How to Fish Radar Guide: Get, Use, Upgrade & Fix Island Markers

The Radar is an early navigation tool in How to Fish. Multiple current guides place the first handheld Radar at the Lighthouse Keeper for $10. Equip it as an active item to read the map and follow discovered island destinations.

Later, on Rocks, you can buy the Boat Radar for $200. It mounts the display on the boat dashboard so you can navigate without keeping the handheld Radar in your hands.

For your first Radar, current walkthroughs consistently point to the Lighthouse: look near the Lighthouse Keeper and buy the handheld Radar for $10. It is a cheap early purchase and is worth picking up before you begin regular island travel.

One current guide, Game8, also reports Radar availability through island item shops. If you skipped the Lighthouse purchase or need another Radar later, check the current shop stock in your build or return to the Lighthouse rather than assuming the item is permanently lost.

Players often search for a How to Fish fish finder, but current guides do not describe the Radar in exactly the same way. Some guides say the handheld Radar can help spot fish as well as navigate, while others treat its main role as island and route navigation.

The practical rule is simple: use the Radar first as a navigation tool. If you are looking for one exact species, lure, or creature spawn, use the Fish & Lures database instead of relying on the Radar alone.

The Boat Radar is a later convenience upgrade sold on Rocks, the fourth main progression island. Current guides place it in the small red shack below the Lucky Bait Company area for $200.

The main benefit is not a new island unlock. The Boat Radar moves the map onto the dashboard, freeing your hands for a weapon or fishing rod while you travel.

If the Radar looks broken, the problem is often progression rather than the device itself. Defeating a boss may not be the final step: make sure the required quest item or trophy was collected and handed to the correct NPC, then check the Radar again.

For the full story requirements, use the complete walkthrough. For the route and marker colors, use the island map.

The main route uses colored Radar destination markers. Our current map guide tracks the progression as Lighthouse → Forest → Desert → Rocks → Volcano, with Forest, Desert, Rocks, and Volcano represented by the route markers used during progression.

If an older screenshot shows an X marker, do not treat it as a treasure location or a secret island. Official Patch 1.0.10 removed the X from the Radar and explained that it represented the position where the player last died; the developers removed it because it was confusing.

Patch 1.0.5 fixed a bug that allowed players to travel to islands before unlocking them. That means launch-week island-skip videos may no longer describe the current progression route.

Patch 1.0.10 removed the old last-death X marker from the Radar. Patch 1.0.11 is the latest official patch checked for this page; its published notes do not list a Radar-specific progression change.

Where is the Radar in How to Fish?
The first handheld Radar is reported at the Lighthouse Keeper area for $10.

How much does the Radar cost?
The handheld Radar costs $10. The later Boat Radar upgrade is reported at $200.

Where is the Boat Radar?
On Rocks, in the small red shack below the Lucky Bait Company area.

Why is my next island not showing on the Radar?
Check the previous island's full progression chain, including the required trophy or quest-item hand-in. A boss kill by itself may not register the next destination.

What happened to the X marker?
Patch 1.0.10 removed it. The developers said it showed your last death position and was causing confusion.

Do I need a stronger engine to unlock a new Radar marker?
No known current progression rule ties island unlocks to engine speed. Story progression and hand-ins are the important checks.