How to Fish Trick Shots: Guide, Tips & Practice

Q: What is a trick shot in How to Fish?

A trick shot is a stylized kill — airborne fish plus stacked medals like headshot, no-scope, 360 and one-shot. Stacking them raises the killscore multiplier up to 5x ("Impressive"), which directly increases what the fish sells for.

Q: Do trick shots make fish worth more?

Yes. Payout is kill score plus sell price, so a mid fish killed at 5x can sell like a late-game fish killed plainly. Style literally pays.

Q: How do I practice trick shots?

Start with slow, predictable fish (mackerel, flying fish), use the solo combo — reel to launch the fish, swap to your gun mid-air, then shoot — and drill the timing in our free browser simulator.

Q: Is the simulator the same as in-game physics?

No. Our Trick Shot Simulator is a simplified, fan-made practice tool inspired by the game — angles, power and water bounces. It is not affiliated with Dazed Games.

Trick shots aren't just a flex in How to Fish — they're the fastest way to make money. Here's how the killscore system works, how to land the shots, and how to practice them for free.

Last updated: Aug 25, 2026 · compiled from launch-week Steam community guides

What are trick shots?

In How to Fish, a trick shot is any kill that stacks style medals on top of a normal catch. The Steam store page lists "hit trick shots" right next to fishing, killing and selling as a core activity — this is a designed mechanic, not a meme. The medals that matter:

Airborne — the fish is in the air when it dies.
Headshot, no-scope, 360, one-shot — classic shooter medals, but for fish.

Stack enough of them and you hit the top combo — "Impressive" — worth a5x killscore multiplier on a single kill.

Killscore: why style pays

A fish's payout is kill score + sell price. Kill score comes from stacking medals while the fish is airborne:

A mid fish killed with a 5x "Impressive" combo sells like a late-game fish killed plainly.
Chasing multipliers beats chasing rare species early — volume plus style is the launch-week money meta.
The "Impressive" achievement itself unlocks at a 5x killscore on one kill.

Full economy breakdown lives in our money guide.

How to practice trick shots

Pick easy targets first. Mackerel on Island 2 and Flying Fish on Island 4 are community favorites — slow arcs, predictable paths.
Learn the solo combo: reel hard to launch the fish into the air, swap to your gun mid-air, spin, and shoot. Scoping is the fail for the 360 no-scope medal.
In co-op, split the work: one player launches the fish, the other flicks the airborne shot. Two-player trick shots are the most reliable way to stack full medals.
Drill the timing outside the game with a simple arc-and-bounce trainer (below) so the in-game shots feel natural.

Common mistakes

Scoping on the 360. The "360 no scope" achievement requires hip fire — scoping is the fail.
Shooting the ground kill by reflex. The "Noob" achievement wants a plain kill, but every other money kill wants air time.
Waiting for perfect fish. Stack medals on whatever's airborne; the multiplier matters more than the species early.
Wasting dynamite on single fish. Bombs are for volume; lures and multipliers are for value. Don't mix the two goals.

Practice in the Trick Shot Simulator

Want to practice? Try our fan-made Trick Shot Simulator — a free browser mini game with angle, power and water-bounce controls across 5 levels. It's a simplified training tool inspired by How to Fish, not a copy of the in-game physics.

🎯 Play Trick Shot Simulator

Quick tips

Water bounces are the secret sauce — skipping your hook off the surface reaches fish behind rocks and under overhangs.
Guns over rods for money — the rod is just the launch platform; the gun is the money maker.
Use the Fish Finder to plan which species you'll farm on each island, then practice the shot shape in the simulator.
Track your grind with the Progress Tracker so you know what's left for Collector and Fishipedia.

FAQ

What is a trick shot in How to Fish?

A stylized kill: airborne fish plus stacked medals (headshot, no-scope, 360, one-shot) that multiply your killscore up to 5x.

Do trick shots make fish worth more?

Yes. Payout is kill score plus sell price, so a 5x mid fish can outsell a plain late-game fish.

How do I practice trick shots?

Start with mackerel and flying fish, learn the reel-launch → gun-swap → hip-fire combo, and drill timing in our free simulator.

Is the simulator the same as in-game physics?

No — it's a simplified fan-made training tool inspired by the game, not affiliated with Dazed Games.