Starsand Island King Fish: All 6 Fish Kings, Where & When

There are exactly six King fish in Starsand Island — the developer’s February 2026 overview calls them “Legendary Fish Kings”, the codex tags them rarity V, and searches for “fish king”, “kingfish” and “king fish” all mean the same list. Two live in the river, one in the Moonlit Forest lake pool, and one in each of the three open seas. Catching any two completes the Expert Angler quest. The table below is the “list of king fish with criteria” most players are after; the sections after it cover each fish and the King Glowfish specifically.

The criteria come from the game’s fish data (which already includes Version 1.0 strings) cross-checked with the official announcement and community King-fish guides written during Early Access; nothing in the 1.0 patch notes so far changes the list.

All six King fish at a glance

Naming: the official overview writes “Dreamscape Lake” and “Coralwave Sea”; the in-game location data says Dreamfall Garden and Coral Sea. Same places. One popular video guide says “seven kingfish” in passing — the data and the announcement both say six.

Every King can be placed in a fish pond and lays eggs; note that Glowfish (King) and the Dragonfish only use 1 oxygen, so they fit even a small pond (see fish pond guide).

Expert Angler: “catch 2 king fish”

The Expert Angler certification quest at AquaBlue Outpost asks for two King fish, not necessarily different species. Two Paddlefish count. Practical order most players settle on:

1. Paddlefish first — river, Spring or Winter, 6:00–22:00, any weather, Bug or Veggie Bait. It is reachable on day one from the river/waterfall near town, with no boat required.
2. Swordfish second — Coral Sea, all year, daytime (6:00–18:00), any weather, Meat Bait. Daytime hours make it the least disruptive sea King; you need the ferry unlocked (Starsand Port built + Delphin’s 30-grape request).

If your calendar is in Summer/Autumn, Arapaima replaces Paddlefish as the river option (noon to 2 AM, sunny or rainy). Community estimates put King bites at roughly one in a hundred hooks in the right conditions, so bring stacks of bait and a stamina buffer (each cast costs 10 stamina). The Workpedia skill Rare Bites raises rare-bite odds in daytime, and Hooked on Fate lets you fish open water at sea without waiting for a shadow.

Gear: no King lists a rod requirement; players simply fish with the best rod they own (see the rod table). Version 1.0’s Multiplayer Shop sells a Legendary Fishing Rod (600 Multiplayer Coins) whose description is literally about fighting fish kings. A Fishing Net cannot take a King; rod only.

River Kings: Paddlefish and Arapaima

Both are found in ordinary river water on the main island — no Moonlit Forest, no boat. They split the calendar between them: Paddlefish covers Spring and Winter with a generous 6:00–22:00 window in any weather (Bug or Veggie Bait); Arapaima covers Summer and Autumn from noon through 2 AM in sunny or rainy weather (Veggie or Meat Bait). Arapaima sells for 782g, Paddlefish for 733g. Between them you can hunt a river King in every season of the year.

King Glowfish (Glowfish (King))

The most-searched King, and the most valuable fish in the game at 1,607g.

• Where: Dreamfall Garden inside Moonlit Forest — the pool by the camp with the waterfall and the “bubble bridge”. Players report casting from the rocks near the waterfall (you can walk behind it) and at the bubble-bridge pool; a second Glowfish spot is the Darkwater Shore waterfall, though the King variant is tied to Dreamfall Garden in the data. Names like “Spore Cascade” or “Spiritshade River” that circulate in old guides are not in-game locations.
• When: Autumn only, 0:00–2:00, sunny or rainy weather (no King in snow, and autumn has no snow anyway). That is a two-hour window per autumn night.
• Bait: Bug Bait (Protein Powder 1 + Flour 2 at the Chopper, or 45g each at AquaBlue).
• Odds: one Reddit report needed around 300 fish before the King appeared. Expect many Pearl Glowfish (rarity I, all year) in between.
• Pond: oxygen value 1 — the cheapest King to keep, and it lays eggs.

The other Glowfish variants (Pearl, Fringetail, Comet) are not Kings but share the same pool; the Intermediate Angler trial only wants one of those. All four are listed with seasons on the rare fish locations page.

Sea Kings: Megamouth Shark, Dragonfish, Swordfish

All three need the ferry (The Parrot) from Starsand Port and all three take Meat Bait.

• Megamouth Shark (King) — Luminwave. All year, 20:00–24:00 and 0:00–2:00, any weather. 1,051g, pond oxygen 5.
• Long-barbelled Dragonfish (King) — Celestwave. Same all-year night window, any weather. 1,051g, pond oxygen 1.
• Swordfish (King) — Coral Sea. All year, 6:00–18:00, any weather. 826g, pond oxygen 5. An Early Access patch (0.5.1822) fixed a mismatch between the codex and quest bait listings for this fish; Meat Bait is the current value.

The two night Kings are the time sink: sail out around 20:00, fish until 2:00, sail back. Swordfish is the “do it in daylight” option.

FAQ

How many king fish are there?

Six. Paddlefish, Arapaima, Glowfish (King), Megamouth Shark (King), Long-barbelled Dragonfish (King) and Swordfish (King). Each of the three seas has one, the river has two, Dreamfall Garden’s lake water has one.

What is the easiest king fish to catch?

Paddlefish — river water next to town, Spring or Winter, 6:00–22:00, any weather, from the start of the game. Among sea Kings, Swordfish (all year, daytime) costs the least sleep.

Do the two king fish for Expert Angler have to be different?

No. Any two Kings, duplicates allowed.

Which king fish sells for the most?

Glowfish (King) at 1,607g, then Megamouth Shark and Dragonfish at 1,051g each. Whether to sell or pond them is discussed on the money-making guide.

Related guides

• Fishing guide: rods, bait, traps, Angler quests
• Glowfish, Zander, Tuna & other rare fish locations
• Fish pond guide
• Moonlit Forest map and zones
• Trials guide

Last reviewed: August 23, 2026 — sources: official Steam announcement (Feb 6, 2026), game fish data export, community King-fish guides and videos, Reddit player reports.