How to Fish — All Controls for PC and Controller

TL;DR

• How to Fish uses a short, simple control set — movement is WASD, casting and reeling is left mouse, interacting is E, and inventory is Tab.
• Weapons share the same fire button as your fishing rod. Left-click fires or casts depending on what you have equipped.
• Explosives are inventory items, not a separate hotkey. Open Tab, equip, then throw with the fire bind.
• Xbox controllers work out of the box. PlayStation controllers need Steam Input enabled before launch or they may not be recognized.
• The game locks your input device at startup — plug in a controller before launching, not after.
• Always verify your binds in the in-game Controls menu first, as patches can reset layouts.

How to Fish Controls — Keyboard and Mouse

How to Fish launched on Steam on August 20, 2026, as a 1 to 4 player physics-based co-op game from Dazed Games. The control scheme is intentionally simple, but the physics engine means timing and technique matter more than memorising a long list of keys. Here is every confirmed default binding for keyboard and mouse.

Movement Controls

• Move — WASD: Standard WASD walking across islands and boat decks. These keys work the same whether you are on land, near the water, or boarding the boat.
• Sprint — Hold Shift: Sprinting is most useful when you need to reach the merchant quickly before a seagull steals a fish you are carrying. Do not use it as your default walk speed or you will find yourself overshooting dock edges and small platforms.
• Look / Camera — Mouse movement: The mouse controls both your camera angle and your weapon aim. There is no separate aim mode — the same look axis handles fishing camera angles and weapon hip-fire.

Fishing Controls

• Charge cast — Hold Left Mouse Button (LMB): Hold down left click to load your cast. This is a physics-based charge, not a simple power bar. The longer you hold and the angle you aim at determines where your line lands. Higher angles send the line further; lower angles keep it close to shore.
• Release cast — Release LMB: Let go of left mouse to throw the line. The trajectory follows the physics of the charge you built up.
• Reel in — Hold LMB after a bite: Once a creature bites, hold left mouse again to reel it in. Watch the tension meter — if it climbs into the red, your line snaps and you lose the creature. Pulse the button: hold for a second, release briefly, hold again. Do not just hold it flat.
• Drop carried fish — G: If you are carrying a fish and a seagull is incoming, press G to drop it immediately. This is faster than trying to shoot the seagull while holding the creature.

Combat and Weapon Controls

• Fire weapon / attack — Left Mouse Button (LMB): The same left-click button that casts and reels also fires your weapon when a gun is equipped. Switch your loadout before a boss encounter so you are not accidentally casting your rod into the fight.
• Aim down sights — Right Mouse Button (RMB): Hold right mouse to aim down sights with a scoped weapon. Scoped shots earn extra value on airborne fish. Note that the 360 no-scope achievement specifically requires killing a creature mid-360 without scoping — so hip-fire has its own important role.
• Melee attack — Left Mouse Button when melee weapon is equipped: Fists and brass knuckles use the same left-click fire bind. Melee is mainly used for the Handyman achievement run (defeating the final boss bare-handed) and for punching fish that a teammate has launched into the air.
• Equip explosives — Tab, then select from inventory: Explosives like dynamite and explosive barrels are not bound to a hotkey. Open your inventory with Tab, select the explosive, then throw or place with the fire bind. Many players get caught off-guard expecting a grenade-throw key — there is not one.
• Switch weapon / item — Scroll Wheel: Scroll the mouse wheel to cycle through your equipped items and weapons without opening the inventory each time.

Interaction and Menu Controls

• Interact — E: Use E to talk to NPCs, open shops, use the grill, interact with casino tables, enter and exit the boat, and activate any object in the world that has an interaction prompt. If something looks interactive and nothing is happening, make sure you are close enough and facing it before pressing E.
• Inventory / session menu — Tab: Opens your inventory screen to manage gear, equip items, and in co-op sessions also shows connection quality. This is also where you equip explosives before using them.
• Pause / settings — Escape: Opens the pause and settings menu. Useful for confirming which input device the game has detected if your keyboard or controller stops responding mid-session.
• Steam Overlay — Shift + Tab: Opens the Steam overlay while in-game. Useful for inviting friends to your co-op session after you have hosted a lobby. Note that some overlay tools from third-party apps like Discord or GeForce Experience can interfere with mouse capture — disable them if clicks stop registering in the world.

