Flyfish

Flyfish are Boss Salmonids that appear in Salmon Run and Salmon Run Next Wave.

Description
They consist of a single Smallfry piloting an Inkjet-like contraption to fly around. Flyfish will stop to fire a barrage of up to eight missiles; similar to the Tenta Missiles, these can lock on to up to two players at a time. A direct hit from a missile results in an instant splat. A Flyfish has two launchers that fire the missiles. Players need to throw a Splat Bomb into each launcher (or by other alternatives shown in Statistics) while the lids are open and the missiles are firing. Once the missile launchers are destroyed, the Flyfish drops its Golden Eggs.

Quotes
The following text is quoted from the Salmonid Field Guide.


 * Basic Information
 * Each flank is equipped with missile launchers capable of firing up to four missiles each.
 * Uses jet propulsion technology to hover about.
 * Covered in ink-repelling armor.


 * Attack Behavior
 * Capable of locking on to two targets and firing up to four missiles from each missile launcher.


 * Elimination
 * Throw a bomb into one of the missile launchers to destroy it.
 * Take out both of its missile launchers to bring down the Flyfish.


 * Supporting Information
 * The latest model of weapon from leading Salmonid engineers.
 * Only the most elite Smallfry are selected to undergo the special training to become Flyfish pilots.
 * Equipped with a space-grade reaction control system on each flank to enable a smooth, stable hover.

Tips

 * Flyfish are one of four Boss Salmonids that can attack players without having close proximity to them, the others being the Stinger, the Drizzler and the Big Shot.
 * If being targeted by missiles, players should stay away from the basket so crewmates can deliver eggs safely.
 * Players should also stay away from crewmates using the Sting Ray.
 * Players need to coordinate which player will throw a bomb in which missile launcher. This can be done by observing which missile launcher the other player is closer to, and safely assuming that it is the one they will destroy.
 * In freelance where communication is limited, ideally, the teammates standing next to each other should take the respective launchers in front of them.
 * In higher hazard levels, it is more effective to only destroy one of the missile launchers to keep the Flyfish alive, as the boss spawn rate is higher and it takes a lot of resources to take down a Flyfish. This will prevent new Flyfish from spawning, as the game only allows up to four Boss Salmonids of the same kind to stay in-game at any given time.
 * Dubbed by the overfishing community, such techniques are called crippling.
 * Flyfish can only fire 4 missiles with one basket.
 * A crippled Flyfish whose blue basket has been destroyed (viewer's left, Flyfish's right) can only target one player, so keeping control of where missiles are launched is a good thing to think about. (Explained in Trivia)
 * It is possible for a player to destroy a Flyfish in one missile-launch cycle without the assistance of another player. Throw the bomb as soon as the hatch opens, then immediately recharge ink for the second bomb and throw it as soon as possible.
 * Aiming bombs at the missile launchers is not guesswork. While holding, a line appears on the screen showing exactly where the bomb will go. However, holding the button too long may lead to a missed opportunity as the missile launcher hatches will close back up, and at times it may bounce off the rim of the launcher.
 * The Grizzco Slosher, Sting Ray (in Splatoon 2), and Killer Wail 5.1 (in Splatoon 3) can eliminate Flyfish if aimed at the cockpit.
 * Ink Cannons, the Inkjet and the Explosher can also eliminate Flyfish if they are aimed at the missile launchers. In Splatoon 3, the Crab Tank’s Explosher-like shot can also destroy a Flyfish launcher, and a golden egg fired from an egg cannon can defeat the boss in a single shot by aiming at the pilot while both baskets are open. This can help deal with pesky Flyfish quickly during Xtrawave.
 * Torpedos fired by Drizzlers can destroy the launchers, too. However this is very situational and can't involve crewmate interference.
 * As of Version in Splatoon 2, the Splashdown can also eliminate Flyfish by hitting inside the launchers. However, it can only take out one launcher at a time and is situational.
 * Caution must be used when using Splashdown or Inkjet near a Flyfish, since both attacks bring the user high enough to come into physical contact with the Flyfish, which inflicts substantial damage on the user.
 * When battlefield conditions prevent the player from waiting for the ink tank to refill, or when there are multiple Flyfish, deploying either the Bomb Launcher or Inkjet is useful.
 * Take out Flyfish as soon as possible. If on a higher rank, chances are that there will be multiple Flyfish spawning.

Badges
Defeating the Flyfish a cumulative number of times in will reward the player with special badges.

Trivia

 * The Flyfish's missiles target the players in the direction it is facing, with the red launcher (viewer's right) targeting the closest player in its view, and the blue (viewer's left) launcher's missiles randomly targeting another active player.
 * The Flyfish's Inkjet-like exhaust can splat players if they stay under it for too long.
 * When introducing the different Boss Salmonids during the second training mission, Mr. Grizz refers to all of them as "it", except the Flyfish, which he calls "him", and Maws, which he calls "she". This makes them the only two Salmonids with a confirmed gender in the North American version.
 * This could possibly imply by extension that the Smallfry pilots are all male.
 * Flyfish's launchers resemble beverage coolers, while the missiles resemble soft drink bottles or ramune.
 * In the concept artwork, it appears to resemble two recycling bins with pull-tab cans.