How to Unlock Island 4 in How to Fish
The route to Island 4 depends on the Pufferfish fin. Deliver it to the tourist before looking for the red contact west of the Desert.
PRIMARY QUERY · how to unlock island 4 in how to fish
To unlock Island 4 in How to Fish, complete the Pufferfish encounter during the Desert progression, keep the Pufferfish fin, and give that fin to the tourist. Once the hand-in advances the route, follow the red radar contact west of the Desert. The destination is the Rocks, also known by players as the red island or Casino Barn. The Carrot is the current community-tested lure for the Pufferfish.
The fourth island follows the same basic grammar as the previous unlock, but the item and NPC are different. This time the boss-related item is a Pufferfish fin, and the recipient is the tourist. Mixing it up with the Giant Piranha skeleton or the later Albatross head leaves the quest sitting at the hand-in stage.
For patch 1.0.9, the checked route is Pufferfish, fin, tourist, then the red contact west. That sequence is enough to diagnose Island 4 without borrowing objectives from the final-island route. The lure table is player-tested and may change, while the island color and hand-in chain are cross-checked progression facts.
Arrive at the Desert before chasing the next boss
The Desert is Island 3, the yellow destination west of the Forest. You reach it only after giving the Giant Piranha skeleton to the lady by the Forest lake. If you are still carrying that skeleton, finish the earlier hand-in first; the Pufferfish belongs to the Desert stage of the route.
Once the Desert progression is active, pay attention to the objective tied to the Pufferfish. You are not trying to discover the Rocks by chance. The encounter supplies the item that tells the game you are ready for the next island.
Prepare the Carrot lure for the Pufferfish
The current Steam community lure table matches the Carrot with the Pufferfish. Verify that lure in your setup before assuming the encounter is unavailable. A familiar fish-shaped bait or a lure that worked on another boss is not a substitute for the listed match.
Specific casting spots, timing tricks, and fight routines are community-tested and patch-sensitive. They can be useful clues, but they are not stable enough to present as exact rules without direct evidence. The lure pairing works as a preparation check; made-up coordinates and guaranteed patterns do not.
Take the Pufferfish fin to the tourist
The fin is the progression item. If the red route is missing, check whether you still have it. An unspent trophy item is usually a clearer clue than the direction of your last boat trip.
- Complete the Pufferfish encounter in the Desert progression.
- Confirm that the Pufferfish fin is in the post-encounter state or inventory before leaving.
- Find the tourist associated with this quest and deliver the fin.
- Finish the interaction so the route advances; simply standing near the tourist with the item is not the completed step.
Use the red contact west of the Desert
After the tourist accepts the fin, return to the radar and look for red. The Rocks lie west of the Desert. Use the map to understand that relative placement, then steer by the live radar contact. The site map is schematic and deliberately does not claim an exact in-game coordinate.
The Rocks may also be called the red island or Casino Barn. Those names refer to the same Island 4 destination. Once you reach it, the local progression points toward the Albatross quest, which eventually opens the final island.
Check the route in the right order
If you return after a break, identify your state from the item and radar rather than memory. A fin in hand points to the tourist. No fin plus an active red contact points to navigation. Reaching a red island with the Casino Barn or Rocks name means the unlock has already worked, even if an older objective marker is what you remember seeing last.
- Still on the Forest stage: deliver the Giant Piranha skeleton and reach the yellow Desert first.
- Pufferfish not completed: equip the Carrot pairing and continue the Desert objective.
- Fin still held: deliver it to the tourist; the victory alone does not finish the unlock.
- Tourist interaction incomplete: make sure the quest state advances before sailing away.
- Wrong radar target: the Rocks use red and sit west of the Desert.
Questions players ask
What item opens Island 4?
The Pufferfish fin. Give it to the tourist after completing the Pufferfish encounter.
Which lure should I use for the Pufferfish?
Use the Carrot according to the current community-tested lure table. The pairing is patch-sensitive rather than an official permanent guarantee.
What radar color leads to the Rocks?
Red. Follow the red contact west from the Desert once the tourist has accepted the fin.
Are the Rocks and Casino Barn different islands?
No. Rocks, red island, and Casino Barn are names used for the same fourth destination.
Continue with the right tool
Sources and version notes
This page was checked against patch 1.0.9. Community strategies can change; official patch notes take priority when they conflict.
- All islands and how to unlock them Cross-check for the five-location progression chain and radar colors.
- Steam Community Lure Guide Current player-tested lure table. Comments expose active disagreements, so uncertain entries are labeled.
- How to Fish Steam News Hub Patch notes for versions 1.0.4 through 1.0.9, including lobby, save, and connection fixes.