Full How to Fish Controls Reference Table

Here is every confirmed default binding in one place for quick reference. Always check the in-game Controls menu to confirm these — a leftover controller profile from another game can override keyboard bindings without warning.

• Move — W / A / S / D
• Sprint — Hold Shift
• Look / Aim — Mouse movement
• Charge cast — Hold Left Mouse Button
• Release cast — Release Left Mouse Button
• Reel in — Hold Left Mouse Button (after bite)
• Fire weapon — Left Mouse Button (when gun equipped)
• Aim down sights — Right Mouse Button
• Melee attack — Left Mouse Button (when melee equipped)
• Switch weapon / item — Scroll Wheel
• Drop carried fish — G
• Interact — E
• Open inventory — Tab
• Pause / settings — Escape
• Steam Overlay — Shift + Tab

How to Fish Controller Support

How to Fish has full controller support listed on the official Steam page. The game was designed from the start to work with a controller, which is why it has a Playable rating on Steam Deck at launch. Here is what you need to know for each controller type.

Xbox Controllers

Xbox controllers — including Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S pads, and third-party XInput controllers — work out of the box on Steam. Plug in via USB or connect over Bluetooth before you launch the game. The game locks its input device at startup, so connecting a controller after the game is already running may not work correctly. Restart the game after connecting if the controller is not being detected.

PlayStation Controllers (DualShock 4 and DualSense)

PlayStation controllers need a small extra step. How to Fish recognises Xbox-class XInput controllers natively. PlayStation pads use a different input protocol and need to be routed through Steam Input so the game sees them as an Xbox-layout controller.

To set this up: open Steam, go to the Library, right-click How to Fish, select Properties, then Controller, and enable Steam Input. Plug in or pair your DualShock 4 or DualSense before launching the game. If the pad is still not detected after doing this, restart Steam completely before trying again.

One important note: the game will show Xbox button prompts even when you are using a PlayStation controller through Steam Input. The physical buttons map correctly — the game just uses Xbox labels on screen. If you want PlayStation button icons to appear, DS4Windows is an alternative third-party tool that can handle this, but for most players the Steam Input route is enough to get everything working.

Steam Deck

How to Fish has a Playable rating on Steam Deck at launch. The game runs without major issues on the Deck, and the built-in controller layout maps correctly. The main reason for the Playable rather than Verified rating is that some in-game text can be small on the Deck’s screen. Most players report the game is fully enjoyable on handheld regardless. Check Steam’s controller layout section for How to Fish to confirm or customise the Deck button mapping if anything feels off.

How the Controls Actually Work in Practice

Knowing the key bindings is only half the picture. How to Fish is a physics game, and most of the skill ceiling comes from how you use the controls, not just which keys to press. Here are the practical things that matter.

Casting Is a Physics Action, Not a Power Bar

The charge cast system does not work like a traditional fishing game where you fill a meter and release at the right moment. In How to Fish, the angle you aim at before releasing the cast determines where the line lands. Aim higher to cast further from shore. Aim lower to keep the line close. Different fish species spawn at different distances, so learning to control your angle is more important than the charge duration itself.

Pulsing the Reel Button

New players often hold the reel button flat and watch their line snap repeatedly. The tension meter is there for a reason. When you see the meter climbing toward the red, release the left mouse button briefly to let tension drop, then hold again to continue reeling. Larger creatures require slower, more careful pulsing. This is the most important mechanical skill in the early game and it comes from feel rather than memorisation.

Casting and Firing Share Left Click

The overlap between casting and firing is intentional and becomes one of the game’s most satisfying mechanics. Once you have a gun equipped and a creature is airborne, the same left-click that cast your line now fires your weapon. The transition between fishing and shooting happens naturally as you switch your equipped item. Getting smooth at this swap — rod to gun mid-flight — is what enables the trick shot combos that make you serious money.

