"Improving the lures increases the chances of catching a big fish, but does not guarantee success."
Lures are believed to increase the player's chances of catching larger specimens of its corresponding fish, creature or monsters. Equipping lures may be useful if a player is looking to collect more stars in a given destination, or obtain more points in competitive challenges such as tournaments, clan challenges or duels.
The first lure for a fish, creature or monster can be obtained after catching 10 of that species. Level 1 lures and above can subsequently be upgraded to higher levels and go up to a maximum of level 35. Upgrading a lure to a certain level requires (level x 2) + 10 fish and costs (level - 1) x 1000 . That is, upgrading from level 1 to level 2 requires 20 fish and 1000 
, upgrading from level 2 to level 3 requires 30 fish and 2000 , and so on.
The progress made for each lure can checked through the inventory panel, and once a lure is level 1, it can be upgraded and equipped.
Note: when a lure for a particular species is equipped, it is not possible to catch more than a 1-star fish of any other species.
Best lures to upgrade[]
Lure selection for Paradise Island
Lures are inherently expensive and it can get time-consuming and increasingly expensive to upgrade lures with higher levels. It can be tempting to upgrade lures as soon as a new level is available, so that any subsequent catches count towards the progress. However, as lures do not have a noticeable effect until they have been upgraded to a sufficiently high level, it may be wise to wait to invest in lures only after the player has built most amenities on the Home Island, unlocked all the destinations, and sufficiently invested in other useful things such as blueprints.
Depending on individual play style, a player may want to focus on upgrading some lures more than others. Below are some considerations for which lures could be prioritized:
- Lures for fish required for competitive gameplay such as tournaments, clan challenges and duels (PvP) could be useful to upgrade as these may help the player catch larger fish, leading to more points. See the table below for a full list of fish required for the different types of score challenges (more details can be found on the tournament, clan challenge and duels pages).
- Focusing on fish with a nearly 100% presence in specific spots (e.g. Bluefish and Longtail Tuna in Paradise Island, or Dorado in Costa Rica) would allow the player to quickly catch large quantities of that fish and therefore also reach high lure levels.
- Paradise Island fish are frequently required for a large number of tournaments, clan challenges and duels, and most can be caught easily in specific locations. Thus, lures for these should be prioritized.
- Lures for rare or epic fish (e.g. Whale Shark in Costa Rica) and monsters should be upgraded as soon they become available. These are often much harder to farm and may cost quite a few gems
in terms of the special and monster baits required to catch them. Each catch can be valuable and it may be a missed opportunity to not upgrade them when possible. - It does not appear to be worth investing coins into lures for most creatures (unless they are very rare), as these are rarely used for competitive challenges and do not count towards season rankings.
| Icon | Location | Tournaments | Clan challenges | Duels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paradise Island | Bluefish, Largetooth Flounder, Longtail Tuna, Spot-fin Porcupinefish, White Tuna | Bluefish, Blue Trevally, Clownfish, Green Humphead Parrotfish, Largetooth Flounder, Longtail Tuna, Spot-fin Porcupinefish, White Tuna | Bluefish, Blue Trevally, Largetooth Flounder, Longtail Tuna, Snubnose pompano, Spot-fin Porcupinefish, White Tuna |
|
Great Lakes | Brook Trout, Channel Catfish, Coho Salmon, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass | Brook Trout, Channel Catfish, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Largemouth Bass, Sea Lamprey, White Bass, Yellow Perch | Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Largemouth Bass, Pink Salmon, White Bass |
|
Costa Rica | Dorado, Roosterfish, Tarpon | Barracuda, Blue Marlin, Dorado, Pompano, Roosterfish, Snook, Tarpon, Yellowfin Tuna | Barracuda, Dorado, Pompano, Roosterfish, Snook, Tarpon |
|
Alaska | Coalfish, Lancetfish, Steelhead | Arctic Char, Dolly Varden, Rougheye Rockfish, Spiny Skate | Humpback Salmon, Rougheye Rockfish |
|
Australia | Black-saddled Coral Grouper, Common Stargazer, Golden Trevally, Spanish mackerel | - | - |
|
Scotland | Allis Shad, Carp, European Whitefish, Freshwater Bream, Lamprey, Rainbow Trout, Rudd | - | - |