[Guide] Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fishing Tourney – Rules, Prizes & Trophies

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a Fishing Tourney is held on the second Saturday of January, April, July, and October. The Fishing Tourney is hosted by CJ the Fishonista and runs from 9am up until 6pm (Depending on your region). Participation costs 500 bells to enter but the first time you enter is free. There are prizes to be earned and trophies as well depending on how many points you rack up.

We have rounded up the rules, prizes, and trophies below.

The Rules

The general idea is to catch as many fish as you can in 3 minutes. You can fish in ponds, rivers or the sea so no fish are off-limits. Each fish is worth 1 point regardless of its size so it doesn’t matter if you only catch anchovies or Sea bass, they are all worth the same amount of points.

You can get an extra two points if you catch three or more fish. As soon as the end buzzer sounds, any fish you catch after that is not included in your score, even if your net was cast before it sounded.

The Prizes

There are about 13 prizes to be won and they are all fish or nautical themed. You can receive a prize once you have at least 10 points and ask CJ to swap your points for swag. What you get is given to you at random But you will receive everything once upon spending 150 points. After that, prizes start to duplicate themselves.

We have a list of the prizes or ‘Swag’ that you can get in alphabetical order as well as the prices you can sell them for at Nook’s Cranny

• Anchor Statue – 1,400 Bells
• Fish Door Plate – 90 Bells
• Fish Drying Rack – 750 Bells
• Fishing Rod Stand – 300 Bells
• Fish Pochette – 210 Bells
• Fish Print – 700 Bells
• Fish-Print Tee – 160 Bells
• Fish Rug – 375 Bells
• Fish Umbrella – 80 Bells
• Fish Wand – 1,500 Bells
• Fresh Cooler – 450 Bells
• Marine Pop Wall – 805 Bells
• Tackle Bag – 175 Bells

Trophies

Ah, yes. Probably the most important of the Fishing Tourney, the trophies. You are awarded a trophy for how well you do in the Fishing Tourney. There are three trophies to get your hands on. They are of course Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Here are how many points you need to earn for each.

100 Points – Bronze Trophy
200 Points – Silver Trophy
300 Points – Gold Trophy

Tips

Here are a few handy tips for you if you are trying to rack up those points.

• Have a good Rod – Make sure you have a good rod. It is less likely to break on you when fishing up every fish you can find.
• Be Patient – You might be against the clock but pulling in your line too soon will waste time rather than waiting that little longer to catch that darn fish.
• Fish Bait – Crafting Fish Bait before you participate in a run will save you dashing around trying to find them. Find a good spot, face south and scatter your bait. Immediately cast your line and catch whatever appears. You can easily rack up 10 points or more in a single run.
• Make A Circuit – Plan a circuit and keep to it, follow it all the way around to give fish a chance to spawn.
• Don’t Dash Too Close To Shore – By all means, run from fish to fish but don’t go too close to shore when doing so. It will scare away the fish and lose your chance to snag them.