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There are a lot of different ways to make money in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and you can relax and cash some fish as one of the best ways to do so. Similarly to bugs, there are tons of different types of fish that vary depending on a variety of factors, including the time of day, weather, and season, which means it’s worthwhile to check back every now and then to see what’s changed. There are 80 to catch in New Horizons, and you can sell them, gift them, donate them, or display them. What you chose to do with them is up to you, but you’ll need to actually catch them before making that decision.
Below, we have two tables–one for the Northern Hemisphere and one for the Southern Hemisphere–listing every fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, where and when you can catch them, and how much you can sell them for (which is a good way to make money in Animal Crossing). We’ve also broken down the fundamentals of fishing in Animal Crossing, including how to craft your first fishing rod, everything that can affect how and when fish spawn, and which seasonal fish you should focus on each month.
If you’re determined to fill out your museum, you should also check out our guide to Redd’s art and how to tell real art from the fakes. You can also look up every item in the game using the New Horizons catalog tool from our sister site GameFAQs.
Every Fish In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
The list below contains the time of year, time of day, location, shadow size, and price for every fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This is divided into two separate tables, as the months of the year will be different for each hemisphere.
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Location
There are three types of environments for fish on the island: sea (the ocean), river, and pond. The river is further split into three categories–river mouth, river clifftop, and general river–and the sea also includes the more specific pier location, which is the wooden pier somewhere on your island (but not the one leading to the airport). Fish like salmon can only be found at the river mouth, which is where the river meets the ocean, while others, like the cherry salmon, can only be found at parts of the river on your island’s cliffs, for example.
Shadow Size
Fish come in a few different sizes, and each type of fish appears as the same size shadow each time. The shadow sizes are: extra small (1), small (2), medium (3), large (4), extra large (5), and giant (6). Longer, skinnier shadows in the ocean are eels, which can be caught like any other fish, and some shadows will also appear with a fin on top, signaling a shark or other rare, finned fish. You can use our chart and the tables below to help determine the size of a fish’s shadow and which fish it might be.
Northern Hemisphere
| Fish | Months | Location / Size | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchovy | All year | Sea2 | 4 AM – 9 PM | 200 |
| Angelfish | May – Oct | River2 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 3,000 |
| Arapaima | June – Sept |
River6 |
4 PM – 9 AM | 10,000 |
| Arowana | June – Sept | River4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 10,000 |
| Barred Knifejaw | Mar – Nov | Sea3 | All day | 5,000 |
| Barreleye | All year | Sea2 | 9 PM – 4 AM | 15,000 |
| Betta | May – Oct | River2 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 2,500 |
| Bitterling | Nov – Mar | River1 | All day | 900 |
| Black Bass | All year | River4 | All day | 400 |
| Blowfish | Nov – Feb | Sea3 | 9 PM – 4 AM | 5,000 |
| Blue Marlin | Nov – AprJuly – Sept | Pier6 | All day | 10,000 |
| Bluegill | All year | River2 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 180 |
| Butterfly Fish | Apr – Sept | Sea2 | All day | 1,000 |
| Carp | All year | River4 | All day | 300 |
| Catfish | May – Oct | Pond4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 800 |
| Char | Mar – JuneSept – Nov | River3 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 3,800 |
