Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fish Guide (ACNH) | Fish List, Tips, Prices, Shadows, and Appearance Times

See the complete list of all Fish, and how and where to catch them (spawn locations) in our Animal Crossing Fish Wiki. Read info on sell prices, active months, spawn schedule, shadow size, locations, and rarity for every fish in ACNH for both North and South Hemispheres, as well as an in-depth guide on how to fish, and fishing tips to catch every fish and improve your angling skills to expand your Critterpedia!

New Fish in New Horizons

There are a total of 80 fish that can be caught with a fishing rod in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Here are the new fish that has been added to the game.

Anchovy	Barreleye	Betta	Golden Trout
Mahi-Mahi	Rainbowfish	Ranchu Goldfish	Snapping Turtle
Sturgeon	Suckerfish	Tilapia

List of All Fish (Fish Encyclopedia)

Fish by Month

Different kinds of fish appear in each season and month. You can potentially discover new species this month that were not available in the previous month. Click on the links below to learn more about which fish will spawn on each month!

Note: The pages above show fish appearances for both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

All Northern Hemisphere Fish Times and Spawn Locations

This is the complete list of every fish you can catch if your island is in the Northern Hemisphere. Be sure to check the spawn locations the entire day as different fish spawn at different times. This table also includes their shadow size, worth, and spawn locations. Read on if you're looking to find a specific fish!

	Name	Shadow Size	Price	Area & Times
1	Bitterling	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	900	Area: River Months: November to March Times: Any time
2	Pale Chub	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	200	Area: River Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
3	Crucian Carp	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	160	Area: River Months: All year Times: Any time
4	Dace	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	240	Area: River Months: All year Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
5	Carp	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	300	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: Any time
6	Koi	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	4000	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
7	Goldfish	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	1300	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: Any time
8	Pop-Eyed Goldfish	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	1300	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
9	Ranchu Goldfish	Small ✭✭✭✭✩	4500	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
10	Killifish	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	300	Area: Pond Months: April to August Times: Any time
11	Crawfish	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	200	Area: Pond Months: April to September Times: Any time
12	Soft-Shelled Turtle	Medium ✭✭✭✩✩	3750	Area: River Months: August and September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
13	Snapping Turtle	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	5000	Area: River Months: April to October Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
14	Tadpole	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	100	Area: Pond Months: March to July Times: Any time
15	Frog	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	120	Area: Pond Months: May to August Times: Any time
16	Freshwater Goby	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: All year Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
17	Loach	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: March to May Times: Any time
18	Catfish	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	800	Area: Pond Months: May to October Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
19	Giant Snakehead	Large ✭✭✭✭✩	5500	Area: Pond Months: June to August Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
20	Bluegill	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	160	Area: River Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
21	Yellow Perch	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	300	Area: River Months: October to March Times: Any time
22	Black Bass	Large ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: All year Times: Any time
23	Tilapia	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	800	Area: River Months: June to October Times: Any time
24	Pike	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	1800	Area: River Months: September to December Times: Any time
25	Pond Smelt	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: December to February Times: Any time
26	Sweetfish	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	900	Area: River Months: July to September Times: Any time
27	Cherry Salmon	Medium ✭✭✭✩✩	1000	Area: River - Clifftop Months: March to June｜September to November Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
28	Char	Medium ✭✭✭✭✭	3800	Area: River - Clifftop Months: March to June｜September to November Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
29	Golden Trout	Medium ✭✭✭✩✩	15000	Area: River - Clifftop Months: March to May｜September to November Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
30	Stringfish	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	15000	Area: River - Clifftop Months: December to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
31	Salmon	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	700	Area: River Mouth Months: September Times: Any time
32	King Salmon	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	1800	Area: River Mouth Months: September Times: Any time
33	Mitten Crab	Small ✭✭✭✩✩	2000	Area: River Months: September to November Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
