How to Really Fish Fish List: Confirmed Early Catches (Carp, Emo Fish, Bream)
An early-catch reference for How to Really Fish covering Carp, Emo Fish, and Bream, with observed cooked values, item-UI identification steps, and what does not count as a fish catch.
There is no verified complete fish list for How to Really Fish. This page is a bounded early-catch reference covering the three rod-caught fish confirmed from live play — Carp, Emo Fish, and Bream — and it explicitly excludes shoreline collectibles, boss drops, and large hostile creatures. A creature in promotional art, a boss, a shoreline pickup, and an item drop are four different things; only a catch landed with the Fishing Rod belongs in the table below.
Confirmed early catches
| Fish | Status | Acquisition | Notes | Observed cooked value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carp | Confirmed catch | Fishing with the Basic Lure from the Forest Island shoreline | Described as the most common early catch | $8 to $11 — an observed range, not a fixed price; two Carps from the same run can land at different values |
| Emo Fish | Confirmed catch | Fishing from the shoreline | Appears as you keep casting; cooked and sold | Not recorded — cook at the campfire and read the displayed value |
| Bream | Confirmed catch | Fishing from the shoreline | Appears as you keep casting; cooked and sold | Not recorded — cook at the campfire and read the displayed value |
No raw sale values, rarity tiers, weights, or catch rates are verified for these three fish, and no lure associations beyond Carp with the Basic Lure are documented.
How to identify a catch from the item UI
Because no fixed species database exists, the reliable method is a live log. Equip the rod, land an item, and copy the exact name and actions from the interface:
- Equip the Fishing Rod. The active interface changes to fishing actions.
- Check the bait or lure label. The opening equipment identifies a Basic Lure, and the interface includes a Change Bait option.
- Cast and wait for a bite. The visible action changes from casting to reeling when the interaction advances.
- Reel in the catch. Read the item name and every action displayed after landing it.
- Choose what happens next. A catch can enter a keep, drop, consumption, cooking, or selling decision when the relevant option is shown.
- Record before processing. Item labels and displayed values are easier to capture before the catch leaves your hands or inventory.
Cooked values are observed, not fixed
Cooked values are not stable enough for a universal price table. Two Carps from the same run can have different selling values, so treat recorded numbers as examples of the range rather than guaranteed prices. On the observed Forest Island build, dropping a fish on the campfire triggers a confirmation message naming the item and its new value, such as "Cooked the Carp! Now worth $11". Read the current display before and after processing, note the date you checked, and use the live amount for your sell decision instead of a copied price.
What is not a fish catch
These entries are part of the ocean setting but are not rod-caught fish, so they stay out of the roster above:
| Entry | Confirmed role | Verified detail | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clams | Shoreline collectible | The opening Forest Island objective asks players to find clams and sell them to the fisherman; cooked value recorded at $2 | That clams are rod-caught fish |
| Leech | Collected on the island | Collected and then cooked and sold | That leeches are rod-caught fish |
| Giant Crab | Named boss creature | Boss health bar, can become enraged, drops a Crab Claw on defeat | That it belongs in the normal fish inventory |
| Crab Claw | Boss drop | Observed after defeating the Giant Crab | That it is a fish or a fixed-value catch |
| Giant pufferfish / whales | Large hostile creature encounters | Seen in later route gameplay and volcanic-area encounters | That they can be landed, stored, cooked, or sold like ordinary catches |
What to do with a caught fish
Catching a fish does not decide what happens to it. On the observed Forest Island build, the campfire raises the displayed sale value of an eligible catch — check whether the current prompt accepts the held item, and wait for the on-screen cooking confirmation before assuming it registered. The cooked fish is then sold through the current buyer interaction; Fisherman Joe is the observed opening buyer and shopkeeper on Forest Island, buying cooked catches and selling upgrades. At least some held catches also show an Eat option, which alone does not confirm a universal food effect or healing value.
Names and values reported by other guides — unconfirmed leads
Secondary guides report additional catch names and values that are not confirmed with live item labels:
- A community new-player guide lists Sardine (raw 8 coins, cooked ~20 coins) and Blue Mackerel (raw 15 coins, cooked ~38 coins) as common early catches with roughly a 2.5x cooked multiplier.
- A progress guide names Common Sardine, Blue Gill, Spotted Mackerel, Mud Crab, and River Catfish and describes a 30% cooked bonus.
- The same wiki classifies catches broadly into Common Fish (C rarity), Rare & Boss Fish (A), and an S-tier Albatross.
These cooked-bonus figures currently conflict (roughly 2.5x raw versus a 30% bonus), and neither can be treated as a universal rule. These names, fixed values, and rarity tiers come from secondary reporting of a beta game and should be treated as leads to verify against the live item UI — not as entries in the confirmed catch table above.
Related Guides
Casting and Reeling
Learn the complete fishing cycle, from equipping and casting to reading bite cues and landing catches.
Lures and Active Bait
Identify your active bait and understand the documented lures associated with specific catches.
Campfire Cooking
Cook catches correctly, confirm the interaction registered, and compare observed cooked sale values.
How to Sell Fish
Prepare catches, sell them to Fisherman Joe, and verify the sale through cash and objective feedback.