| Cherry Salmon | Mar – JuneSept – Nov | River (Clifftop)3 | 4 PM -9 AM | 1,000 |
| Clown Fish | Apr – Sept | Sea1 | All day | 650 |
| Coelacanth | All year |
Sea (Rain)6 |
All day | 15,000 |
| Crawfish | Apr – Sept | Pond2 | All day | 200 |
| Crucian Carp | All year | River2 | All day | 160 |
| Dab | Oct – Apr | Sea3 | All day | 300 |
| Dace | All year | River3 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 240 |
| Dorado | June – Sept |
River5 |
4 AM – 9 PM | 15,000 |
| Football Fish | Nov – Mar | Sea4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 2,500 |
| Freshwater Goby | All year | River2 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 400 |
| Frog | May – Aug | Pond2 | All day | 120 |
| Gar | June – Sept | Pond5 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 6,000 |
| Giant Snakehead | June – Aug | Pond5 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 5,500 |
| Giant Trevally | May – Oct | Pier5 | All day | 4,500 |
| Golden Trout | Mar – MaySept – Nov |
River (Clifftop)3 |
4 PM – 9 AM | 15,000 |
| Goldfish | All year | Pond1 | All day | 1,300 |
| Great White Shark | June – Sept | SeaFin | 4 PM – 9 AM | 15,000 |
| Guppy | Apr – Nov | River1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 1,300 |
|
Hammerhead Shark |
June – Sept | SeaFin | 4 PM – 9 AM | 8,000 |
| Horse Mackerel | All year | Sea2 | All day | 150 |
| Killifish | Apr – Aug | Pond1 | All day | 300 |
| King Salmon | Sept | River (Mouth)6 | All day | 1,800 |
| Koi | All year | Pond4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 4,000 |
| Loach | Mar – May | River2 | All day | 400 |
| Mahi-mahi | May – Oct | Pier5 | All day | 6,000 |
| Mitten Crab | Sept – Nov | River2 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 2,000 |
| Moray Eel | Aug – Oct | SeaNarrow | All day | 2,000 |
| Napoleonfish | July – Aug | Sea6 | 4 AM – 9 PM | 10,000 |
| Neon Tetra | Apr – Nov | River1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 500 |
| Nibble Fish | May – Sept | River1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 1,500 |
| Oarfish | Dec – May | Sea6 | All day | 9,000 |
| Ocean Sunfish | July – Sept | SeaFin | 4 AM – 9 PM | 4,000 |
| Olive Flounder | All year | Sea5 | All day | 800 |
| Pale Chub | All year | River1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 200 |
| Pike | Sept – Dec | River5 | All day | 1,800 |
| Piranha | June – Sept | River2 |
9 AM – 4 PM, 9 PM – 4 AM |
2,500 |
| Pond Smelt | Dec – Feb | River2 |
All day |
400 |
| Pop-eyed Goldfish | All year | Pond1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 1,300 |
| Puffer Fish | July – Sept | Sea3 | All day | 250 |
| Rainbowfish | May – Oct | River2 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 800 |
| Ranchu Goldfish | All year | Pond2 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 4,500 |
| Ray | Aug – Nov | Sea5 | 4 AM – 9 PM | 3,000 |
| Red Snapper | All year | Sea4 | All day | 3,000 |
| Ribbon Eel | June – Oct | SeaNarrow | All day | 600 |
| Saddled Bichir | June – Sept | River4 | 9 PM – 4 AM | 4,000 |
| Salmon | Sept | River (Mouth)4 | All day | 700 |
| Saw Shark | June – Sept | SeaFin | 4 PM – 9 AM | 12,000 |
| Sea Bass | All year | Sea5 | All day | 400 |
| Sea Butterfly | Dec – Mar | Sea1 | All day | 1,000 |
| Sea Horse | Apr – Nov | Sea1 | All day | 1,100 |
| Snapping Turtle | Apr – Oct | River4 | 9 PM – 4 AM | 5,000 |
| Soft-shelled Turtle | Aug – Sept | River4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 3,750 |
| Squid | Dec – Aug | Sea3 | All day | 500 |
| Stringfish | Dec – Mar | River (Clifftop)5 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 15,000 |
| Sturgeon | Sept – Mar | River (Mouth)6 | All day | 10,000 |
| Suckerfish | June – Sept | SeaFin | All day | 1,500 |
| Surgeonfish | Apr – Sept | Sea2 | All day | 1,000 |
| Sweetfish | July – Sept | River3 | All day | 900 |
| Tadpole | Mar – July | Pond1 | All day | 100 |
| Tilapia | June – Oct | River3 | All day | 800 |
|
Tuna |
Nov – Apr | Pier6 | All day | 7,000 |
| Whale Shark | June – Sept | SeaFin | All day | 13,000 |
| Yellow Perch | Oct – Mar | River3 | All day | 300 |
