Have you ever wished you could catch fish faster in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? I have, and I found a cool trick to snag fish faster than ever.
To catch fish faster in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you will need to find manila clams and turn them into fishing bait. Fishing bait can be scattered in water to automatically summon fish, allowing you to quickly fish equal to the amount of bait that you have. It’s that simple.
You will, however, need a couple of things before you can start.
What You’ll Need To Fish Faster
You will need a few items to fish faster.
- A fishing rod
- A shovel
- Manila clam
- Fishing bait
In this article, I’ll explain how to obtain each item as well as how to fish faster:
- Catching Fish The Slow Way
- A Fishing Rod Is Needed
- Collect Clams
- How To Obtain Fishing Bait
- How To Use Fishing Bait To Catch Fish Faster
- Step-By-Step Recap
Now, onward to the lesson at hand.
1) Catching fish the slow way
Let me start by explaining how catching fish usually works in New Horizons.
You’ll equip and hold your fishing rod then walk along your island’s coast, up and down the beach until a fish’s silhouette eventually appears.
You would, then, repeat this process, hoping for a new fish sighting that may take a few seconds to a minute or two.
And if no fish appear, you may even venture into the heart of your island to visit rivers and ponds to see if fish are visible in either spot.
Suffice it to say, catching fish the normal way is fine, but no time saver. That much is for sure. A lot of valuable time is spent searching for fish instead of catching one.
So, I got to thinking that there must be a better way to fish in New Horizons. A faster and more efficient way.
And, there is. Let’s get to it.
2) A Fishing Rod is Needed.
In order to fish faster, you’ll need a fishing rod of course.
Any kind will do, just make sure you have one.
You can obtain a fishing rod from Resident Services early in the game or by purchasing one at Nook’s store.
Alternatively, you can craft fishing rods as long as you have access to a DIY workbench and the proper materials.
A workbench can be found at Resident Services and you can also craft your own workbench.
The materials required to make a flimsy fishing rod, the most basic of rods in this game, are abundant and common.
You will need 5 tree branches to make one flimsy fishing rod.
If you need help acquiring a flimsy fishing rod and want to know how to make an infinite amount of them very easily, check out my written and video guides explaining how to do this in detail. A must-watch for fishers!
Once you are done viewing those guides, you’ll have enough fishing rods to start fishing faster for a long time to come.
3) Collect Clams
You have your fishing rod. Now what? You need manila clams, that’s what.
Where can you find these clams, you ask?
I will answer your question with a question: have you ever seen small streams of water spurting out of mini holes along the beach?
Take a walk in the sands alongside your island’s coast and look carefully for small holes spurting streams of water.
Once you found a water hole, equip and hold your shovel.
- TIP: A shovel can also be crafted or purchased in a similar fashion as the flimsy fishing rod if you need one. Go ahead and obtain a shovel before moving ahead.
Now, stand next to the water hole and dig it up with your shovel. Congratulations! You just dug up your first manila clam!
Walk along your island’s shores and collect as many manila clams as you can get. 4 or 5 will do for the purpose of this guide.
4) How To Get Fishing Bait
Now, take your clams to the nearest DIY workbench and start crafting.
Each manila clam will transform into a single fishing bait in a one-to-one ratio.
That means that for every clam you have, you will receive one fishing bait. And up to ten fishing bait will stack in one inventory slot.
Just keep crafting until all of your clams have become bait, then head back to the nearest body of water to use your newfound item.
5) How To Use Fishing Bait To Catch Fish Faster
We finally make it to the good stuff.
You cobbled together your fishing rod and shovel, dug up some clams, and turned the clams into super cool fishing bait. And you now find yourself staring deep into wide open water asking yourself what to do next.
This part is easy.
- stand as close as you can to a body of water
- open your inventory and select your fishing bait
- an option to scatter the fishing bait should appear
- select scatter and watch as your character tosses the bait into the water
- a fish silhouette should automatically appear soon after
- repeat this process for as many fishing bait as you have or until you decide to stop fishing
You can use fishing bait in any water around town that includes ponds, rivers, and ocean water.
And you can do this an unlimited amount of times in a row as long as you have enough fishing bait.
Run out of bait? No problem. Just collect more manila clams,
The clams re-appear every few seconds. I kid you not.
On multiple occasions, I have run up and down my island’s shores, collected every manila clam I could find, only to find more manila clams in places where I had already collected them from moments earlier.
No longer will you have to suffer from tedious waiting as fish take their time to swim to your island. Now, you can fish for as long as you want by simply collecting abundant clams that live along your beach.
Do not worry: the clams sell for very little so you are gaining value by using them in this manner.
Finally, it is time for a step-by-step recap on how to catch fish faster in Animal Crossing: New Horizons:
How To Catch Fish Faster In Animal Crossing New Horizons (Step-By-Step)
- Create or purchase a fishing rod.
- Create or purchase a shovel.
- Dig up manila clams with your shovel along the beach.
- Take the clams to a DIY workbench and craft fishing bait with the clams.
- Walk to a body of water and open the inventory screen.
- Select the fishing bait.
- Select the option to scatter the bait.
- Watch as your character scatters the bait.
- A fish will appear.
- Catch fish.
- Repeat steps 5 through 10 and profit!
Conclusion: Fish Fast Forever
And there you have it!
Now you know how to catch fish faster in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch.
All it takes is a few tools, a handful of clams to turn into fishing bait, and a little bit of time to fish until your inventory is full of sea bass and carp.
Come back here if you ever need a refresher on what materials you need to catch fish faster or how to do so.
By Wally
(Screenshots taken by me. Images sourced from product pages on the Nintendo website. Logos, characters, and images are owned by their respective owners)
