TOOLS & CONTROLS · FIELD GUIDE

Harpoon fishing: keep holding until the eel reels in.

Checked October 16, 2026 · Full game · Source-based guide

The reported action, in order

1. Have the Harpoon ready and wait until the ordinary eel is visible.
2. Aim and fire at it, then continue holding the firing action instead of immediately releasing it.
3. Keep holding through the reel-in. If the Harpoon never fires, compare the host/guest branch below instead of assuming the reel action was wrong.

The reply describes an action, not a named keyboard key or controller trigger. Use the binding shown by your current layout; the thread does not establish one universal button across platforms.^[1]

Does it fire for the host but not the guest?

mordeelhuehue reports that exact difference while trying to catch Moray Eels in a friend’s world. There was no solution reply in the sampled thread.^[2] Use the guest Bow and Harpoon checks to record that difference. Holding longer is not a verified fix for a shot that never launches.

A regular eel and the Giant Moray Eel are different targets

This reel action answers the ordinary-eel fishing question. For the boss and its Guarana Gem, see the drain-water combat check. A fish-catching instruction does not establish how to damage a boss.

Full-game Steam discussions; player platforms and exact patch are unspecified. One direct instructional answer with an acknowledgment, not a site-tested catch, all-platform control chart or Harpoon acquisition route.