You can actually catch every fish in Starsand Island once you know these exact timings

Why fishing in Starsand Island is worth mastering

After burning through my first in-game week in Starsand Island barely catching anything, fishing suddenly “clicked” once I understood how strict the game is about time, season, bait and weather. The fishing itself is simple, but the rules around it are not. This guide pulls together what I wish I’d had on day one: how to unlock fishing, how the cast-and-reel minigame really works, and a single reference list for every fish, including location, bait, spawn times, seasons, and weather.

If you follow this step by step, you can start right after getting your permit at AquaBlue Outpost and work methodically toward a complete fish collection instead of wandering from pond to pond hoping for RNG miracles.

Step 1 – Unlock fishing, Starsand Port, and yacht rental

I lost a bunch of time early on looking for a rod vendor that simply doesn’t exist until you follow the intended progression. Here’s the path that finally worked for me:

• Reach AquaBlue Outpost as part of the main progression.
• Talk to Fishing Mentor Delphin (the NPC with the fish icon above his head).
• Complete his dialogue to receive your Fishing Permit and basic fishing rod.
• Head to the ruined harbor and talk to Marston to start “Starsand Port Construction.”
• Bring the materials he asks for and finish the port reconstruction.
• Once the port is restored, speak to the dockhand to rent a yacht for offshore fishing.

Freshwater lakes and rivers are accessible as soon as you have the permit and rod, but many of the big-money ocean species (Tuna, Mola Mola, Dolphinfish, etc.) are realistically only reachable once you can take the yacht out. I recommend finishing Starsand Port Construction as soon as you unlock fishing so you’re not bottlenecked later when you need specific ocean-only fish.

Step 2 – Master the cast-and-reel minigame

I struggled with the fishing not because the fish were rare, but because I was doing the basics wrong. What finally worked was slowing down and treating each catch like a little rhythm game.

Here’s the full flow I use now on both land and yacht:

• Equip rod and bait – Put the fishing rod on your quick bar, then select a bait type (Bug, Veggie, Meat). If a fish accepts “All,” any bait works.
• Find ripples – Walk or sail until you see circular ripples on the water surface. These are active fishing spots; casting into still water is wildly less efficient.
• Aim and cast – Stand near the edge, face the ripples, then tap and hold the fishing rod icon to aim your cast. Release to throw the line.
• Wait for a bite – Don’t mash buttons. When a fish takes the bait, you’ll see the float dip and get a clear bite animation.
• Reeling minigame – This is where most people (including me at first) lose the fish:
  • When the line indicator is white, hold to reel in.
  • When the indicator turns red, release immediately to avoid breaking tension.
  • Repeat this “reel on white, let go on red” rhythm until the fish is pulled all the way in.

Don’t make my early mistake of trying to brute-force the reel by holding non-stop. The game punishes that with snapped lines and lost fish, especially on heavier ocean species. Short, patient reeling bursts are far safer.

Quick prep tip: Before a big fishing session, I stock at least one stack of each bait type. There’s nothing worse than finding the perfect rainstorm for Lionfish and realizing you only packed Meat.

How to use the fish lists below

The lists are grouped by water type, which matches what I’ve seen in-game:

• Lake – Still inland lakes and ponds.
• River / River Lake – Flowing rivers and connected basins.
• Ocean – Coastal sea, Starsand Port area, and yacht-accessible zones like Coral Sea / Luminwave.

Each entry includes: Location; Bait; Time; Season; Weather. Times use the in-game 24-hour clock and often run past midnight (for example 06:00–02:00 means 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. next day). Seasons and weather must both match for a fish to be eligible.

Lake fish (still water)

These are your early-game comfort picks. Lakes are great for learning timing because most lake fish have generous spawn windows.

• Betta – Location: Lake; Bait: Bug; Time: 10:00–22:00; Season: Summer; Weather: Sunny.
• Bighead Carp – Lake; Bait: Veggie, Meat; Time: 06:00–22:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Bitterling – Lake; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Chinese Perch – Lake; Bait: Veggie; Time: 10:00–00:00; Season: Autumn; Weather: Sunny.
• Cichlid – Lake; Bait: Bug, Veggie; Time: 08:00–20:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Green Sunfish – Lake; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 10:00–02:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Kissing Gourami – Lake; Bait: Veggie, Meat; Time: 10:00–00:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Pumpkinseed – Lake; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 10:00–00:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Silver Carp – Lake; Bait: Bug, Veggie; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Topmouth Cutter – Lake; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Velora Cichlid – Lake; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: All.

I like to use lakes in Spring and Summer to stockpile easy catches and practice the tension rhythm before moving on to fussier river and ocean windows.

River and River Lake fish

Rivers add more split time windows and seasonal variety. Many of these fish share bait types, so bringing a mix of Bug and Meat covers most of what you’ll see.