| Zebra Turkeyfish | April – MayJuly – Nov | Sea3 | All day | 500 |
Southern Hemisphere
| Fish | Months | Location / Size | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchovy | All year | Sea2 | 4 AM – 9 PM | 200 |
| Angelfish | Nov – Apr | River2 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 3,000 |
| Arapaima | Dec – Mar | River6 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 10,000 |
| Arowana | Dec – Mar | River4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 10,000 |
| Barred Knifejaw | Sept – May | Sea3 | All day | 5,000 |
| Barreleye | Nov – Apr | Sea3 | 9 PM -4 AM | 15,000 |
| Betta | Nov – Apr | River2 | 9 PM -4 AM | 2,500 |
| Bitterling | May – Sept | River1 | All day | 900 |
| Black Bass | All year | River4 | All day | 400 |
| Blowfish | May – Aug | Sea3 | 9 PM – 4 AM | 5,000 |
| Blue Marlin | Jan – MarMay – Oct | Pier6 | All day | 10,000 |
| Bluegill | All year | River2 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 180 |
| Butterfly Fish | Oct – Mar | Sea2 | All day | 1,000 |
| Carp | All year | River4 | All day | 300 |
| Catfish | Nov – Apr | Pond4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 800 |
| Char | Mar – MaySept – Dec | River4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 3,800 |
| Cherry Salmon | Mar – MaySept – Dec | River (Clifftop)3 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 1,000 |
| Clown Fish | Oct – Mar | Sea1 | All day | 650 |
| Coelacanth | All year |
Sea (Rain)6 |
All day | 15,000 |
| Crawfish | Oct – Mar | Pond2 | All day | 200 |
| Crucian Carp | All year | River2 | All day | 160 |
| Dab | Apr – Oct | Sea3 | All day | 300 |
| Dace | All year | River3 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 240 |
| Dorado | Dec – Mar | River5 | 4 AM – 9 PM | 15,000 |
| Football Fish | May – Sept | Sea4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 2,500 |
| Freshwater Goby | All year | River2 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 400 |
| Frog | Nov – Feb | Pond2 | All day | 120 |
| Gar | Dec – Mar | Pond5 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 6,000 |
| Giant Snakehead | Dec – Feb | Pond5 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 5,500 |
| Giant Trevally | Nov – Apr | Pier5 | All day | 4,500 |
| Golden Trout | Mar – MaySept – Nov |
River (Clifftop)3 |
4 PM – 9 AM | 15,000 |
| Goldfish | All year | Pond1 | All day | 1,300 |
| Great White Shark | Dec – Mar | SeaFin | 4 PM – 9 AM | 15,000 |
| Guppy | Oct – May | River1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 1,300 |
| Hammerhead Shark | Dec – Mar | SeaFin | 4 PM – 9 AM | 8,000 |
| Horse Mackerel | All year | Sea2 | All day | 150 |
| Killifish | Oct – Feb | Pond1 | All day | 300 |
| King Salmon | Mar | River (Mouth)6 | All day | 1,800 |
| Koi | All year | Pond4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 4,000 |
| Loach | Sept – Nov | River2 | All day | 400 |
| Mahi-mahi | Nov – Apr | Pier5 | All day | 6,000 |
| Mitten Crab | Mar – May | River2 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 2,000 |
| Moray Eel | Feb – Apr | SeaNarrow | All day | 2,000 |
| Napoleonfish | Jan – Feb | Sea6 | 4 AM – 9 PM | 10,000 |
| Neon Tetra | Oct – May | River1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 500 |
| Nibble Fish | Nov – Mar | River1 | 9 AM -4 PM | 1,500 |
| Oarfish | June – Nov | Sea6 | All day | 9,000 |
| Ocean Sunfish | Jan – Mar | SeaFin | 4 AM – 9 PM | 4,000 |
| Olive Flounder | All year | Sea5 | All day | 800 |
| Pale Chub | All year | River1 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 200 |
| Pike | Mar – June | River5 | All day | 1,800 |
| Piranha | Dec – Mar | River2 |
9 AM – 4 PM,9 PM – 4 AM |
2,500 |
| Pond Smelt | June – Aug | River2 |
All day |
400 |
| Pop-eyed Goldfish | All year | Pond1 | 9AM – 4PM | 1,300 |
| Puffer Fish | Jan – Mar | Sea3 | All day | 250 |
| Rainbowfish | Nov – Apr | River2 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 800 |
| Ranchu Goldfish | All year | Pond2 | 9 AM – 4 PM | 4,500 |
| Ray | Feb – May | Sea5 | 4 AM – 9 PM | 3,000 |
| Red Snapper | All year | Sea4 | All day | 3,000 |
