How to Fish locks your path to Island 4 behind one of its trickier item chains. To reach Rocks Island, you need to defeat the Pufferfish Boss. To summon the Pufferfish Boss, you need the Carrot Lure. To get the Carrot Lure, you need to know exactly what to hand the Tourist NPC on Desert Island. The whole chain is straightforward once you know the steps, so here is everything you need to get the Carrot and move on.
How do you get the Carrot Lure in How to Fish?
The Carrot Lure comes from the Tourist NPC sitting at the base of one of the palm trees on Desert Island (Island 3). Walk up and talk to him and he will ask you to bring him an endangered fish. That label appears directly on fish in your inventory, so you can tell at a glance whether a catch qualifies.
How to Fish Guide: How to Get the Carrot Lure
The good news is that any fish caught on Desert Island has a chance of being endangered, and the pink Standard Lure is your best tool for farming them. The Seahorse is a confirmed species that counts toward the Tourist's request, so if you are unsure what to target, start there.
Every endangered fish you hand over earns you one Carrot. There is no cap, so if you want a stockpile before triggering the boss fight, keep fishing and keep delivering. Each Carrot works as a single-use lure, so having extras is never a bad idea.
How to Fish Guide: How to Get the Carrot Lure
How to spawn the Pufferfish Boss
Once the Carrot is in your inventory, open your loadout and equip it as your active lure. Cast your line anywhere on Desert Island. The Carrot Lure has a 100% spawn rate for the Pufferfish Boss, meaning the fight triggers every single time you use one. No RNG, no failed attempts.
This makes it worth thinking before you cast. Make sure your weapon is ready and you have a plan for the fight before the boss appears.
How to beat the Pufferfish Boss
After testing the Pufferfish fight from multiple angles, the biggest mistake players make is getting too close. This boss punishes short range. Here is what actually works.
Weapon choice
Ranged weapons are the only sensible option here. The SMG is the strongest pick, but any ranged weapon gets the job done. Melee is not worth the risk given the boss's poison mechanics.
How to Fish Guide: How to Get the Carrot Lure
Positioning and movement
Pull the Pufferfish toward the palm trees on the island. The trees break up the boss's movement and give you natural cover to work with. Keeping distance is the priority throughout the entire fight.
The white bar mechanic
Below the Pufferfish's HP bar sits a secondary white bar. Letting this bar run out before the boss dies is a failure state, so keep your damage output consistent. Do not stop to loot or reposition for too long.
What do you get after defeating the Pufferfish Boss?
The Pufferfish drops several items when it dies. Pick up the Pufferfish Fin from the loot and bring it back to the Tourist NPC. He will reward you with the coordinates for Rocks Island (Island 4), which is exactly what you need to continue the game.
This completes the Tourist's quest and opens the next stage of the game. The whole sequence, from catching your first endangered fish to handing over the Fin, can be done in a single session if you stay focused.
How to Fish Guide: How to Get the Carrot Lure
For everything else the game throws at you, the full How to Fish guides collection covers bosses, trophies, and more. If the Pufferfish gave you trouble, the Pufferfish Boss guide breaks down the fight in full detail, and the complete boss guide covers every encounter from Spider Crab to Magma Whale.