure community reports also land the Drip Goldfish.
Island 3 — Desert
Dune Sand Carp, Oasis Tiger Shark, Colossal Spiny Pufferfish (boss entry)
Golden Grub unlocks the deeper oasis catches; watch for dust plumes before casting for burrowed carp.
Island 4 — Rocks
Giant Bluefin Tuna (miniboss), Deep Vampire Cuttlefish, The Apex Albatross (boss entry)
Night-only spawns (Cuttlefish) need the Synthetic Squid Jig; the Professional Lure covers the tuna grind — and is the community-reported bait for the elusive Drip Voxelfish.
Island 5 — Volcano
Magma Goblin Shark (sub-boss), Mutated Bowhead Whale (final boss entry)
Scientific Deep Lure and Nuclear Glow Lure territory; finish the story before cleanup so Freeplay makes refights painless.
Bean: Beat the Game in Under 1 Hour (Post-1.0.5 Route Status)
Complete the entire story campaign — shipwreck intro to the Volcano Caldera credits — in under 60 minutes (community/media consensus across Mobalytics, indiebunny, Sportskeeda; not an official published spec).
The widely shared Kads route that reached the final island before properly unlocking it was patched out in version 1.0.5 (community guides now mark that route outdated). Plan a legitimate full-run route instead — older guides describing the skip no longer work.
Community runners report Bean is solo-completable but painful (one Steam forum OP described a solo run as “excruciating”); shared techniques include dynamite for bosses and high-damage fish + silencer builds (single-player reports, not trends). Use a dedicated new save and consider Easy Mode — Patch 1.0.9+ permits it without disabling achievements.
Handyman: The Bare-Hands Final Blow
Summary of the corrected entry: “Defeat the final boss with your bare hands” (Steam global achievements, app 4001890). You do not fight the whole Mutated Bowhead Whale unarmed — reduce it to a sliver with your weapon, then stop firing, unequip, and land the finishing blow bare-handed. Brass Knuckles do not count. Solo is tough; in co-op, whoever lands the bare-hands finishing blow unlocks it (player/media technique, current patch). Full technique details live on the main achievements page entry — this overview intentionally does not duplicate them.
Frequently Asked Questions: Achievements & Badges
Q:How many achievements are in How to Fish?
How to Fish has 28 Steam achievements spanning story progression, boss kills, trickshots, collection milestones, and secret discoveries. None are missable — all can be earned in post-game free roam, and every achievement can be unlocked in both single-player and co-op.
Q:What is the 'badge hunt' in How to Fish?
'Badge hunt' is community shorthand for completing every achievement/badge in the game — the same 100% goal tracked on our interactive achievements checklist. The most common blockers reported in the Steam forums are the Fishipedia full-encyclopedia collection, the Bean sub-1-hour run, and the Handyman bare-hands final blow.
Q:How do you complete the Fishipedia (fish encyclopedia) achievement?
The 'Master of the Encyclopedia' achievement requires registering 100% of fish, crustacean, and boss entries in your Tab Encyclopedia. Work island by island with the correct bait pairings from our Fish & Bait database, and remember rare variants are a separate codex track from the Drip Fish family — both feed completionist goals.
Q:Is the Bean achievement still possible after Patch 1.0.5?
Yes, but the old shortcut is gone. The widely used community route that reached the final island before properly unlocking it was patched out in version 1.0.5 (community guides now mark it outdated). Post-1.0.5, Bean requires completing the full campaign in under 1 hour through legitimate progression — see our Bean notes below and the 5-split speedrun schedule on the main achievements page.
Related Completion & Database Guides
Interactive Checklist
Persistent 28/28 progress tracker + Bean splits
Fish & Bait Database
Bait pairings for every Fishipedia entry
Drip Fish Collection
Goldfish, Goby & Voxelfish community intel
Mutated Bowhead Whale
Boss tactics for Handyman & Bean routes