In Animal Crossing, fish can be sold, handed into the museum, given as gifts to villagers, and even displayed in aquariums in your home. But do you know how to fish? Then you just need to follow this article.

 
 

What are Fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Scattered around your island, you will often find unique fish that can be caught and collected. Upon catching these fish, players will unlock them in the new phone app, Critterpedia. This extensive library will showcase every bug and fish that you have encountered and caught, along with a detailed breakdown of their active hours, most common locations, and the seasons / months in which they will appear. Once the Museum is open on your island, you will also have the ability to donate your catches. While you won't receive any rewards for doing so, your Museum will begin to look pretty neat once it begins to fill up with new finds. Alternatively, if collecting isn't your thing and you're after some extra cash, fish can be sold for Bells. While some fish will be worth more than others, players can use these Bells to purchase furniture and other useful items such as tools.
 
There are a total of 80 fish to catch in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Equipment You'll Need
To catch fish you'll need a fishing rod. You will need the following ingredients to craft a Flimsy Fishing Rod:
x5 tree branch
However, serious anglers will want to upgrade that to a proper Fishing Rod. To do so, you'll need:
x1 Flimsy Fishing Rod
x1 iron nugget
Once you've got the gear, it's time to head out and hook some fish.
 
How To Fish
To catch a fish, find a fish-shaped shadow in the water around the island and equip any kind of fishing rod. While facing the water, press A to cast your line--though you will not cast properly if you are too far away from the edge of the water. Wait for your fishing rod's floater to submerge under the surface of the water and quickly press A again to reel in the fish. Pressing the A button too quickly or too slowly can result in failure, scaring away the fish.
 
Location
There are three types of environments for fish on the island: ocean, river, and pond. The river is further split into three categories--river mouth, river clifftop, and general river--and the ocean also includes the more specific pier location, which is the wooden pier somewhere on your island (but not the one leading to the airport). Fish like salmon can only be found at the river mouth, which is where the river meets the ocean, while others, like the cherry salmon, can only be found at parts of the river on your island's cliffs, for example.
 
Except for these factors, bug can also affect your fishing, as well as weather & date.