• Guide

How to catch an Oarfish - Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Everything you need to know to catch the elusive and rare Oarfish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons before it leaves the northern hemisphere at the end of May.

Josh Hawkins

May 20, 2020 8:45 AM

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With May coming to an end soon, players will soon find even more fish vanishing from the rivers, ponds, and seas around their deserted island getaway. If you’re trying to fill out your Critterpedia, then getting your hands on elusive and rare fish like the Oarfish should be a priority as we count down the days to the end of the month. Here are several helpful tips to assist you in your journey to catch an Oarfish.

How to catch an Oarfish

If you’re looking to catch the rare Oarfish and add it to your Critterpedia, then it’s time to break out the Fish Bait and plan your attack. Like most creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Oarfish can only be caught in certain times of the year, and in certain bodies of water.

For the Oarfish, you’re going to need to hunt for this fish during the months of December – May for the northern hemisphere and May – September for those in the southern hemisphere. For more details, you can check out our in-depth guide to all the fish in New Horizons. Unlike many other rare fish, you can catch the Oarfish all throughout the day, so you won’t need to look for it during specific time periods.

Finally, the Oarfish can only be caught in the sea. This means you’re going to want to look out for large fish shadows out around the edge of your island. We suggest scaring off any fish in your rivers and ponds if you’re hunting solely for this creature. You can also craft yourself some Fish Bait, which will basically spawn in fish right in front of you when used.

Unfortunately, these are all the tips we can really offer you. If you can, try fishing during rainy weather, as this often results in more fish spawning naturally. It also gives you a chance to catch the Coelacanth, one of the rarest fish in the game. For more helpful info, be sure to check out our Animal Crossing: New Horizons guide, where we’ve put hundreds of hours of knowledge in one handy place.

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.