How to use the fishing journal
The journal sits on the bookshelf by the outhouses on the main dock (press E) and can be opened anywhere with a hotkey; the right-hand page is the one you fish with.
The Journal is the single most useful screen in Voodoo Fishin' and the one the game explains least. It lives on a bookshelf on the main dock, next to the outhouses where you spawn, and a hotkey added in April 2026 lets you open it anywhere. Inside, every species has a two-page spread: records and rarity on the left, the information you actually fish with on the right.
Finding it, and opening it anywhere
Walk up to the bookshelf on the main dock and press E. If you cannot find the bookshelf, it is by the outhouses at the spawn point, which is also where your puppet respawns. The "Journal Anywhere" update added an input so you can read it without walking back, which matters considerably when you are three islands deep and want to check whether the fish you just caught was the variant you needed.
The left page: what you have caught
| Entry | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name and rarity | The species name, plus the rarity tier: Common → Rare → Epic → Legendary |
| NEW! tag | You just discovered this fish for the first time |
| Flavour text | Lore for the species — swamp colour, not mechanics |
| # Caught | Total number of that species you have landed |
| Largest Caught | Your personal best weight for that species |
The records half is what makes the Journal a completion tracker rather than a hint sheet. Rare variants within a species are only visible as separate entries once caught, so the "# Caught" counter creeping up is how you know you are still grinding the same common variant instead of finding the one you are missing.
The right page: what you fish with
- Stats — quick bars for Fight, Run and Endurance. Longer bars mean a tougher catch, which is your warning before you commit a good bait to something that will drag your rod into the mud.
- Water Depth — where the fish lives in the water column. Swap reels to change depth; this is the line most players skip and the reason "this spot has nothing" happens.
- Bait Preference — icons for the bait tags that species likes. More matches is better; you do not need all of them.
- Found In — habitat icons for where the fish is typically found. This is the detective board: cross-reference it with the habitat tags and you have a working search plan.
A worked example
The developer-written Journal guide walks through a bounty fish to show the whole process: pick a fish whose entry wants Pelagic or Top water and bait tags like Rhythmic and Reflective, then set your reel to a depth that covers at least one of those layers, then pick the bait that matches the most tags you can. The key sentence from that guide is worth repeating: a Top/Pelagic reel does not raise your chance of hooking the fish on its own — it opens up the possible list of fish you are targeting. Depth is about eligibility, tags are about odds.
What the Journal does not promise
It does not guarantee a fish is currently biting. The journal shows the habitats where a species can be found; activity is a separate thing, which is why a player can do everything right and still be skunked. Rotate spots, change depth before you change bait, and use chum on water your crew has hammered all night. And if you are hunting a variant rather than a species, the fish list is the quick reference for what the eighteen species are called in the first place.
Player screenshot — by Melinoë via Steam Community
Sources
- Fishing Journal 101: Baits, Habitats, and How to Hunt Your Target (developer written) — https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3674836469
- Journal Anywhere is Here! (2026-04-29) — journal hotkey anywhere — https://steamcommunity.com/app/3071240/allnews/
- "Feedback and Question About Fish Guide Accuracy" — player explanation of fish activity, Steam discussions — https://steamcommunity.com/app/3071240/discussions/0/798966745989660038/
- Tackle Guide: Rods, Reels, and Bait (developer written) — depth and rarity behaviour — https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3674264340
Voodoo Fishin' Guide is an unofficial fan resource. Voodoo Fishin' is developed and published by Lost Arcade.
