How to Fish mod: Safe Loader Installation Guide

How to Fish mods are unofficial, and the correct installation depends on the loader named by the specific mod: Advanced Mod Menu uses MelonLoader 0.7.3, while Fish Magnet uses BepInEx 5.4.23.3 x64. Back up the save, close the game, follow only the matching loader path, and test one change at a time. Never place a MelonLoader DLL in BepInEx or a BepInEx plugin in the MelonLoader Mods folder.

Before installing any mod

Create a save backup before adding a loader, DLL, cheat menu, or memory editor. The provided sources do not offer an official save-safety guarantee, and listed functions can alter money, items, islands, skins, damage, and progression. A clean backup gives you a known state if the game or save behaves differently after installation.

Obtain the loader and mod from their original project pages and inspect the uploaded-file scan where available. Close How to Fish before changing files, and do not assume a mod remains compatible after a game update. Unknown DLLs should only be used in an environment you control.

Keep multiplayer consent explicit. Do not bring progression-changing or cheat-menu features into a public lobby without every participant's agreement, and remember that host-controlled behavior may differ from a solo test. Fish Magnet specifically requires every player who wants to use the magnet to have the mod.

Install Advanced Mod Menu with MelonLoader

The listed Advanced Mod Menu route requires MelonLoader 0.7.3. Use the MelonLoader installer to select How to Fish, or manually locate the game executable if automatic selection does not find it. Finish the loader installation before copying the mod archive.

1. Close How to Fish.
2. Install MelonLoader 0.7.3 for the local How to Fish executable.
3. Launch the game once so the loader creates its folders.
4. Close the game again.
5. Extract the mod archive and merge its Mods folder into the game directory.
6. Confirm the DLL is at a path similar to How to Fish\How to Fish\Mods\HowToFishModMenu.dll.
7. Relaunch and check the loader output before changing any option.

Folder depth matters. The DLL should sit inside the generated Mods folder at the level documented by the mod, not inside an extra archive folder and not under BepInEx/plugins. If the menu does not appear, verify this path before reinstalling or changing unrelated game files.

Advanced Mod Menu controls and effects

Backspace opens the menu, arrow keys navigate, and Right Shift toggles the selected option according to the mod page. Enable one option at a time and observe the result before turning on another. This makes a compatibility or save problem easier to isolate.

The listed functions include God Mode, retaining items after death, automatic perfect reels, unlimited bait, Drip variants, ammunition and damage changes, money, Roulette, islands, and skins. These are unofficial features that directly affect balance and progression. They should not be described as normal Steam or Dazed Games mechanics.

A gameplay demonstration shows the same basic MelonLoader flow and menu controls, but it does not prove compatibility with every build or multiplayer session. A setting that works for a host may not behave identically for a joining player. Treat each game update as a reason to recheck the original mod page and loader log.

Install Fish Magnet with BepInEx

Fish Magnet uses BepInEx 5.4.23.3 x64 for the 64-bit Windows game, not MelonLoader. Install BepInEx in the root folder that contains How to Fish.exe, then launch the game once to generate its directories. Close the game before extracting the Fish Magnet files.

1. Place BepInEx 5.4.23.3 x64 in the folder containing How to Fish.exe.
2. Run How to Fish once, then close it.
3. Extract Fish Magnet into How to Fish/BepInEx/plugins/.
4. Confirm the expected DLL path is BepInEx/plugins/FishMagnet/FishMagnet.dll.
5. Relaunch and inspect the BepInEx log if the plugin does not load.

Do not copy Fish Magnet to the MelonLoader Mods directory. Its folder structure and runtime belong to BepInEx, even if another How to Fish mod uses a different loader. Mixing instructions is a likely cause of a present DLL that never loads.

Use and configure Fish Magnet

In game, enter /spawn fishmagnet to obtain the item. Holding its use control pulls nearby dead fish toward the player and carries them until the control is released. The provided source does not describe it as affecting living fish or guaranteeing behavior at every distance.

The configuration file is BepInEx/config/trimlink.howtofish.fishmagnet.cfg. Documented settings cover range, pull force, fish limit, and visual effects. Change one setting at a time, restart or reload only as the mod's current behavior requires, and keep the original values available for comparison.

Every multiplayer player who wants to use the magnet needs the mod. The evidence does not establish that clients without it will see or handle every effect correctly. Test in a private session with consent before using it in a shared progression game.

Troubleshoot without mixing loaders

Begin by identifying the loader required by the exact mod archive. For MelonLoader, inspect its generated folders and confirm the DLL under Mods; for BepInEx, inspect its log and confirm the DLL under BepInEx/plugins. A loader starting successfully does not prove a plugin placed in the wrong tree can run.

• Confirm the game was launched once after installing the loader.
• Confirm the game was closed before the mod files were copied.
• Remove accidental extra archive-folder nesting from the documented path.
• Check that the loader version and Windows architecture match the mod page.
• Read the loader log after a game update.
• Revert to the save backup if progression or inventory changes unexpectedly.

To be confirmed: compatibility with the current game build, compatibility between multiple mods, exact behavior for non-host players, and whether future loader versions are supported. The cited versions and paths are requirements of the provided mod pages, not permanent recommendations for every future release. If the original mod page changes its requirements, follow that current page rather than combining old and new instructions.