All Animal Crossing January Fish in New Horizons

January is a strong month for fishing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but what you can catch depends entirely on your island’s hemisphere. The game treats January as mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere and peak summer in the Southern Hemisphere, which creates two very different fishing lineups.

All Animal Crossing January Fish in New Horizons

Before diving into lists, it helps to understand how the game decides what appears in the water.

Fish availability is controlled by:

• Hemisphere selection (chosen when you created your island)
• Time of day
• Water type (river, pond, clifftop river, river mouth, sea, pier)
• Special conditions (rain, fin shadows, clifftop access)

January does not introduce new fish in every hemisphere, but it does offer rare, high-value catches if you fish at the right locations and times.

January Fish – Northern Hemisphere

January in the Northern Hemisphere does not introduce new fish, but it keeps several rare winter-exclusive spawns active.

River & Pond Fish (Northern Hemisphere)

Fish	Price (Bells)	Location	Shadow Size	Time
Bitterling	900	River	Tiny	All day
Pale Chub	200	River	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Crucian Carp	160	River	Small	All day
Dace	240	River	Medium-small	4 PM – 9 AM
Carp	300	Pond	Medium-large	All day
Koi	4,000	Pond	Medium-large	4 PM – 9 AM
Goldfish	1,300	Pond	Tiny	All day
Pop-Eyed Goldfish	1,300	Pond	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Ranchu Goldfish	4,500	Pond	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Freshwater Goby	400	River	Small	4 PM – 9 AM
Bluegill	180	River	Small	9 AM – 4 PM
Yellow Perch	300	River	Medium-small	All day
Black Bass	400	River	Medium-large	All day
Pond Smelt	500	River	Small	All day
Stringfish	15,000	Clifftop River	Large	4 PM – 9 AM
Sturgeon	10,000	River Mouth	Huge	All day

Sea & Pier Fish (Northern Hemisphere)

Fish	Price (Bells)	Location	Shadow Size	Time
Sea Butterfly	1,000	Sea	Tiny	All day
Blowfish	5,000	Sea	Medium-small	9 PM – 4 AM
Anchovy	200	Sea	Small	4 AM – 9 PM
Horse Mackerel	150	Sea	Small	All day
Sea Bass	400	Sea	Large	All day
Red Snapper	3,000	Sea	Medium-large	All day
Dab	300	Sea	Medium-small	All day
Olive Flounder	800	Sea	Large	All day
Squid	500	Sea	Medium-small	All day
Tuna	7,000	Pier	Huge	All day
Blue Marlin	10,000	Pier	Huge	All day
Football Fish	2,500	Sea	Medium-large	4 PM – 9 AM
Oarfish	9,000	Sea	Huge	All day
Barreleye	15,000	Sea	Small	9 PM – 4 AM
Coelacanth	15,000	Sea (Rain)	Huge	All day

January Changes – Northern Hemisphere

Category	Fish
New in January	None
Leaving After January	None

January Fish – Southern Hemisphere

January is one of the richest fishing months in the Southern Hemisphere, featuring river giants, sharks, and multiple high-value fish.

River & Pond Fish (Southern Hemisphere)

Fish	Price (Bells)	Location	Shadow Size	Time
Pale Chub	200	River	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Crucian Carp	160	River	Small	All day
Dace	240	River	Medium-small	4 PM – 9 AM
Carp	300	Pond	Medium-large	All day
Koi	4,000	Pond	Medium-large	4 PM – 9 AM
Goldfish	1,300	Pond	Tiny	All day
Pop-Eyed Goldfish	1,300	Pond	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Ranchu Goldfish	4,500	Pond	Small	9 AM – 4 PM
Killifish	300	Pond	Tiny	All day
Crawfish	200	Pond	Small	All day
Snapping Turtle	5,000	River	Large	9 PM – 4 AM
Tadpole	100	Pond	Tiny	All day
Frog	120	Pond	Small	All day
Catfish	800	Pond	Medium-large	4 PM – 9 AM
Giant Snakehead	5,500	Pond	Large	9 AM – 4 PM
Tilapia	800	River	Medium-small	All day
Sweetfish	900	River	Medium-small	All day
Guppy	1,300	River	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Nibble Fish	1,500	River	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Angelfish	3,000	River	Small	4 PM – 9 AM
Betta	2,500	River	Small	9 AM – 4 PM
Neon Tetra	500	River	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Rainbowfish	800	River	Tiny	9 AM – 4 PM
Piranha	2,500	River	Small	9 AM – 4 PM / 9 PM – 4 AM
Arowana	10,000	River	Medium-large	4 PM – 9 AM
Dorado	15,000	River	Large	4 AM – 9 PM
Gar	6,000	Pond	Huge	4 PM – 9 AM
Arapaima	10,000	River	Huge	4 PM – 9 AM
Saddled Bichir	4,000	River	Medium-large	9 PM – 4 AM

Sea & Pier Fish (Southern Hemisphere)

Fish	Price (Bells)	Location	Shadow Size	Time
Sea Horse	1,100	Sea	Tiny	All day
Clown Fish	650	Sea	Tiny	All day
Surgeonfish	1,000	Sea	Small	All day
Butterfly Fish	1,000	Sea	Small	All day
Napoleonfish	10,000	Sea	Huge	4 AM – 9 PM
Zebra Turkeyfish	500	Sea	Medium-small	All day
Puffer Fish	250	Sea	Medium-small	All day
Ribbon Eel	600	Sea	Thin	All day
Blue Marlin	10,000	Pier	Huge	All day
Giant Trevally	4,500	Pier	Large	All day
Mahi-Mahi	6,000	Pier	Large	All day
Ocean Sunfish	4,000	Sea	Huge (Fin)	4 AM – 9 PM
Saw Shark	12,000	Sea	Huge (Fin)	4 PM – 9 AM
Hammerhead Shark	8,000	Sea	Huge (Fin)	4 PM – 9 AM
Great White Shark	15,000	Sea	Huge (Fin)	4 PM – 9 AM
Whale Shark	13,000	Sea	Huge (Fin)	All day
Suckerfish	1,500	Sea	Medium (Fin)	All day
Barreleye	15,000	Sea	Small	9 PM – 4 AM
Coelacanth	15,000	Sea (Rain)	Huge	All day

January Changes – Southern Hemisphere

Category	Fish
New in January	Sweetfish, Napoleonfish, Puffer Fish, Blue Marlin, Ocean Sunfish
Leaving After January	Tadpole

January is a month of opportunity in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Northern Hemisphere players should focus on rare winter fish like Stringfish and Sturgeon, while Southern Hemisphere players can enjoy one of the most diverse fishing months in the game.

Whether you’re filling Blathers’ museum or farming Bells, January offers some of the best fishing sessions of the year when you know exactly where and when to cast. Play Now!