How to find and catch an Oarfish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is packed with fish and bugs for you to catch. They all have their own set of rules for when they spawn. From the time of day to the month, and even location, tracking them all down can be a bit of a pain. 

If you are looking for the Oarfish, then it’s probably with good reason. Because it’s so rare, you can sell the Oarfish to the Nooks for 9000 Bells, which is a considerable amount of cash. If you can manage to find it regularly, you’ll be rolling around on a big pile of Bells.

To find the Oarfish in the northern hemisphere, you will need to look for fish spawns in the sea. The Oarfish has the largest shadow of all the sea fish, but that doesn’t guarantee you will catch it, as all the large fish will share similar shadows. The time of day doesn’t matter for the Oarfish, but the month does, as it will only be available between December and May. To find the Oarfish in the southern hemisphere, you will need to look for the fish from June to November.

So, to recap:

Northern Hemisphere

• Fish in the sea
• Ignore small shadows
• Time of day doesn’t matter
• Only available between December and May

Southern Hemisphere

• Fish in the sea
• Ignore small shadows
• Time of day doesn’t matter
• Only available between June and November

One item that will prove very useful in your quest to catch the Oarfish or any other fish for that matter is Fish Bait. Be sure to bring some with you when you plan on fishing, as it will make more fish spawn.

If you found this guide helpful, we have other guides you might also like. From whether you can relocate Resident Services, how to get more residents, the maximum number of residents you can have on your island, and how to get your hands on those pesky floating balloon presents. We can also tell you everything you want to know about Nook Miles Tickets, how to get different types of fruit, and how to get your hands on the Pretty Good Tools Recipes.