How to Make Money in How to Fish: Fast Gold Farming Guide
Need cash to buy the best weapons, Pull Back Rod, or thermal gear? Master our 3-tier gold farming roadmap and learn how to stack airborne trickshot multipliers to multiply fish payouts by up to 10x.
What is the Fastest Way to Make Money in How to Fish?
The fastest method to earn gold across the game is following the 3-Stage Progression Loop, utilizing campfire cooking multipliers early on and transitioning into SMG Bullet Hover trickshot juggles:
Beach Clams & Campfire Grilling
Never sell raw fish! Place minnows on campfires for 1.5x cooked gold, hone knife on anvil for 2.0x clean fillet, and grab the eastern sea cave $100 chest.
Pull Back Rod + SMG Bullet Hover
Launch fish 15m high with Pull Back Rod ($250), then spray with SMG ($450) to trap them in mid-air and stack multipliers past 7.0x–9.0x before they land.
Volcano Magma & Sniper One-Shots
Farm apex pelagics (Giant Bluefin Tuna $750 base). Execute mid-air Sniper headshots and throw defeated catches into the boiling caldera for massive payouts.
How the Killscore Multiplier Multiplies Gold
In How to Fish, selling raw fish gives you only base price. By launching fish into the air with the Pull Back Rod and eliminating them with trickshot conditions before they land, all active multipliers stack multiplicatively:
Stage-by-Stage Gold Farming Routes
Stage 1: Early Game (Beach Clams & Grilling)
Forage Beach Clams and catch Coastal Minnows. Do NOT sell raw fish! Always place catches on the campfire to activate the 1.5x Cooked Multiplier (and sharpen knife to Tier 2 for the 2.0x Clean Fillet bonus). Grab the emergency $100 cash chest in the hidden eastern sea cave.
Stage 2: Mid Game (SMG Bullet Hover Tech)
The true money-making loop begins with the Pull Back Rod. Reel high into the air to launch fish 15 meters up, then quick-swap to your SMG to execute 'Bullet Hover Tech' (1.5x Airborne + 1.5x 360 Spin + 2.0x Headshot = up to 7.0x - 9.0x stacked multiplier).
Stage 3: Endgame Apex (Volcano Magma Loops)
Farm pelagic apex predators and magma species. Use the Heavy Sniper Rifle for instantaneous mid-air one-shot kills, unlocking the exclusive 'Sniper Multiplier'. Complete boss runs and throw defeated catches into campfires or the Volcano Caldera for record payouts.
In addition to active fishing routes, players can participate in the high-stakes roulette wheel mini-game (often referred to as the Whale / Green Roulette in community discussions).Important Clarification: The Roulette Betting Wheel is a standalone gambling mini-game and is completely distinct from the endgame combat boss encounter (Mutated Bowhead Whale on Volcano Island).
How Betting Works (x35 Multiplier)
The roulette wheel features a rare green pocket that can award an explosive x35 multiplier on successful hits based on player reports (Source: Steam community discussions, third-party wiki guides, unverified). Exact wheel pocket layout and full paytables have not been officially published.
Known Payout Glitches (Suspected Bugs)
Players on Steam have documented two major settlement anomalies:
- Unsellable Whale Reward: Landing on green awards a whale item reward, but local merchants refuse to buy it, preventing players from cashing out.
- Negative Money Balance: Winning x35 on massive wagers can cause gold balances to flip into negative numbers (suspected settlement/overflow glitch; technical cause unconfirmed).
Troubleshooting & Workaround Steps
Patch 1.0.10: Spinner freeze fixed; negative balance/whale trade pendingWhile official Patch 1.0.10 resolved infinite counter freezes and mid-spin exit session corruptions, negative balances and unsellable whale rewards currently have no confirmed in-game recovery method. If affected, consider the following advisory steps:
Back up your local save directory (`LocalLow/Dazed Games/How to Fish/Saves`), then exit and restart the client to test local save reload.
Right-click game in Steam → Properties → Installed Files → "Verify integrity of game files".
Avoid extreme multi-million bets until an official patch addresses balance overflow anomalies.
Report the incident with screenshots in the developer's Community Discord linked in Steam announcements (avoid public save sharing).
Top High-Yield Fish & Max Multiplier Payouts
| Species | Location | Base Price | Recommended Trickshot | Max Stacked Gold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Bluefin Tuna | Island 4 (Rocks) | $750 | Sniper Headshot + 360 Spin | $5,625 (7.5x) |
| Oasis Tiger Shark | Island 3 (Desert) | $380 | AR Burst + Campfire Butt | $3,230 (8.5x) |
| Volt Catfish | Island 2 (Forest Rapids) | $160 | SMG Bullet Hover (6s) | $1,040 (6.5x) |
| Prismatic Rainbow Trout | Island 2 (Forest Waterfall) | $75 | Airborne Juggle + T2 Knife | $525 (7.0x) |
| Mutated Whale Blubber | Island 5 (Volcano Boss) | $5,000 | Caldera Magma Pit Fling | $50,000+ (10x+) |
1. Never Sell Raw Fish
Selling raw fish gives only base cash. Grilling fish on a campfire yields an automatic +50% (+1.5x) payout increase.
2. Water Dynamite Penalty
Detonating dynamite underwater applies a -50% cash penalty due to meat damage. Only detonate explosives in mid-air!
3. Island 2 Lure Traps
Do not blow your savings on experimental lures in the forest camp. Save $250 directly for the Pull Back Rod.
Frequently Asked Questions: Gold Farming & Economy
What is the fastest way to make money in How to Fish?
The fastest method is the SMG Bullet Hover loop on Forest and Desert Islands ($1,500–$4,500 per 10 minutes). Hook high-value fish with the Pull Back Rod ($250), fling them 15 meters skyward, and quick-swap to the Submachine Gun (SMG, $450) to juggle them airborne for a 7.0x to 9.0x trickshot multiplier.
Should you sell raw or cooked fish in How to Fish?
Never sell raw fish! Cooking catches on any island campfire grants an automatic 1.5x Cooked Multiplier. If you sharpen your knife to Tier 2 on a Blacksmith Anvil, you gain an additional 2.0x Clean Fillet bonus, more than tripling your total gold earnings.
Where is the secret $100 cash chest on Island 1?
On Lighthouse Beach (Island 1), walk east past the rocky coastline into the hidden sea cave. Inside, you will find a wooden chest containing $100 instant cash, providing enough early gold to purchase the $12 beer can, bait, and starter equipment immediately.
How do trickshot multipliers work in How to Fish?
Trickshot multipliers stack multiplicatively: Airborne Kill (1.5x) + 360 Spin (1.5x) + Headshot (2.0x) + Long Range (1.5x) + Fire/Magma Kill (2.0x). Combining these with firearm bullet hovers allows a $100 base fish to sell for $700 to $1,400+!
Related Economy & Tool Guides
Multiplier Calculator
Live toggles for 360 spins & hover tech
Weapons & Pull Back Rod
SMG hover stats & sniper pricing
Casino & Reel of Fortune
x35 green pocket odds & bug advisory
Rare Shiny Fish Variants
3x-5x value aura recognition guide