Animal Crossing Fish List: All Fish Prices, Locations, And How To Catch ...

How to catch rare fish and the highest fish prices in Animal Crossing: New Horizons explained

As you might expect, the rarer the fish, the higher the price it will sell for in the shop - making for a welcome money making opportunity.

But as implied, even if you know the correct time and place of where they will appear, finding these fish are difficult - requiring a dose of luck to appear, then some skill in catching them, especially as rarer fish tend to be more skittish when biting the lure.

If you're after rarer fish, especially to sell, there are some rules to follow:

• If you're planning to make money, keep scanning the sea as it's where most expensive larger fish can appear, so stick to the coast (and when you can, also check in the pier area).
• If a fish has a fin, it's likely to be a shark - and is one of the few fish types you can spot ahead of catching.
• Though lures don't increase your chances, they will force a fish to appear in unusual locations, such as the pier - saving you some effort in waiting.
• Though rain is unconfirmed to increase numbers or chances of certain types of fish, the infamous Coelacanth will only appear when it rains - which can give you an extra incentive to get out to the coast when it does.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Gameplay - Catching a Stringfish Watch on YouTube

• Mystery Islands have higher fish spawns than your island. Though the layout is random - some could have a river cliff, while others will only spawn trash for you to catch - it can help you better catch fish in certain locations, especially if you use the 'scaring' tactic mentioned earlier.
• Ultimately - aside from known factors such as time of day, year and island location, rare fish appear by luck, so it's a case of fishing again, and again, and again...

It's worth adding though some fish can sell for up to 15,000 Bells each, the chances of catching enough to make it worth prioritising over other make money opportunities - such as finding Tarantulas and Butterflies - is unlikely. As a result, see fishing as more of a completionist exercise than a lucrative one!

Though not an exhaustive list of rare fish or fish prices, here are our recommendations on how to catch rare fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Note - all months mentioned are for the Northern Hemisphere:

Football Fish (fish price - 5,000 Bells) - If you want a balance of finding a fish which is uncommon but fetches a good price, we'd recommend looking for Football Fish. These appear in the sea, between November and March, and 4pm to 9am.

Oarfish (fish price - 9,000 Bells) - The Oarfish is perhaps one of the more 'surprising' rare fish which, despite its huge size when caught, looks like a regular 'large' fish in the water, meaning you're likely to stumbling upon it by accident. You'll find this in the sea at any time of day between December and May.

How to catch Oarfish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Watch on YouTube

Golden Trout (fish price 15,000 Bells) - Found between March to May and September to November between 4pm and 9am, you'll find the Golden Trout in the hardest place to reach on the island - the source of the river at the highest elevation. Bring a ladder and a few fish baits with you - that way you can keep spawning them without having to travel back and forth. It's very, very rare - but keep trying!

How to Catch a Golden Trout | Golden Trout Animal Crossing New Horizons | Golden Trout ACNH Watch on YouTube

Blue Marlin (fish price 10,000 Bells) - You can find this all day between November to April and July to September. It's one of the few fish which appears at the pier - so have a quick glance when you pass by it, or use some fish bait to encourage it out.

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Sharks (fish prices - between 8,000 Bells and 15,000 Bells) - There are many different varieties throughout the year, but as long as you fish out at sea, and fish in the evening hours (between 4pm and 9am) there's a (rare) chance you can find one. If you see a fin on the fish silhouette before you catch it, then you're in luck. Just hope you catch it!

Animal Crossing: Now Horizons - How to catch every shark and the Suckerfish Watch on YouTube

Coelacanth (fish price - 15,000 Bells) - Infamous for being one of the rarest fish in the Animal Crossing series, Coelacanth is back in New Horizons. The rules for this one are pretty simple - it needs to rain, but otherwise it's available all year round, at all times of day, and from the ocean. Fingers crossed it makes an appearance.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - How to catch a Coelacanth Watch on YouTube

Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 3.0 is on its way! It will bring Zelda items, LEGO items, Splatoon items and NES games. While you wait, make sure your Museum is full of fish and bugs. Cooking, meanwhile, will let you make some tasty gifts for your villagers. If your island needs decorating, why not add some Gyroids, flowers or fruit? Don't forget to make sure you've got every tool though and that your home is up to Happy Home Academy standards. There's also your Happy Home Paradise restort too!