Fishing

Fishing is a large part of the, appearing in all the games except for. Fish can be donated to the museum, along with bugs, sea creatures, fossils, and art. 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: the frog, crawfish, octopus and lobster, for example. Fish can be found in all bodies of water, including ponds, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and the sea. They can be caught using any type of fishing rod, and if the player catches a fish and a villager sees them, the villager will clap.

In, if a player leaves behind a fishing rod on Animal Island, the islander may use the fishing rod when it is given to them, though only on the Game Boy Advance. If used, they may catch either a red snapper or an octopus, the latter of which could not be caught in the main game until.

Catching fish
The player must not run when going after the fish, place an item near the body of water. Nor grab the item or disturb the water by dropping a snowball, releasing a fish, tossing beans, causing a tool to break, or swinging a net into the water. This will scare it away, and the player will not see it again. When they see the fish, they must cast the line out using the (A) button. In, it is also possible to fish by using the touch screen, tapping the player or tapping the water. The player should position themselves so that the float comes near the fish when it comes to a stop (change distance from shore, angle of casting, position).

The fish, if it sees the bait, will attempt to nibble. Sometimes, however, fish nibble the bait and swim past it (they do not disappear), so the player must recast the bait. If the fish follows and continues to nibble the bait, then the player must wait for the fish to bite the bait to submerge it, making a distinct "plop" noise. Once the bait is submerged, the player must press (A), shake the Wii Remote, or tap the screen as soon as possible. The fish can nibble up to five times, so if the fish has nibbled four times, the next nibble will be a guaranteed bite. If the player draws the line too early or too late, the fish swims away. Common fish such as the sea bass do not require quick reflexes to catch them. However, rare or expensive fish such as the blue marlin require faster timing, so the player must keep their concentration when catching fish. Once the fish is caught the player will hold up the fish to show off and say something about it, then put the fish in their pockets.

In, , and , the controller vibrates each time a fish touches the rod, with a stronger vibration occurring when the fish bites. In, the strength of the vibration is also based on the size of the fish.

Fishing rods
To catch fish, the player will first need a rod. There are four main types of fishing rod: the flimsy fishing rod, the normal fishing rod, the silver rod, and the golden rod.
 * : This rod is only available in, and it can be crafted or bought from Nook's Cranny. Its durability is lower than the regular fishing rod.
 * Fishing rod: This is a common tool that can be brought for Bells 500, or in the case of, crafted using a flimsy fishing rod and an.
 * Silver rod: This rod makes catching fish easier and can also be bought at Tom Nook's store. Although it is rarer, the silver rod can be bought for Bells 500, the same as the fishing rod. However, the silver rod is not very rare in ; the silver rod is available for purchase in the Museum Shop for Bells 600 after the player has donated 50 fish. It is not available in.
 * Golden rod: This rod makes catching fish even easier than with the silver rod, and can only be obtained by catching all fish. In the case of however, the Golden Rod provides the most durability out of the other rods in the game, and needs to be crafted using a fishing rod and one, with its DIY recipe obtained from catching all fish. For each game in the series, it will take a minimum of eight months (February to September) to catch all the fish without time traveling.

In addition to these four, adds three stylized fishing rods: the colorful fishing rod, the fish fishing rod, and the outdoorsy fishing rod. These are functionally identical to the regular fishing rod, with the only difference being their design. These rods are available from the upgraded Nook's Cranny.

Fish bait
Fish bait is a craftable item in that will spawn a random fish when thrown into a body of water. Fish bait can be crafted using one manila clam, and it stacks up to 10 in the player's inventory. Additionally, it sells for Bells 200, double the selling price of a manila clam.

Times and dates
Some fish, like the sea bass, can be caught all day and all year. Some fish, however, appear only at certain times of the day or at certain times of the year, like the gar. Most fish either appear all day, between 4 AM and 9 PM, between 9 AM and 4 PM, or between 4 PM and 9 AM.

Fishing locations
Fish can be found in all bodies of water throughout the player's town. In, the player can use the Island Designer Construction Permit to create rivers, waterfalls, and ponds on their island.

Sea

 * For a list of all sea fish, see List of saltwater fish.

The sea 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.

River

 * For a list of all freshwater fish, see List of freshwater fish.

The river is the second largest area of water in town. It runs from north to south, going through one waterfall in or two waterfalls in, , and.

Lake
A lake is where the river widens in only. It is not where the river splits in two.

Waterfall
A waterfall is the area where water cascades over a cliff. There is one waterfall in all towns, and two waterfalls in, , and.

River mouth
The river mouth is where the river meets the sea. Salmon, king salmon, and sturgeon can be caught here.

Pond
A pond is a small pool of water. The average town has two or three scattered around.

Shadow / Size

 * See also: List of fish by shadow size

Trash
There are three items of trash: the boot, the empty can, and the old tire. The empty can and boot can be caught in rivers, while the old tire can be caught in either rivers or the sea. Prior to, they cannot be sold to, but they can be disposed of at Tom Nook's store for free. In, trash can be disposed of at Re-Tail for a fee of 80 Bells or thrown away for free if the garbage can public works project is built. In, the player can also dispose of them without this project if they have a trash can in their home. In, trash can now be sold, and it is used in certain DIY recipes.

Lost items
In, 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. If the player's pockets are full, the game will not allow them to catch a key, and attempting to do so will always result in failure.

Trivia

 * In WarioWare: Smooth Moves, one of 9-Volt and 18-Volt's microgames involves the player controlling a fishing character. The player must pull the Wii Remote up in order to catch a fish from the river. All fish from  are potential catches in this microgame. This microgame reappears in WarioWare Gold.