in How to Fish, beat the whale on the Volcano island by stocking up on lava-cooked fish, getting whale bait from the scientist, dodging the whale’s charge and sky-stomp attacks, shooting it down, and throwing it into the volcano before handling the harder lava whale follow-up.
The whale on Volcano island is the fifth and final stretch of How to Fish, the physics fishing-and-shooting game from Dazed Games. It looks like a standard boss, but killing it is only half the ending: throwing the whale into the volcano immediately spawns the lava whale, the game’s real final boss. Go in prepared for both fights at once, because there is no break between them to stock up.
The two whale fights you are walking into
| Fight | What |
|---|---|
| Regular whale | Bait it from the scientist, dodge the charge and sky-stomp, gun it down, then throw it into the volcano |
| Lava whale | Fight the harder lava version with a fully kitted assault rifle, dodge lava pools and meteorites, kill it, and hand the Whale Fin to the scientist |
Key You are not fighting one whale here, you are fighting two back to back. The regular whale is the softer opener; the lava whale that follows is the single genuinely difficult fight in the game. Everything you carry into the arena — cooked fish, weapon attachments, spare healing — has to last across both, so treat the whole thing as one long encounter rather than two separate ones.
Preparing before the whale fight
Farm fish fast with Dynamite
Throw Dynamite into the water and scoop up everything it kills — it is the quickest way to build a large stock of fish.
Lava-cook everything
On Volcano island the lava cooks fish at exactly 1.5x value with no timing risk, so cook your whole pile before either fight.
Stash extra cooked fish near the military base
Fill your inventory with cooked fish and drop a spare pile on the ground by the base, so you have healing waiting for both whales.
Carry far more healing than feels necessary
Bring a fully attached assault rifle
Kit an assault rifle with every attachment before you start — you need it maxed for the lava whale, not the easy one.
Build a large pile of lava-cooked fish before you touch the whale bait — it heals you through both fights, and there is no way to restock once the final boss is live.
Starting the whale encounter
Give the scientist five fish
Hand the scientist any five fish — Dynamite in the water is the fastest way to gather them.
Take the whale bait
He gives you the whale bait in return.
Fish up the whale
Use the bait to hook and reel in the whale, which starts the fight.
Beating the regular whale
Watch for the charge
The whale charges across the arena, so keep space between you and it.
Run when it launches skyward
When it shoots up into the air it is about to slam down on your position — move out from under it immediately.
Keep shooting between attacks
Pour rifle fire into it whenever it is not mid-attack.
Heal right after taking damage
Eat a cooked fish the moment it lands a hit so your health never gets low.
Throw the whale into the volcano
Once it is down, throw the whale into the volcano — this spawns the final boss.
Beating the lava whale final boss
Open with the maxed assault rifle
Use your fully attached assault rifle and as many lava-cooked fish as you can carry — nothing less holds up here.
Dodge the rolls, stomps, and meteorites
The lava whale rolls, stomps, and fires lava meteorites across the arena, so never stand still.
Avoid the lava pools too
Treat the lava pools on the ground as a second enemy — dodge them as carefully as you dodge the boss.
Survive the phase 2 escalation
In phase 2 it becomes far more aggressive, stomps almost constantly, and periodically launches into the sky to shoot down at you.
Heal on every exchange
Keep eating cooked fish between hits — constant movement plus steady healing is what carries the fight.
Finishing the game after the Whale Fin drop
Grab the Whale Fin it drops
The lava whale leaves behind a Whale Fin when it dies.
Take the Whale Fin to the scientist
Return the Whale Fin to the scientist, who gives you the RHIB keys in exchange.
Start the RHIB
Use the keys to start the RHIB.
Watch the ending
Boarding the RHIB plays the game’s ending.
Achievements tied to the whale fights
Both whales feed a run of achievements. Helping the military take down the lava whale unlocks Deadliest catch — the hazmat scientist is your military contact, so there is no separate encounter to look for. Reaching the RHIB after the Whale Fin hand-in earns We are so back for finishing the game, and if you can burst either boss down within ten seconds you also get Easy.
Handyman is the tricky one, and most players read it wrong: only the final killing blow has to be a punch, not the whole fight. Shoot the lava whale down with your rifle until its health bar is as close to empty as you dare, then swap to fists and land the last hit. You will overshoot and finish it with the rifle a few times while you eyeball that sliver, so just re-run the fight — and it is far easier in co-op, where one player can hold the boss’s attention while another lands the punch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start the whale fight in How to Fish?
Give the scientist 5 fish to receive the whale bait, then use it to fish up and kill the whale.
What attacks does the whale use?
The whale charges and launches into the sky to stomp your location, so run when it shoots upward and keep dodging while you shoot.
How do you prepare for the whale boss fights?
Use Dynamite to fish up many fishes, cook them in the lava flows around the military camp, and carry as much cooked fish as possible for healing.
What happens after you throw the whale into the volcano?
Throwing the whale into the volcano spawns the lava whale, the final boss.
How do you beat the lava whale?
Use a maxed assault rifle with all attachments, dodge the lava pools, stomps, rolls, and lava meteorites, and heal with lava-cooked fish whenever you take damage.
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