Life for Fun

🐟How to Catch Rare Fish in Animal Crossing New Horizons?

Elizabeth
July 27, 2021

We’ve talked about the best Nintendo Switch games to download during the quarantine. The coronavirus crisis has forced millions of people indoors with not much else to do besides indulging in Netflix shows, trying new recipes and playing games on their Nintendo Switch.


And, following its recent release date, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken the world by storm. Twitter even released data showing that the game has been by far the most talked-about game both in the US and globally on the social media platform.


If you’ve been hooked on this unique life simulator game and are looking for Animal Crossing Switch tips, we’re here to help. The game comes with 80 different fish to catch and today we’re going to help you learn how to catch a rare fish in Animal Crossing New Horizons.


Animal Crossing Fish vs. Bugs

To start off with, it’s important to note that Animal Crossing fish are different than bugs, especially when it comes time to catch them. When you’re going to catch bugs, you can usually see them. You can’t see which fish you are going to catch, only its shadow. So, you’ll have to rely on that to figure out which kind of fish it might be.


Fish in Animal Crossing New Horizons: New Horizons come in six different categories: smallest, small, medium, large, x-large and largest. Sure, some of this information is available in your Critterpedia. But, you’re only able to really see specifics after you’ve caught the fish. And it's not that easy to catch rare fish in Animal Crossing New Horizons.


Learn When and How to Catch Fish in Animal Crossing New Horizons

Tuna
Image Source: Enrico Fairme

Certain Animal Crossing fish are only available to catch at certain times of the day. Usually, this ranges from all day to intervals between 4 am, 9 am, 4 pm and 9 pm. On top of that, you’ll also need to know when the fish come out.


The Crawfish, for example, is out all day. But, it only comes out from April to September in the southern hemisphere and from October to March in the southern hemisphere. It’s helpful to take a look at a guide to Animal Crossing fish that gives insight into the times they’re out and when and where to find them.


Remember, that you get to decide which hemisphere your island is in. When starting the game, you’ll get to decide and while the idea is to choose the hemisphere in which you actually live, you can pick either one. Based on April 2020 rare fish updates, it seems that more rare fish are currently added to the northern hemisphere.


Where to Find the Most Expensive Fish in Animal Crossing

Looking for the rarest fish in Animal Crossing New Horizons? As mentioned, the game currently has at least 80 different fish you can catch depending on whether or not you’re in the northern or southern hemisphere. But, here are five of the most expensive fish and where you can find them.

Golden Trout

Golden Trout
Image Source: fandom

📍 Location: River (Clifftop)

📏 Shadow Size: Medium

💰 Value: 15,000

⏰ Time: 4 pm to 9 am

📅 Month: March-June & September-November (Northern); March-May & September-December (Southern)

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Stringfish

Stringfish
Image Source

📍 Location: River (Clifftop)

📏 Shadow Size: Largest

💰 Value: 15,000

⏰ Time: 4 pm to 9 am

📅 Month: December-March (Northern); June-September (Southern)


Dorado

Dorado
Image Source

📍 Location: River

📏 Shadow Size: X-Large

💰 Value: 15,000

⏰ Time: 4 am to 9 pm

📅 Month: June-September (Northern); December-March (Southern)


Great White Shark

Great White Shark
Image Source

📍 Location: Sea

📏 Shadow Size: Largest

💰 Value: 15,000

⏰ Time: 4 pm to 9 am

📅 Month: June-September (Northern); December-March (Southern)


Barreleye

Barreleye
Image Source

📍 Location: Sea

📏 Shadow Size: Small

💰 Value: 15,000

⏰ Time: 9 pm to 4 am

📅 Month: Year-Round

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New Fish to Catch in April

Image Source: Josh Brown

As of April 2020, there are quite a few new fish to catch along with some other bugs and insects that are new this month. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is releasing special bugs, insects, fish, and other critters each month at the moment in order to ensure you’ve always got something to look forward to.


For April 2020, if you live in the northern hemisphere, you’ll note that there are ten new fish to catch:


  • Killifish (pond)
  • Crawfish (pond)
  • Snapping Turtle (river)
  • Guppy (river)
  • Neon Tetra (river)
  • Sea Horse (sea)
  • Clown Fish (sea)
  • Surgeonfish (sea)
  • Butterfly Fish (sea)
  • Zebra Turkeyfish (sea)


All of the April 2020 Animal Crossing new fish are available to catch all day apart from the river fish, which you’ll only find out from 9 am to 4 pm. In the southern hemisphere, you can find two new fish, the Yellow Perch (rive) and the Dab (sea), which are out all day.


How to Bait Fish in Animal Crossing

Clam
Image Source: Josh Brown

Now that you know where to find the fish you’re looking to catch, it’s time to learn how to bait fish in Animal Crossing.


In this game, you need manila clams to make bait. Usually, in the game, you’ll see little spouts of water coming out from the sand at your beach. Dig in that spot and you’ll likely find a manila clam, which is used to make bait for fish.


Once you have your manila clam, you’ll make bait and then head to the waters (pond, river, sea, wherever you are at) and sprinkle it into the water. It’ll spawn fish nearby that you can catch. You’ll see a shadow nearly immediately. Certain rare Animal Crossing fish have limited spawn points, so this kind of baiting technique is helpful in speeding up the process.


Also, if you can find a dock or pier on your island, head there to fish for rare sea fish. Other players have noted that they’ve found fish such as the Tuna, Blue Marlin and Mahi-Mahi when fishing off of their pier.


Earning Money in Real Life

Sure, 15,000 for a rare fish might sound like a lot. And, you’ll have to work hard at baiting fish in Animal Crossing just to make sure you’re able to catch the rarest fish in the game. But, earning money in real life doesn’t have to be that hard and there are alternative ways to earn extra money.


In fact, with the Cheese Debit Card, it’s actually quite easy. You don’t have to do anything but sign up for the card in order to reap the savings benefits. It’s an 100% free debit card that can earn you a lot by cashback and saving bonus. 


Saving money doesn’t get easier than that, which means you’ll have lots of extra cash left over to work with when you’re done playing Animal Crossing and need to buy another Nintendo Switch game. Interested in learning more? Sign up today.

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More Tips and Guides on Animal Crossing: New Horizons👇

🦋How to Catch Rare Bugs for Money in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

🌲Trees and Flowers Guide in Animal Crossing

🍄Animal Crossing New Horizons Mushrooming Season Guide