34	Guppy	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	1300	Area: River Months: April to November Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
35	Nibble Fish	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	1500	Area: River Months: May to September Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
36	Angelfish	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	3000	Area: River Months: May to October Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
37	Betta	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	2500	Area: River Months: May to October Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
38	Neon Tetra	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	500	Area: River Months: April to November Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
39	Rainbowfish	Tiny ✭✭✭✭✩	800	Area: River Months: May to October Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
40	Piranha	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	2500	Area: River Months: June to September Times: 9 AM to 4 PM｜9 PM to 4 AM
41	Arowana	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	10000	Area: River Months: June to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
42	Dorado	Large ✭✭✭✩✩	15000	Area: River Months: June to September Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
43	Gar	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	6000	Area: Pond Months: June to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
44	Arapaima	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	10000	Area: River Months: June to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
45	Saddled Bichir	Large ✭✭✭✭✩	4000	Area: River Months: June to September Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
46	Sturgeon	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	10000	Area: River Mouth Months: September to March Times: Any time
47	Sea Butterfly	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	1000	Area: Sea Months: December to March Times: Any time
48	Seahorse	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	1100	Area: Sea Months: April to November Times: Any time
49	Clownfish	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	650	Area: Sea Months: April to September Times: Any time
50	Surgeonfish	Small ✭✭✭✩✩	1000	Area: Sea Months: April to September Times: Any time
51	Butterfly Fish	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	1000	Area: Sea Months: April to September Times: Any time
52	Napoleonfish	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	10000	Area: Sea Months: July to August Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
53	Zebra Turkeyfish	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	500	Area: Sea Months: April to November Times: Any time
54	Blowfish	Medium ✭✭✭✭✩	5000	Area: Sea Months: November to February Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
55	Puffer Fish	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	250	Area: Sea Months: July to September Times: Any time
56	Anchovy	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	200	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
57	Horse Mackerel	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	150	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
58	Barred Knifejaw	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	5000	Area: Sea Months: March to November Times: Any time
59	Sea Bass	Large ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
60	Red Snapper	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	3000	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
61	Dab	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	300	Area: Sea Months: October to April Times: Any time
62	Olive Flounder	Large ✭✩✩✩✩	800	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
63	Squid	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	500	Area: Sea Months: December to August Times: Any time
64	Moray Eel	Long and Thin ✭✭✭✭✩	2000	Area: Sea Months: August to October Times: Any time
65	Ribbon Eel	Long and Thin ✭✭✭✩✩	600	Area: Sea Months: June to October Times: Any time
66	Tuna	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	7000	Area: Sea - Pier Months: November to April Times: Any time
67	Blue Marlin	Huge ✭✭✭✭✩	10000	Area: Sea - Pier Months: July to September | November to April Times: Any time
68	Giant Trevally	Large ✭✭✭✭✩	4500	Area: Sea - Pier Months: May to October Times: Any time
69	Mahi-Mahi	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	6000	Area: Sea - Pier Months: May to October Times: Any time
70	Ocean Sunfish	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	4000	Area: Sea Months: July to September Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
71	Ray	Large ✭✭✭✩✩	3000	Area: Sea Months: August to November Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
72	Saw Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	12000	Area: Sea Months: June to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
73	Hammerhead Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	8000	Area: Sea Months: June to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
74	Great White Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	15000	Area: Sea Months: June to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
75	Whale Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	13000	Area: Sea Months: June to September Times: Any time
76	Suckerfish	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✩✩✩	1500	Area: Sea Months: June to September Times: Any time
77	Football Fish	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	2500	Area: Sea Months: November to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
78	Oarfish	Huge ✭✭✭✭✩	9000	Area: Sea Months: December to May Times: Any time
79	Barreleye	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	12000	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
80	Coelacanth	Huge ✭✭✭✭✩	15000	Area: Sea Months: All year Only in Rain Times: Any time Only in Rain (Rain Only)

