- The best overall weapon in How to Fish is the SMG as it can hold its own from the moment you purchase it up until the endgame.
- The best melee weapon is the Knife. Keep in mind that melee weapons fall off pretty quickly and aren't useful at all after Leech Island.
- The best beginner weapon is the Knife, while the best endgame weapon in How to Fish is the Assault Rifle.
- Loadouts are all island specific and include the best Bait and Weapon you should use.
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Fishing can't be that complicated right? Wrong! In How to Fish, you essentially need to learn how to fish in the style of this game, which means getting only the best weapons as well as setting up the perfect equipment loadouts for each island. That's why we're here to help!
How to Fish Weapons Tier List - All Weapons Ranked
The more Islands you unlock in How to Fish, the more weapons you unlock as well. That means not all Weapons will work for all areas because you simply can't get them that early. That's why we have ranked the Weapons based on how much Damage they do, their Multipliers, ease to catch fish, as well as based on how many islands they can be used efficiently.
- S Tier - Weapons that can be used across multiple islands that aren't too expensive overall, including upgrades.
- A Tier - Weapons excellent on one island and the start of the second island. They do lots of damage on their origin island, but don't transfer well onto the next one.
- B Tier - Weapons useful in specific situations like boss battles.
- C Tier - Weapons that should be skipped as they are a waste of your money.
Quick Tip: The game tells you to drop your catch first and then you fight it. By doing that, you will always equip fists first instead of weapons. Instead of dropping the catch, just switch to whichever weapon you are using at the time. It will drop your catch as well as instantly equip your weapon.
What is the Best Weapon in How to Fish?
| Weapon | Tier | Why This Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brass Knuckles | C | Brass Knuckles give you a Damage boost compared to the bare fists you use at the start of How to Fish, but the small increase of 5 Damage per hit doesn't justify the price. Especially when you can instead save up and buy the Knife. Another thing to note is that the sharpening requirements for Brass Knuckles are pretty steep but with little to no payoff, as they only increase damage slightly. | Skip |
| Knife | A | The Knife is the best first weapon you can get in How to Fish. It can be saved up for pretty quickly and the Damage it deals is way above Brass Knuckles. It does 16 Damage from the get-go, but you can upgrade it up to 22 on the first island. Once you are on the second island, it's useful for the first part of the fishing when you are trying to collect money for the next weapon. As soon as you have it, it falls off pretty quickly though, since the melee multiplier on it isn't as good as the ranged Last Bullet and Headshot multipliers. Make sure not to upgrade it further, as it will be a waste of money. | Lighthouse Island Leech Island |
| Pistol | S | The Pistol is the weapon you should get on the Leech Island. It is way less expensive compared to the Shotgun. It does great Damage and has plenty of useful ranged weapon Multipliers like One Shot, One Kill, Headshot, etc. It also has a lot more bullets compared to the Shotgun so you won't have to reload every few seconds. Make sure to shoot down the Seagulls for food with the Pistol! | Leech Island Grillmaster Island |
| Shotgun | A | The Shotgun is a useful weapon in How to Fish, but it's steep price (triple the price of the Pistol) really makes it a too big of a purchase. If you're on a team, it can be useful to have someone with a Shotgun for that spread area damage. That would still be mostly only useful on the island boss Big Piranha. | Leech Island |
| Dynamite | B | Dynamite is pretty cheap so you can grab it easily at any time you want, but it's not always worth it. It is excellent in the boss Big Piranha fight, since many small Piranhas will also spawn in to attack you. They are annoying as nothing else and will kill you many times if you don't have good AoE damage like the Dynamite. | Leech Island |
| SMG | S | The SMG is your next go-to purchase in How to Fish on the Grillmaster Island. It deals fast damage, with the ranged multipliers on top. The recoil can be too much, but you can get upgrades like the Compensator to reduce it. | Grillmaster Island Casino Island Volcano Island |
| Sniper Rifle | A | The Sniper Rifle is excellent for taking out birds in the air, as well as getting those headshot multipliers. However, the one-bullet reload can get pretty annoying at times. It's good to pair it in a team where someone else has an SMG. The upgrades make it a whole lot better, but they don't come cheap. The Sniper Rifle is essential in the boss battle against Albatross. | Casino Island Volcano Island |
| Assault Rifle | A | The Assault Rifle does crazy fast damage. The Standard and even Professional Bosses can get shreded by it quickly, especially if you have the upgrades. Overall, it is pretty expensive, almost ten times as expensive as the Sniper Rifle when you include all of the upgrades, so it's definitely an endgame weapon. A must have for the Bowheaded Whale boss battle, and especially for the Mutated second stage. | Volcano Island |
What are the Best Gear Loadouts in How to Fish?
Gear and equipment is pretty much island specific and you will get better upgrades for each one in How to Fish. However, it can get confusing on what you should equip where, and which items you can just drop on previous islands. Don't be a hoarder like me!
| Island | Loadout | Why this Loadout |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse Island | Crab-Fishing Rod + Hot Dog Bait + Knife | - Crabs and other crustaceans give the most money on catch. The Hot Dog will specifically target the ones with the most value. - The Knife deals the most damage for its price, and the upgrades are cheap on the first island. |
| Leech Island | Fishing Rod + Beginner Lure + Pistol | - Beginner Lure will get you the next value of fish while still being cheap to purchase. - The Pistol is the most efficient weapon on this island and it's pretty cheap. - You can replace the Pistol with a Shotgun, but I don't recommend it due to its price. - The Beginner Boss Lure should be used once you've upgraded your weapon fully. It can still be tricky if a Pike shows up instead of the calm Sunfish. |
| Grillmaster Island | Fishing Rod + Standard Lure + SMG | - The Standard Lure guarantees you'll get the high level fish from this island. - The SMG is a fantastic weapon with quick fire and lots of damage, though it can be difficult to manage due to recoil. Make sure to get its upgrades! - Beginner Boss Lure is also useful here, since you have a high-power weapon and the bosses are weaker. |
| Casino Island | Fishing Rod + Professional Lure + SMG / Sniper Rifle | - The Professional Lure is the go-to bait of Casino Island to get the local and more expensive fish. - You can switch it out with a Standard Boss Lure for some higher tier enemies, and even the Professional Boss Lure if you dare. - The SMG and the Sniper Rifle are pretty useful on this island. The Sniper Rifle is great for killing off birds and quickly dealing with fish on the ground. |
| Volcano Island | Fishing Rod + Professional Lure + SMG / Sniper Rifle / Assault Rifle | - The Volcano island is the final section in How to Fish and where you need to step up your A game. - The Professional lure is still useful here, but try to utilize the Boss Lures too. You have to farm a lot of money for that Assault Rifle. - The SMG and Sniper Rifle can hold their own at the start, but for boss battles, the Assault Rifle is the top dog. |
That's it for our How to Fish tier list! If they include more weapons and equipment in future updates, we will make sure to add them here! In the meantime, make sure to check out the best How to Fish mods. Sometimes getting beat up by fish gets to tiring, these mods can help!