| Ribbon Eel | Dec – Apr | SeaNarrow | All day | 600 |
| Saddled Bichir | Dec – Mar | River4 | 9 PM – 4 AM | 4,000 |
| Salmon | Mar | River (Mouth)4 | All day | 700 |
| Saw Shark | Dec – Mar | SeaFin | 4 PM – 9 AM | 12,000 |
| Sea Bass | All year | Sea5 | All day | 400 |
| Sea Butterfly | June – Sept | Sea1 | All day | 1,000 |
| Sea Horse | Oct – May | Sea1 | All day | 1,100 |
| Snapping Turtle | Oct – Apr | River4 | 9 PM – 4 AM | 5,000 |
| Soft-shelled Turtle | Feb – Mar | River4 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 3,750 |
| Squid | June – Feb | Sea3 | All day | 500 |
| Stringfish | June – Sept | River (Clifftop)5 | 4 PM – 9 AM | 15,000 |
| Sturgeon | Mar – Sept | River (Mouth)6 | All day | 10,000 |
| Suckerfish | Dec – Mar | SeaFin | All day | 1,500 |
| Surgeonfish | Oct – Mar |
Sea2 |
All day | 1,000 |
| Sweetfish | Jan – Mar | River3 | All day | 900 |
| Tadpole | Sept – Jan | Pond1 | All day | 100 |
| Tilapia | Dec – Apr | River3 | All day | 800 |
|
Tuna |
May – Oct | Pier6 | All day | 7,000 |
| Whale Shark | Dec – Mar | SeaFin | All day | 13,000 |
| Yellow Perch | Apr – Sept | River3 | All day | 300 |
| Zebra Turkeyfish | Jan – MayOct – Nov | Sea3 | All day | 500 |
Fish To Catch In April
As mentioned above, fish will come and go out of season in Animal Crossing. For players in the Northern Hemisphere, April sees the arrival of a bunch of new fish and aquatic life, including the elusive Snapping Turtle. This is also the last month to catch the rare and valuable Blue Marlin and Tuna, which both go out of season in May, so hit up that pier while you still have the chance!
Players in the Southern Hemisphere will see the arrival of two new fish and will have to work diligently to catch the over half a dozen that will be going out of season after the month is up. See a more comprehensive list of what’s coming and going in April in our guides below.
New Fish And Bugs To Catch In AprilFish And Bugs Leaving After April
How To Fish
To catch a fish, find a fish-shaped shadow in the water around the island and equip any kind of fishing rod. While facing the water, press A to cast your line–though you will not cast properly if you are too far away from the edge of the water. Wait for your fishing rod’s floater to submerge under the surface of the water and quickly press A again to reel in the fish. Pressing the A button too quickly or too slowly can result in failure, scaring away the fish.
Equipment
In order to catch any fish, you will need a fishing rod. The first rod you get in the game is the flimsy fishing rod, which can be upgraded to the fishing rod at a DIY bench. Don’t be thrown off too much by the various fishing rod types; it just determines how many times the tool can be used before breaking. Once a fishing rod breaks, just craft a new one at a DIY bench with resources found around the island or purchase a new one at Nook’s Cranny.
Fishing bait is also a useful item for forcing fish spawns to appear in empty water. You can craft it at any DIY workbench using manila clams, which you can dig up from beaches with a shovel. You’ll know where they are when you see a squirt of water emerge from the sand. One manila clam can craft one fish bait. Unfortunately, you can’t bulk craft fish bait.
Time And Date
Since time in Animal Crossing is synced up with the real world, or whatever time you have entered into your Nintendo Switch, the time you choose to play matters. The game goes through all the stages of a 24-hour period in real time, with different fish appearing at different times. Fish also vary depending on what month it is, which the game refers to as seasonality. If you want to collect every kind of fish, you will need to play the game at all different hours and throughout the year. The seasonality of fish changes depending on which hemisphere you chose, too.
For reference, you can always check what time and months the fish that you have caught will spawn in your Critterpedia.
If you’re in the market for a Nintendo Switch, see our roundup of where you can buy a Switch right now. We’ve also rounded up all the best Animal Crossing merch out there.