All Southern Hemisphere Fish Times and Spawn Locations

This is the complete list of every fish you can catch if your island is in the Southern Hemisphere. Be sure to check the spawn locations the entire day as different fish spawn at different times. This table also includes their shadow size, worth, and spawn locations. Read on if you're looking to find a specific fish!

See Southern Hemisphere list

	Name	Shadow Size	Price	Area & Times
1	Bitterling	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	900	Area: River Months: May to September Times: Any time
2	Pale Chub	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	200	Area: River Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
3	Crucian Carp	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	160	Area: River Months: All year Times: Any time
4	Dace	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	240	Area: River Months: All year Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
5	Carp	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	300	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: Any time
6	Koi	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	4000	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
7	Goldfish	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	1300	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: Any time
8	Pop-Eyed Goldfish	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	1300	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
9	Ranchu Goldfish	Small ✭✭✭✭✩	4500	Area: Pond Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
10	Killifish	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	300	Area: Pond Months: October to February Times: Any time
11	Crawfish	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	200	Area: Pond Months: October to March Times: Any time
12	Soft-Shelled Turtle	Medium ✭✭✭✩✩	3750	Area: River Months: February to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
13	Snapping Turtle	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	5000	Area: River Months: October to April Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
14	Tadpole	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	100	Area: Pond Months: September to January Times: Any time
15	Frog	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	120	Area: Pond Months: November to February Times: Any time
16	Freshwater Goby	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: All year Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
17	Loach	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: September to November Times: Any time
18	Catfish	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	800	Area: Pond Months: November to April Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
19	Giant Snakehead	Large ✭✭✭✭✩	5500	Area: Pond Months: December to February Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
20	Bluegill	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	160	Area: River Months: All year Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
21	Yellow Perch	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	300	Area: River Months: April to September Times: Any time
22	Black Bass	Large ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: All year Times: Any time
23	Tilapia	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	800	Area: River Months: December to April Times: Any time
24	Pike	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	1800	Area: River Months: March to June Times: Any time
25	Pond Smelt	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: River Months: June to August Times: Any time
26	Sweetfish	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	900	Area: River Months: July to March Times: Any time
27	Cherry Salmon	Medium ✭✭✭✩✩	1000	Area: River - Clifftop Months: March to May | September to December Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
28	Char	Medium ✭✭✭✭✭	3800	Area: River - Clifftop Months: March to May | September to December Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
29	Golden Trout	Medium ✭✭✭✩✩	15000	Area: River - Clifftop Months: March to May | September to November Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
30	Stringfish	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	15000	Area: River - Clifftop Months: June to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
31	Salmon	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	700	Area: River Mouth Months: March Times: Any time
32	King Salmon	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	1800	Area: River Mouth Months: March Times: Any time
33	Mitten Crab	Small ✭✭✭✩✩	2000	Area: River Months: March to May Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
34	Guppy	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	1300	Area: River Months: October to May Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
35	Nibble Fish	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	1500	Area: River Months: November to March Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
36	Angelfish	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	3000	Area: River Months: November to April Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
37	Betta	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	2500	Area: River Months: November to April Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
38	Neon Tetra	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	500	Area: River Months: October to May Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
39	Rainbowfish	Tiny ✭✭✭✭✩	800	Area: River Months: November to April Times: 9 AM to 4 PM
40	Piranha	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	2500	Area: River Months: December to March Times: 9 AM to 4 PM｜9 PM to 4 AM
41	Arowana	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	10000	Area: River Months: December to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
42	Dorado	Large ✭✭✭✩✩	15000	Area: River Months: December to March Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
43	Gar	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	6000	Area: Pond Months: December to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
44	Arapaima	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	10000	Area: River Months: December to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
45	Saddled Bichir	Large ✭✭✭✭✩	4000	Area: River Months: December to March Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
46	Sturgeon	Huge ✭✭✭✩✩	10000	Area: River Mouth Months: March to September Times: Any time
47	Sea Butterfly	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	1000	Area: Sea Months: June to September Times: Any time
48	Seahorse	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	1100	Area: Sea Months: October to May Times: Any time
49	Clownfish	Tiny ✭✩✩✩✩	650	Area: Sea Months: October to March Times: Any time
50	Surgeonfish	Small ✭✭✭✩✩	1000	Area: Sea Months: October to March Times: Any time
51	Butterfly Fish	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	1000	Area: Sea Months: October to March Times: Any time
52	Napoleonfish	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	10000	Area: Sea Months: July to February Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
53	Zebra Turkeyfish	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	500	Area: Sea Months: October to May Times: Any time
54	Blowfish	Medium ✭✭✭✭✩	5000	Area: Sea Months: May to August Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
55	Puffer Fish	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	250	Area: Sea Months: July to March Times: Any time
56	Anchovy	Tiny ✭✭✩✩✩	200	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
57	Horse Mackerel	Small ✭✩✩✩✩	150	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
58	Barred Knifejaw	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	5000	Area: Sea Months: September to May Times: Any time
59	Sea Bass	Large ✭✩✩✩✩	400	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
60	Red Snapper	Medium ✭✭✩✩✩	3000	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
61	Dab	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	300	Area: Sea Months: April to October Times: Any time
62	Olive Flounder	Large ✭✩✩✩✩	800	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: Any time
63	Squid	Medium ✭✩✩✩✩	500	Area: Sea Months: June to February Times: Any time
64	Moray Eel	Long and Thin ✭✭✭✭✩	2000	Area: Sea Months: February to April Times: Any time
65	Ribbon Eel	Long and Thin ✭✭✭✩✩	600	Area: Sea Months: December to April Times: Any time
66	Tuna	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	7000	Area: Sea - Pier Months: May to October Times: Any time
67	Blue Marlin	Huge ✭✭✭✭✩	10000	Area: Sea - Pier Months: January to March | May to October Times: Any time
68	Giant Trevally	Large ✭✭✭✭✩	4500	Area: Sea - Pier Months: November to April Times: Any time
69	Mahi-Mahi	Huge ✭✭✭✭✭	6000	Area: Sea - Pier Months: November to April Times: Any time
70	Ocean Sunfish	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	4000	Area: Sea Months: July to March Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
71	Ray	Large ✭✭✭✩✩	3000	Area: Sea Months: February to May Times: 4 AM to 9 PM
72	Saw Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	12000	Area: Sea Months: December to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
73	Hammerhead Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	8000	Area: Sea Months: December to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
74	Great White Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	15000	Area: Sea Months: December to March Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
75	Whale Shark	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✭✩✩	13000	Area: Sea Months: December to March Times: Any time
76	Suckerfish	Dorsal Finned ✭✭✩✩✩	1500	Area: Sea Months: December to March Times: Any time
77	Football Fish	Large ✭✭✩✩✩	2500	Area: Sea Months: May to September Times: 4 PM to 9 AM
78	Oarfish	Huge ✭✭✭✭✩	9000	Area: Sea Months: June to November Times: Any time
79	Barreleye	Small ✭✭✩✩✩	12000	Area: Sea Months: All year Times: 9 PM to 4 AM
80	Coelacanth	Huge ✭✭✭✭✩	15000	Area: Sea Months: All year Only in Rain Times: Any time Only in Rain (Rain Only)

