One of the primary activities in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is fishing. To avoid repetitive catches, it’s helpful to know the spawn rates of different fish in the game.
As a staple activity in New Horizons, fishing is one of the first things you’ll engage in. Being aware of the spawn rates for each fish can make your fishing adventures more varied and rewarding.
Fish can be caught in the sea, in a pond, off the edge of a pier, and in other spots, but it can become quite repetitive if you’re looking for a different catch of the day. Obviously, catching fish means you can earn plenty of Bells, but you could be waiting for months to see something other than a Black Bass.
Contents
- When can you catch fish in Animal Crossing
- Animal Crossing fishing spawns guide
- Animal Crossing fishing shadows guide
When can you catch fish in Animal Crossing
For fishing, there are some key decisions that you have to make early on in Animal Crossing. Depending on whether your island is situated in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere will change your spawn rates.
This is because islands in the Northern Hemisphere work on a different timeline than Southern. Summer in the north is Winter in the south, for example. Don’t fret, however, because we’ve broken down the differences.
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- Spring: Northern (March, April, May) Southern (September, October, November)
- Summer: Northern (June, July, August) Southern (December, January, February)
- Autumn: Northern (September, October, November ) Southern (March, April, May)
- Winter: Northern (December, January, February) Southern (June, July, August)
Animal Crossing fishing spawns guide
Even though things are slightly different when it comes to the time of year for things to spawn, the amount of Bells you’ll get for selling them to Nook’s Cranny stays the same. This is also the case for the time of day for their potential spawns. Here’s a full list of all the fishing spawn locations in the Animal Crossing New Horizons.
| Fish | Value | Location | Time | Shadow Type | Month (Hemisphere) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchovy | 200 | Sea | 4 am – 9 pm | Small | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Angelfish | 3,000 | River | 4 pm. – 9 am | Small | May-October (Northern) / November-April (Southern) |
| Arapaima | 10,000 | River | 4 pm – 9 am | Largest | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Arowana | 10,000 | River | 4 pm – 9 am | Largest | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Barred Knifejaw | 5,000 | Sea | All day | Medium | March-November (Northern) / September-May (Southern) |
| Barreleye | 15,000 | Sea | 9 pm – 4 am | Small | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Betta | 2,500 | River | 9 am – 4 pm | Small | May-October (Northern) / November-April (Southern) |
| Bitterling | 900 | River | All day | Tiny | November-March (Northern) / May-September (Southern) |
| Black Bass | 400 | River | All day | Large | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Blowfish | 5,000 | Sea | 9 pm – 4 am | Medium | November-February (Northern) / May-August (Southern) |
| Blue Marlin | 10,000 | Pier | All day | Largest | July-September, November-April (Northern) / January-March, May-November (Southern) |
| Bluegill | 180 | River | 9 am – 4 pm | Small | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Butterfly Fish | 1,000 | Sea | All day | Small | April-September (Northern) / October-March (Southern) |
| Carp | 300 | Pond | All day | Large | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Catfish | 800 | Pond | 4 pm – 9 am | Large | May-October (Northern) / November-April (Southern) |
| Char | 3,800 | Cliff | 4 pm – 9 am | Medium | March-June, September-November (Northern) / March-May, September-December (Southern) |
| Cherry Salmon | 1,000 | Cliff | 4 pm – 9 am | Medium | March-June, September-November (Northern) / March-May, September-December (Southern) |
| Clown Fish | 650 | Sea | All day | Tiny | April-September (Northern) / October-March (Southern) |
| Coelacanth | 15,000 | Sea (raining) | All day | Largest | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Crawfish | 200 | Pond | All day | Small | April-September (Northern) / October-March (Southern) |
| Crucian Carp | 160 | River | All day | Small | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Dab | 300 | Sea | All day | Medium | October-April (Northern) / April-October (Southern) |
| Dace | 240 | River | 4 pm – 9 am | Medium | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Dorado | 15,000 | River | 4 am- 9 pm | X Large | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Football Fish | 2,500 | Sea | 4 pm – 9 am | Large | November-March (Northern) / May-September (Southern) |
| Freshwater Goby | 400 | River | 4 pm – 9 am | Small | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Frog | 120 | Pond | All day | Small | May-August (Northern) / November-February (Southern) |
| Gar | 6,000 | Pond | 4 pm – 9 am | Largest | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Giant Snakehead | 5,500 | Pond | 9 am – 4 pm | X Large | June-August (Northern) / December-February (Southern) |
| Giant Trevally | 4,500 | Pier | All day | X Large | May-October (Northern) / November-April (Southern) |
| Golden Trout | 15,000 | Cliff | 4 pm – 9 am | Medium | March-May, September-November (Northern) / March-May, September-November (Southern) |
| Goldfish | 1,300 | Pond | All day | Tiny | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Great White Shark | 15,000 | Sea | 4 pm- 9 am | Largest (with Fin) | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Guppy | 1,300 | River | 9 am – 4 pm | Tiny | April-November (Northern) / October-May (Southern) |