Sprint Is for Emergencies

Sprint (Shift) feels like it should be your default movement speed. It is not. Islands are not large, and sprinting near water edges or docks is a reliable way to fall in or run past the merchant. Use it specifically when a seagull is diving for a fish you are carrying and you need to reach the sell point quickly.

Aim Down Sights for Value, Hip-Fire for Speed

Scoped shots (right mouse button) pay better on airborne kills but take a moment longer to line up. Hip-fire (left-click without scoping) is faster and enough for seagulls at close range. The 360 no-scope achievement specifically rewards hip-fire — performing a full 360-degree spin and killing an airborne fish without aiming down sights. Learning when to scope and when to hip-fire is a mid-game skill that separates average money from great money per session.

Controller Binds for How to Fish

The controller layout follows standard Xbox conventions since the game reads all gamepads as Xbox input. Here are the likely default mappings based on the game’s design and confirmed Steam Input structure. Always verify them in the in-game Controls menu as patches may adjust these.

• Move — Left Stick
• Look / Aim — Right Stick
• Charge cast / Fire weapon — Right Trigger (RT)
• Aim down sights — Left Trigger (LT)
• Interact — A Button (Xbox) / Cross (PlayStation)
• Sprint — Left Stick Click or Hold
• Drop carried fish — mapped to a face button (confirm in Controls menu)
• Open inventory — Menu / Start button
• Switch weapon / item — Bumpers (LB / RB) or D-Pad
• Pause — Start / Options button

Controller players on Steam Deck may want to adjust right stick sensitivity in Steam’s controller settings for the game if aiming feels too slow or too fast for trick shots. The default sensitivity is set for a standard TV/monitor distance and may need tweaking for handheld play.

Controls Troubleshooting

If your controls stop responding or behave strangely, work through these steps in order before reinstalling.

Keyboard Input Not Working

• Press Escape and confirm that Keyboard is the active input device in the settings menu.
• Check Steam’s Launch Options for that game — a leftover command like -dx11 copied from a guide for another game can cause input issues. Clear the Launch Options field if anything is in there.
• Disable the Steam Overlay temporarily. Go to Steam Settings, then In-Game, and turn off the overlay. Some overlay conflicts prevent mouse clicks from registering in the game world even when menus work fine.
• Close third-party overlays. Discord overlay, GeForce Experience, and AMD ReLive can all capture mouse input and interfere with the game. Disable them one at a time to find the conflict.
• Verify game files. In Steam, right-click How to Fish, go to Properties, then Local Files, and click Verify Integrity of Game Files. A corrupted input mapping file after a patch is rare but does happen.

Controller Not Detected

• Plug in or pair the controller before launching the game. How to Fish locks its input device at startup.
• For PlayStation pads, enable Steam Input in the game’s Properties under Controller before launching.
• Avoid low-power USB hubs. Connect the controller directly to a powered USB port on the PC or to the Steam Deck’s USB-C with a powered hub if needed.
• If using a DualSense or DualShock 4 and the game is not responding, check that no other controller mapping software like DS4Windows or reWASD is running at the same time as Steam Input. Multiple mapping layers conflict with each other.
• If the controller was working and suddenly stopped mid-session, the game may have switched input focus to the keyboard. Press Escape to access settings and reselect your controller as the active device.

Beginner Tips That Connect to Controls

Controls and gameplay are tightly linked in How to Fish. If you are still getting to grips with the basics beyond just which key does what, our full How to Fish beginner’s guide covers the core loop, upgrade priority, trick shots, boss fights, and the biggest mistakes new players make — all in one place.

The short version: the controls are simple enough to learn in your first five minutes, but the physics behind each one — especially casting angle, reel pulsing, and the cast-to-fire swap for trick shots — take a few sessions to feel natural. Do not worry about performing 360 no-scopes on your first run. Get your rod and gun basics down first, then the fancy stuff follows.

Frequently Asked Questions