Animal Crossing: How to Catch the Game's Rarest Fish (original) (raw)

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Fishing can be an enjoyable pastime for players in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but players looking to complete Blathers' museum collection will need to have plenty of patience and a lot of time to catch the rarest species in the game. Some fish will only spawn during specific seasons (the timing of which will depend on whether players are in the northern or southern hemisphere), or at a certain time of day, while some will only come out with the right weather conditions. Expert anglers know they will need to search the right locations and keep a keen eye for the different sized shadows that fish produce.

Players can better their chances of finding rare fish by using fish bait. This handy helper can be crafted at a DIY bench using manila clams that can be dug up on the beach; the recipe for fish bait will become available once players dig up their first clam. Once crafted, it can then be sprinkled on the surface of any body of water. Fish will be drawn to this and a random sized fish will spawn for players to catch.

Upgrading from the flimsy rod as soon as possible at a DIY bench will also help players on their fishing quest. Upgraded tools can be used longer before they break, meaning players can fish for longer periods before having to craft or buy a new rod, which gives them more time and opportunity to land the rarest ones.

Blue Marlin

The angler looking to catch this rare fish will need to keep a close eye out for a huge shadow in the waters near the pier. Blue marlins can be caught at any time of day, but they are only available July-September and November-April (northern hemisphere) and January-March and May-November (southern hemisphere). These fish are worth 10 thousand Bells, so they are a nice way to net some quick money nine months of the year.

Sharks

There are four different species of shark available for players to catch: saw shark, hammerhead shark, great white shark and whale shark. Players will earn between 8 thousand (hammerhead) and 15 thousand Bells (great white) for this huge species of rare fish. While all shark species are only available June-September (North) and December-March (South) in the ocean, only the whale shark can be caught at any time of the day; the other three species of shark can only be found between 4 p.m. and 9 am. Sharks are one of the most recognizable shadows in-game -- they cast a huge shadow with a telltale fin protruding above the water's surface.

Dorado

The dorado, like the shark, can only be found between June and September, or December and March depending on the player's hemisphere. These large-shadowed fish can be found exclusively in rivers between 4 a.m. and 9 p.m., but the angler lucky enough to catch one of these rare fish will earn 15 thousand Bells for their efforts.

Barreleye

If you are a night-owl, the barreleye may be the perfect catch for you. It is available to catch year-round, making it one of the more obtainable rare fish, but players will need to search for large shadows in the ocean between the hours of 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. if they hope to land this catch.

Sturgeon

Anglers looking to reel in a sturgeon will need to find the river mouth, an area where the river and ocean meet, and will need to keep a lookout for a large shadow in these waters. Sturgeon can be found at any time of the day, but can only be found between September and March (north) or March and September (south). Players will be rewarded with 10 thousand Bells if they manage to find one.

Coelacanth

The rarest fish across the Animal Crossing series, the coelacanth, is every angler's dream catch. It can be found in the ocean year-round and at any time of day, but this elusive catch will only spawn when it is raining. Anglers will need to watch the waters for huge shadows, but the patience needed to catch the coelacanth will be rewarded with 15 thousand Bells and the satisfaction of finding such a rare catch.

With 80 different species of fish to catch in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, players will need plenty of patience to complete their collection. Knowing where to look, as well as what fish are available seasonally and during certain times of day, will help anglers find even the most elusive of catches.

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