One of the nifty features of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is its ever-changing seasons that are a reflection of the real world. When it’s summer in real life, it’s summer in Animal Crossing, meaning there are always new things to enjoy as you play. As each month goes by, the selection of fish that appear throughout the game changes, so you’ll always want to be aware of the selection for any given month.
Sometimes, certain fish are only available for a few months out of the year, while others appear more frequently. It’s also important to consider which hemisphere you’re in, as this will impact the fish that appear in your area. For the month of August 2021, New Horizons has a lot of changes with its fish selection, and below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the new additions.
Further reading:
Fishing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Fishing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn’t too complicated, but there are some things you should be aware of. For starters, each fish will give you some indication of its presence, such as a shadow or fin. The size of the fish’s shadow is indicative of how big the fish is — which makes sense. So, if you’re prioritizing a specific fish that happens to be large, you can safely skip over the smaller shadows.
To fish, you need to have a fishing rod, which can be purchased from Nook’s Cranny (or crafted). Approach a body of water, such as a river, pond, or the sea, and look for a shadow to appear. Typically, these shadows will indicate the presence of a fish, but sometimes you’ll only get trash instead. Throw your line at the fish’s shadow, let it sit for a few moments, and as soon as it “plops” down, reel in the line. If timed correctly, you’ll catch the fish. In addition, if you’re playing on a normal Nintendo Switch (as opposed to the Switch Lite), you’ll feel a vibration indicating it’s time to reel in the fish.
Keep in mind, you can always sell your fish at Nook’s Cranny, but once a week, CJ comes to your island, and he actually offers more bells than you’d get otherwise, so it pays to sell to him instead. You must finish CJ’s fishing challenge before he’ll accept fish from you. CJ will appear anywhere around your island, so keep an eye out for him as you explore.
Changes in August
For the month of August, the Northern Hemisphere features a handful of changes. Notably, the tadpole has left starting on August 1. Replacing them are the Soft-shelled turtle, Moray eel, and Ray, so keep this in mind as you fish.
As for the Southern Hemisphere, there aren’t any changes from July.
Below are the full lists of changes for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres:
Northern Hemisphere
- Pale chub: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (200 bells)
- Crucian carp: River, all day (160 bells)
- Dace: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (240 bells)
- Carp: Pond, all day (200 bells)
- Koi: Pond, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (4,000 bells)
- Goldfish: Pond, all day (1,300 bells)
- Poptoeyed goldfish: Pond, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (1,300 bells)
- Ranchu goldfish: Pond, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (4,500 bells)
- Killifish: Pond, all day (300 bells)
- Crawfish: Pond, all day (200 bells)
- Softtoshelled turtle: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (3,750 bells)
- Snapping turtle: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (5000 bells)
- Frog: Pond, all day (120 bells)
- Freshwater goby: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (400 bells)
- Catfish: Pond, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (800 bells)
- Giant snakehead: Pond, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (5,500 bells)
- Bluegill: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (180 bells)
- Black bass: River, all day (400 bells)
- Tilapia: River, all day (800 bells)
- Sweetfish: River, all day (900 bells)
- Guppy: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (1300 bells)
- Nibble fish: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (1,500 bells)
- Angelfish: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (3,000 bells)
- Betta: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (2,500 bells)
- Neon tetra: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (500 bells)
- Rainbowfish: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (800 bells)
- Piranha: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. & 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. (2,500 bells)
- Arowana: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (10,000 bells)
- Dorado: River, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (15,000 bells)
- Gar: Pond, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (6,000)
- Arapaima: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (10,000)
- Saddled bichir: River, 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. (4,000)
- Sea horse: Sea, all day (1100 bells)
- Clownfish: Sea, all day (650 bells)
- Surgeonfish: Sea, all day (1000 bells)
- Butterflyfish: Sea, all day (1000 bells)
- Napoleonfish: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (10,000 bells)
- Zebra turkeyfish: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (200 bells)
- Puffer fish: Sea, all day (250 bells)
- Anchovy: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (200 bells)
- Horse mackerel: Sea, all day (150 bells)
- Barred knifejaw: Sea, all day (5,000 bells)
- Sea bass: Sea, all day (400 bells)
- Red snapper: Sea, all day (3,000 bells)
- Olive flounder: Sea, all day (800 bells)
- Squid: Sea, all day (500 bells)
- Moray eel: Sea, all day (2,000 bells)
- Ribbon eel: Sea, all day (600 bells)
- Blue marlin: Pier, all day (10,000 bells)
- Giant trevally: Pier, all day (4,500 bells)
- Mahitomahi: Pier, all day (6,000 bells)
- Ocean sunfish: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (4,000 bells)
- Ray: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (3,000 bells)
- Saw shark: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (12,000 bells)
- Hammerhead shark: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (8,000 bells)
- Great white shark: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (15,000 bells)
- Whale shark: Sea, all day (13,000 bells)
- Suckerfish: Sea, all day (1,500 bells)
- Barreleye: Sea, 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. (15,000 bells)
- Coelacanth: Sea raining, all day (15,000 bells)
Southern Hemisphere
- Bitterling: River, all day (900 bells)
- Pale chub: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (200 bells)
- Crucian carp: River, all day (160 bells)
- Dace: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (160 bells)
- Carp: Pond, all day (300 bells)
- Koi: Pond, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (4,000 bells)
- Goldfish: Pond, all day (1,300 bells)
- Poptoeyed goldfish: Pond, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (1,300 bells)
- Ranchu goldfish: Pond, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (4,500 bells)
- Freshwater goby: River, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (400 bells)
- Bluegill: River, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (180 bells)
- Yellow perch: River, all day (300 bells)
- Black bass: River, all day (400 bells)
- Pond smelt: Pond, all day (500 bells)
- Stringfish: River clifftop, all day (15,000 bells)
- Sturgeon: River (mouth), all day (10,000 bells)
- Sea butterfly: Sea, all day (1,000 bells)
- Blowfish: Sea, 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. (5,000 bells)
- Anchovy: Sea, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. (200 bells)
- Horse mackerel: Sea, all day (150 bells)
- Sea bass: Sea, all day (400 bells)
- Red snapper: Sea, all day (3,000 bells)
- Dab: Sea, all day (300 bells)
- Olive flounder: Sea, all day (800 bells)
- Squid: Sea, all day (500 bells)
- Tuna: Pier, all day (7,000 bells)
- Blue marlin: Pier, all day (10,000 bells)
- Football fish: Sea, 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. (2,500 bells)
- Oarfish: Sea, all day (9,000 bells)
- Barreleye: Sea, 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. (15,000 bells)
- Coelacanth: Sea raining, all day (15,00 bells)
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