| Hammerhead Shark | 8,000 | Sea | 4 pm – 9 am | Largest (with Fin) | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Horse Mackerel | 150 | Sea | All day | Small | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Killifish | 300 | Pond | All day | Tiny | April-August (Northern) / October-February (Southern) |
| King Salmon | 1,800 | River Mouth | All day | Largest | September (Northern) / March (Southern) |
| Koi | 4,000 | Pond | 4 pm – 9 am | Large | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Loach | 400 | River | All day | Small | March-May (Northern) / September-November (Southern) |
| Mahi-mahi | 6,000 | Pier | All day | X Large | May-October (Northern) / November-April (Southern) |
| Mitten Crab | 2,000 | River | 4 pm – 9 am | Small | September-November (Northern) / March-May (Southern) |
| Moray Eel | 2,000 | Sea | All day | Narrow | August-October (Northern) / February-April (Southern) |
| Napoleonfish | 10,000 | Sea | 4 am – 9 pm | Largest | July-August (Northern) / January-February (Southern) |
| Neon Tetra | 500 | River | 9 am – 4 pm | Tiny | April-November (Northern) / October-May (Southern) |
| Nibble Fish | 1,500 | River | 9 am – 4 pm | Tiny | May-September (Northern) / November-March (Southern) |
| Oarfish | 9,000 | Sea | All day | Largest | December-May (Northern) / June-November (Southern) |
| Ocean Sunfish | 4,000 | Sea | 4 am – 9 pm | Largest (with Fin) | July-September (Northern) / January-March (Southern) |
| Olive Flounder | 800 | Sea | All day | Large | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Pale Chub | 160 | River | 9 am – 4 pm | Tiny | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Pike | 1,800 | River | All day | X Large | September-December (Northern) / March-June (Southern) |
| Piranha | 2,500 | River | 9 am- 4 pm, 9 pm – 4 am | Small | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Pond Smelt | 500 | River | All day | Small | December-February (Northern) / June-August (Southern) |
| Pop-eyed Goldfish | 1,300 | Pond | 9 am – 4 pm | Tiny | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Puffer Fish | 250 | Sea | All day | Medium | July-September (Northern) / January-March (Southern) |
| Rainbowfish | 800 | River | 9 am – 4 pm | Tiny | May-October (Northern) / November-April (Southern) |
| Ranchu Goldfish | 4,500 | Pond | 9 am – 4 pm | Small | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Ray | 3,000 | Sea | 4 am – 9 pm | X Large | August-November (Northern) / February-May (Southern) |
| Red Snapper | 3,000 | Sea | All day | Large | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Ribbon Eel | 600 | Sea | All day | Narrow | June-October (Northern) / December-April (Southern) |
| Saddled Bichir | 4,000 | River | 9 pm – 4 am | Large | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Salmon | 700 | River Mouth | All day | Large | September (Northern) / March (Southern) |
| Saw Shark | 12,000 | Sea | 4 pm – 9 am | Largest (with Fin) | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Sea Bass | 400 | Sea | All day | X Large | All year (Northern and Southern) |
| Sea Butterfly | 1,000 | Sea | All day | Tiny | December-March (Northern) / June-September (Southern) |
| Sea Horse | 1,100 | Sea | All day | Tiny | April-November (Northern) / October-May (Southern) |
| Snapping Turtle | 5,000 | River | 9 pm – 4 am | X Large | April-October (Northern) / October-April (Southern) |
| Soft-shelled Turtle | 3,750 | River | 4 pm – 9 am | Large | August-September (Northern) / February-March (Southern) |
| Squid | 500 | Sea | All day | Medium | December-August (Northern) / June-February (Southern) |
| Stringfish | 15,000 | Cliff | 4 pm – 9 am | X Large | December-March (Northern) / June-September (Southern) |
| Sturgeon | 10,000 | River Mouth | All day | Largest | September-March (Northern) / March-September (Southern) |
| Suckerfish | 1,500 | Sea | All day | Large (with Fin) | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Surgeonfish | 1,000 | Sea | All day | Small | April-September (Northern) / October-March (Southern) |
| Sweetfish | 900 | River | All day | Medium | July-September (Northern) / January-March (Southern) |
| Tadpole | 100 | Pond | All day | Tiny | March-July (Northern) / September-January (Southern) |
| Tilapia | 800 | River | All day | Medium | June-October (Northern) / December-April (Southern) |
| Tuna | 7,000 | Pier | All day | Largest | November-April (Northern) / May-October (Southern) |
| Whale Shark | 13,000 | Sea | All day | Largest (with Fin) | June-September (Northern) / December-March (Southern) |
| Yellow Perch | 300 | River | All day | Medium | October-March (Northern) / April-September (Southern) |
| Zebra Turkeyfish | 500 | Sea | All day | Medium | April-November (Northern) / October-May (Southern) |
Animal Crossing fishing shadows guide
The biggest difference in finding the different fish is the shadows that you’ll see in the water. Smaller fish will have smaller shadows while bigger fish might even show their fins above the surface rather than just having a shadow.
Now, if you’ve already set up your island to be in the Northern Hemisphere and you don’t want to time skip in order to get some fish that won’t appear until later in the year, you can travel to a Southern Hemisphere island – provided you know a friend who has one.
If you catch a fish on an island in a different hemisphere, it will stay in your pockets while you travel back to your own island. This is ideal for filling up your museum or getting a huge number of Bells.
That’s everything you need to know about fishes in Animal Crossing New Horizons! Check out some other guides below:
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