Fishing

''This is an article on how to fish. For a full list of fish, go to Fish.'' Fish are a large part of Animal Crossing, making up a substantial amount of gameplay; it is often an essential skill for those who are not very lucky at the stalk market, because it is based more on skill than luck. Fish appear in the museum after donating, along with bugs, fossils and paintings. They are very diverse in price, ranging from 100 Bells to 15,000 Bells. Not all 'fish' are actually fish, though, but rather mere aquatic species: frogs, crawfish, octopi and lobster, for example. Fish can be found in all bodies of water, the pond, the river pool, the river, the waterfall and the fish can only be caught using any of the two (in Wild World and the original game) to three (in City Folk) types of available fishing rod.

Fishing rods
To catch fish, the player will first need a rod. There are 3 kinds of fishing rod: the generic rod, the silver rod and the golden rod (they are all categorized as tools.)


 * Fishing rod: This is a common tool found in Tom Nook's store, sold for 500 Bells each. It is the easiest of the rods to get and is the first rod the player will receive.


 * Silver rod: This rod makes catching fish easier and can also be bought at Tom Nook's store. Surprisingly, the silver rod can be bought for 500 Bells, the same as the fishing rod, despite being better. However, the silver rod is very rare. This rod is in Animal Crossing: City Folk only.


 * Golden rod: The most arduously obtained rod, it can only be obtained when the player catches all 40 (AC), 56 (WW) , or 64 (CF) fish. Without time traveling, it will take, at the very least, around eleven months to catch them all. This rod makes catching fish even more lucid than does the silver rod.

Where can I find the fish?
Fish can be found in all bodies of water throughout the player or players' town.

Ocean
This is the largest body of water in the town and is the only saltwater area. This is where most of the very expensive fish are found, including the shark family.

Oceanic fish
For a list of all oceanic fish, go to List of saltwater fish.

River
This is the second largest area of water in town. It runs from north to south, going through 1 waterfall (ACWW) or 2 waterfalls (AC and ACCF).

River mouth
The river mouth is special in that the Salmon and King Salmon can be caught here, despite it being part of the ocean.

River fish
Unless stated, all fish in the List of freshwater fish are river fish.

River pool
The river pool is where the river widens. It is not where the river spilts in two.

River pool fish

 * Catfish
 * Giant Catfish (AC only)
 * Gar
 * Giant Snakehead
 * Pond Smelt

Waterfall
This area is where the water cascades over a cliff. There is 1 waterfall in an Animal Crossing: Wild World town, but 2 in Animal Crossing (GCN) and Animal Crossing: City Folk.

Waterfall fish

 * Char
 * Large Char (AC only)

Pond
The pond is a small pool of water. The average town has about 3 scattered around.

Pond fish

 * Frog
 * Crawfish
 * Killifish

What does a fish look like?
When in the water, the fish looks like a big dark blob. This is a shadow. Shadows can be all sorts of sizes, for a list of fish by shadow size, try the List of fish by shadow size.

How to catch the fish
The player must not run when going after the fish. This will scare it away, and they will not see it again. When they see the fish, they must cast the line out using the (A) button. The fish, if it sees the bait, will attempt to nibble. Some fish nibble once then swim away. Do not press (A) yet. Some Animal Crossing players keep their eyes shut and wait for the 'plop' noise. When the player hears the 'plop' noise, the player must press and hold (A) as soon as possible after the plop. The fish can only nibble 4 times, so if the fish has nibbled 4 times, the next nibble will be a bite. Sometimes they will miss the fish, and it will flee. They may have pressed the button too early, or maybe too late. Common fish like the Sea Bass do not need good timing, although it must be alright, in order to catch it. However, rare/expensive fish like the Blue Marlin require exact timing, so the player must keep their concentration when catching fish.

Fish that aren't fish
As stated in the first paragraph, not all fish are actual fish. These are:


 * The frog, which is an amphibian.
 * The crawfish, which is a crustacean.
 * The lobster, which is also a crustacean.
 * The octopus, which is a mollusc/mollusk.
 * The squid, which is also a mollusc/mollusk.
 * The Sea Butterfly, which is another mollusc/mollusk.

Times and dates
Most fish appear all day or all year, and there are some, like the sea bass that appear all day and all year. Some fish, however, only appear at certain times of the day, or at certain times of the year, like the gar. All fish either appear all day, between 4am and 9pm, between 4pm - 9am or 9am - 4pm.

The Coelacanth
The coelacanth is a particularly noteworthy fish as, not only selling for 15,000 Bells, it only appears during snow or rain. Even then, it is still horribly rare, and it is this fish that most people catch last.

Diving Beetle and Pondskater
These are not fish, they are bugs. However, the diving beetle will dive under the surface of the water sometimes, creating a shadow similar to one of a small fish. The pondskater darts around on the surface of freshwater. It can sometimes be mistaken for a fleeing small fish.

Trash
There are three items of trash. The can and boot are caught in the river, while the tire is caught in the ocean. They serve no purpose. They cannot be sold to Tom Nook for a price, but he will take them from you to get rid of.

Keys
In Animal Crossing:City Folk, villagers may lose the Key to their house. When fished out, it can be returned for a reward. If it is not found fast enough, the key will stop appearing, and they will get in by themselves.