The quickest way to farm cash on Island 2 is a tight loop: buy the shotgun and max its bullet damage, equip the beginner lure, then reel each catch into the shallow inland pond behind your casting spot and shoot it before it flops away — sell everything to bankroll the dynamite you need for the Giant Piranha.
Island 2 is where How to Fish turns into a real money game, and the fastest way to build a bankroll here is a repeatable shooting loop with the cheapest gear the shop sells. You set up once, then cast, trap, and shoot on repeat, selling every fish to the vendor. The whole point is to stack enough currency for the dynamite you’ll throw at the Giant Piranha, so the farm below is built to pay for that fight.
Gear to buy and equip before the farm
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Shotgun | $150 |
| Beginner Lure | $3 |
| Dynamite | ~$25 each |
This is a one-time setup, separate from the loop itself. Head to the weapon stand and buy the Shotgun for $150, then spend a little more at the bullet station to push its damage as high as the island allows — the upgrade caps at Maxed for this island, which is all you need here. The shotgun’s close-range spread is what makes the pond trick work; it is the strongest weapon for the early-to-mid game.
Skip the pistol for this method. It is the weaker choice for pond shooting — shots miss more, and when a fish flops toward the trees the pellets catch bark instead of scales. Then grab the Beginner Lure for just $3 and keep it equipped for every cast. Do not fish without it: the better lure pulls in better fish, which means better money per catch.
How to run the shotgun cash loop on Island 2 in How to Fish
This is the loop that fills your wallet — cast into the ocean, trap each fish in the pond behind you, and shoot it before it flops away.
STEP 1/4
Head to the grassy casting spot
Stand at the shallow inlet on the island edge, with the small inland pond right behind you.
STEP 2/4
Cast your line into the ocean
Throw out from the edge with the beginner lure equipped and wait for a catch.
STEP 3/4
Drop the catch in the pond behind you
Reel in, turn around, and press R to drop the creature into the shallow water so it lingers instead of fleeing.
STEP 4/4
Switch to the shotgun and fire
Shooting takes time and fish jump hard, so the contained pond is what makes the kill land — then sell the carcass to the vendor and cast again.
Key The trick that carries this loop is the pond behind your casting spot. Fish dropped into that shallow water think they’re still in the sea, so they stay put far longer than they would on the grass, giving you the seconds you need to line up the shotgun. It is not instant — piranhas in particular thrash all over the place — but calmer catches like the cod and gar barely move, so plenty of kills go down fast.
Drop every catch into the shallow pond behind you before shooting — the fish stays contained and stops fleeing, turning a wild, time-wasting chase into an easy point-blank kill.
Video help
What you’ll reel in and how to boost each sale
The star payout here is the Sunfish, a friendly optional boss that doesn’t attack you and takes whatever you throw at it. You do not need a boss lure to hook it — the plain Beginner Lure surfaces it just fine, and it sells for around $63. Between those, expect ordinary catches: goldfish, goby (about $13), piranha, cod, and gar, all of which sell to the vendor for steady cash.
You can squeeze more out of each fish with the Killscore system. The way you finish a kill raises its sale value — trick shots, no-scopes, point-blank blasts, airborne hits, and last-bullet finishes stack into a larger multiplier. It matters most on the Sunfish, where a well-styled kill with modifiers like a 360 no-scope and a last-bullet finish pushes its value past $100.
Drop rates vary, so treat this as a repeat-farm route. A hot streak of two Sunfish and back-to-back goldfish is an unusually lucky run, not the normal per-cast rate. Judge the farm on how steadily the smaller catches add up rather than on the jackpots.
Saving up for the Giant Piranha fight
All of this cash is for one thing: dynamite. At roughly $25 each, you stack a pile of them on the Giant Piranha — the island’s boss, reached through the Lady by the Lake. Catch three leeches and feed them to her, and she hands back a modified lure; equip it and reel in to trigger the fight. The Giant Piranha spawns with minions, so clear those first, then unload. It drops the Giant Piranha Skeleton, which you carry back to the Lady by the Lake.
Bank around 500 currency for a stockpile of about 20 dynamites before starting the fight — that’s a personal target, not a fixed cost, so buy as many as you’re comfortable throwing rather than treating the number as a rule.
Related How to Fish guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a boss lure to catch the Sunfish?
No. The Sunfish surfaces on the plain Beginner Lure — no special boss lure required. It’s a friendly boss that won’t fight back, so once it’s hooked you just drop it in the pond and shoot it like any other catch.
Is the shotgun really better than the pistol for this?
Yes. The Shotgun is the better weapon for pond shooting — its close-range spread lands kills the pistol struggles with, and it stays strong well into the mid game. The pistol misses more and catches trees when a fish flops out of the water.
How much cash should you save before taking on the Giant Piranha?
Enough for a solid dynamite stack. One workable target is roughly 500 currency for about 20 dynamites, though even 10 to 15 gives you a real shot. Since each stick runs about $25, buy as many as you can afford before triggering the fight.
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