Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to Catch a Rainbowfish

While playing Animal Crossing New Horizons you'll come across all manner of aquatic life, but few are as elusive as the tiny Rainbowfish. In this guide we'll explain how to catch a Rainbowfish and what it's worth when sold to other characters.

On this page:

• How to Catch a Rainbowfish in Animal Crossing New Horizons
• Rainbowfish Shadow Size
• How Much Do Rainbowfish Sell For?

How to Catch a Rainbowfish in Animal Crossing New Horizons

Rainbowfish are tiny fish that appear on your island and others. To catch a rainbow fish in Animal Crossing New Horizons, equip your fishing rod and be aware of the following:

• Rainbowfish spawn in May to October (in the Northern Hemisphere) and November to April (in the Southern Hemisphere). There's no way to encounter them outside of these months.
• Rainbowfish also only appear between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, during daylight hours. There's no way to catch one at night.
• They also only spawn in rivers, not ponds or the ocean. Make sure to check flowing inland waters when looking for Rainbowfish.
• Rainbowfish appear to be very rare, and even with all these conditions met there's a good chance it could take a while to find one. Keep an eye on your rivers, and make a note of the shadow size explained below.

Rainbowfish Shadow Size

Rainbowfish have the smallest shadow size in the game, marked by tiny darkened circles under the water. For this reason, it's easy to confuse them with Nibble Fish, which share a lot of the same habits and conditions.

How Much Do Rainbowfish Sell For?

Despite their rarity, Rainbowfish aren't worth very much, valued at 800 bells each to Nook's Cranny. If you want to hold out for one of CJ's regular appearances (scheduled here), you can sell them for 50% more, a price of 1200 bells.

We've all colors of Animal Crossing content here at USgamer! See how Hirun found stability in his regular routine in New Horizons here, or enjoy Eric's report on the game's stunning sales here.