Fish Prices List

Most Valuable Fish

Once you have caught fish, there are three things you can do with them (aside from keeping them as pets): sell them, have C.J. make a model of them, or donate them to the Museum.

Top 5 Expensive Fish

	Icon	Name	Sell Price	Location
80		Coelacanth	15000	Sea
74		Great White Shark	15000	Sea
42		Dorado	15000	River
30		Stringfish	15000	River - Clifftop
29		Golden Trout	15000	River - Clifftop

There are a total of 5 fish selling for the max of 15,000 Bells, after which the price starts going down. However, there are many other expensive fish you can reel in loads of Bells by selling, so be sure to check out the full price list!

Complete List of Fish Sell Prices

List of All Fish by Location

The Fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be found in three types of water: Sea, Rivers, and Ponds.

The exact area of the body of water they can be found in can sometimes differ, like the river mouths leading into the ocean and the rivers on top of cliffs, so make sure you're looking the right place with our location guides below!

Types of Fish
Sea Fish	River Fish	Pond Fish

What To Do With Fish You Catch

Donate to the Museum

When catching any fish for the first time, you should usually donate it to the museum. This will help your museum grow any become more lively when you and friends visit it later! However, if you don't care about having a good museum, you do not necessarily have to donate it.

Sell Them for Bells

Each fish can only be donated to the museum one time. After that, you should sell them at Resident Services / Nook's Cranny to receive Bells. This is one of the easiest ways to make a ton of Bells, so hone your fishing power and your wallet (or Bell bag) will thank you!

Keep Them as Pets

The other thing that you can do with fish is keeping them as pets. When you drop a fish in or outside your house, it will automatically be displayed inside a small tank. While there is no real reason for doing this, perhaps you have a favorite type of fish, or have always wanted one of your own, so now is your chance!

What is the Rarest Fish?

The rarest fish in the game are the Stringfish and the Coelacanth. These are very elusive creatures and be a great trophy for a master fisherman!

What is the Biggest Fish?

If you want to flex off your fishing skills to your friends, the biggest fish to show off is either the Whale Shark or the Oceanfish. They are not as difficult to catch as the Coelacanth, but they're still very elusive.

Should I Sell or Keep the Fish?

That entirely depends on the player's needs. If the fish you caught doesn't have any records in the Museum, we recommend that you donate it to Blathers. If you're in need of Bells for a furniture or to pay off a loan, you should sell the fish. Fishing is one of the best and easiest ways to make money in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so we suggest that you get your angling game on and aim for the big catch!

Work Towards the Golden Fishing Rod

If you catch every fish in the Critterpedia at least once (even if you sell or release them), you will get the recipe for the Golden Fishing Rod. It has a highest durability out of all the fishing rods. If you're a master fisherman, it would be worth it to get one!

How to get the Golden Fishing Rod

Can You Eat Fish?

Fish cannot be eaten in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In previous Animal Crossing games, Wendell the Walrus will eat the fish you give him in exchange for wallpaper patterns. We will keep you up to date if ever Wendell gets added to the game!

Fishing Guide

How to Fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

In order to catch fish, you will first need to craft or buy a Fishing Rod. After equipping the fishing rod, go to a body of water (sea, river, or pond) and find a fish shadow. If you cannot find a shadow, you can craft fish bait to spawn a shadow. Cast your pole by pressing A, and wait for the fish to bite. This part requires precision and timing. Once it bites your lure and pulls it underwater, press A again to catch the fish!

For an in-depth walkthrough on how to catch fish and become the best fisher your island has ever seen, check out the guide below!

How to Catch Fish Easily

Related Guides

Animal Crossing Switch Wiki Guide