• Archerfish – River; Bait: Bug, Veggie; Time: 06:00–20:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Chinese Hooksnout Carp – River; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Clown Featherback – River; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 06:00–12:00, 18:00–00:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Four-Eyed Sleeper – River; Bait: Veggie, Meat; Time: 10:00–02:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Glass Bloodfin Tetra – River; Bait: Bug, Veggie; Time: 06:00–20:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Giant Barb – River; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Giant River Prawn – River; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Holland’s Carp – River; Bait: Bug; Time: 10:00–00:00; Season: Autumn; Weather: Sunny.
• Leaffish – River; Bait: Meat, Veggie; Time: 12:00–02:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Magnificent Killifish – River; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 06:00–00:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Motoro Stingray – River; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Payara – River; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 06:00–12:00, 18:00–00:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Red Carp – River; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Tilapia – River; Bait: Bug; Time: 10:00–22:00; Season: Summer; Weather: Sunny.
• Zander – River; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.

Motoro Stingray and Giant Barb became my go-to river targets when I wanted steady progress on the fish log, since they’re fairly flexible on time and weather compared to the split-time species.

Ocean and offshore fish (port & yacht)

Once Starsand Port is rebuilt and you can rent the yacht, the real money makers open up. Ocean fish are more demanding about weather and season, but the payoffs like Tuna and Mola Mola are worth the setup.

• Butterflyfish – Ocean; Bait: Bug, Veggie; Time: 06:00–20:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Boxfish – Ocean; Bait: Veggie, Meat; Time: 08:00–22:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Brown Tiger Prawn – Ocean; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Clownfish – Ocean; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Discus – Ocean; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 06:00–12:00, 16:00–00:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Foureye Butterflyfish – Ocean; Bait: Bug; Time: 12:00–02:00; Season: Summer; Weather: Sunny.
• Greasybak Shrimp – Ocean; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Lionfish – Ocean; Bait: Veggie; Time: 10:00–20:00; Season: Summer; Weather: Rainy.
• Mackerel – Ocean; Bait: Veggie; Time: 12:00–20:00; Season: Autumn; Weather: Rainy.
• Moorish Idol – Ocean; Bait: Bug, Veggie; Time: 06:00–18:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Orangespine Unicornfish – Ocean; Bait: Veggie, Meat; Time: 12:00–02:00; Seasons: Autumn, Winter; Weather: All.
• Red Porgy – Ocean; Bait: Meat; Time: 10:00–22:00; Season: Autumn; Weather: Sunny.
• Redfish – Ocean; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 06:00–12:00, 18:00–00:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Tiger Puffer – Ocean; Bait: Veggie, Meat; Time: 14:00–00:00; Seasons: Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Spinefoot – Ocean; Bait: Bug, Meat; Time: 06:00–14:00, 00:00–02:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Yellowtail Damselfish – Ocean; Bait: Bug, Veggie; Time: 08:00–20:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Blue Tang – Ocean; Bait: Veggie; Time: 08:00–18:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Humphead Wrasse – Ocean; Bait: Meat; Time: 08:00–18:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Sardine – Ocean; Bait: Veggie; Time: 08:00–18:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Dolphinfish – Ocean; Bait: Meat; Time: 08:00–18:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Ribbon Eel – Ocean; Bait: Meat; Time: 20:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Mola Mola – Ocean; Bait: Meat; Time: 08:00–18:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.
• Tuna – Ocean; Bait: Meat; Time: 08:00–18:00; Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn; Weather: Sunny, Rainy.
• Pearl Glowfish – Special pools; Bait: All; Time: 06:00–02:00; Seasons: All; Weather: All.

Pearl Glowfish are the odd ones out. In my runs, they show up in glowing “rare” pools, especially around forested areas at night. Each pool has a limited quota (roughly 6–12 fish) before it dries up, so squeeze as many catches as you can once you find one.

Dealing with conflicting info and patch changes

Because Starsand Island is still evolving, some early community guides list slightly different bait or season requirements for a few species (Betta and Motoro Stingray in particular). The timings and bait above are what I’ve personally confirmed in the current build, but here’s how I double-check whenever a patch drops:

• Use your in-game fish journal to confirm whether a catch counted for the log.
• If a fish refuses a listed bait for several in-game hours, try one of the other bait types it is rumored to accept.
• Cross-check with recent discussions on the official Discord, Steam forum, or current YouTube runs for your game version.
• Assume anything about rare-pool behavior (like Glowfish spots) is the most likely to change between updates.

When in doubt, test during the broadest overlapping window: many species are active from 06:00–02:00 in two adjacent seasons. Camping one good river or ocean spot through a full in-game day cycle has cleared up almost every conflict for me.

Final tips to finish your fish collection

• Plan by season – Focus lakes in Spring/Summer, rivers in Autumn/Winter, then mop up ocean seasonals with yacht trips.
• Watch the weather – Rain-only fish like Lionfish and Mackerel are easy to miss if you ignore the sky.
• Carry all bait types – One stack each of Bug, Veggie and Meat saves you from wasting perfect time windows.
• Upgrade your rod when possible – Heavier ocean fish are much easier once you’ve progressed your fishing gear.
• Fish rare pools aggressively – For Pearl Glowfish-style spots, don’t leave until the pool runs dry.

Once I started respecting the clock, weather, and bait rules, filling out the fish log went from frustrating to oddly relaxing. If you use this guide as a checklist and line up your trips with the right seasons and conditions, you’ll be reeling in every species Starsand Island has to offer long before your friends even finish their first Betta hunt.