Ethan Erekson 
Image: Nintendo via HGG / Ethan Erekson
Ethan is our resident Stardew Valley expert. He has also covered Genshin Impact, Animal Crossing, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
So, you want to catch a great white shark in Animal Crossing. Maybe you want to complete the museum, maybe you’re trying to earn some extra Nook Miles, or maybe you just want to flex to your friends about how you’re much better at fishing than they are. Here’s everything you need to know to catch a great white shark in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Let’s get started!
Fishing 101
Before you can catch a great white shark in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you first need to know how to fish! If you’re already familiar with fishing in Animal Crossing, feel free to skip ahead and learn all about the specifics of finding and catching great whites. If not, keep reading to learn the basics!
DIY Class with Tom Nook
The first step to fishing is getting a fishing pole. Just go to the DIY table in Resident Services and talk with Tom Nook. He’ll show you the basics of crafting and doing DIYs, and to help you learn the ropes, he’ll have you craft a basic fishing pole from sticks. Alternatively, you can buy a fishing pole from the cabinet in Nook’s Cranny. Now you have everything you need to get started!
How to Fish in Animal Crossing
Now that you have a fishing pole, it’s time to get started. Fishing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is fairly simple. Keep your eyes peeled for shadows moving in the water — that’s where a fish is. Go up to the body of water with your fishing pole and press “A” to cast your line in the water. The fish will nibble at your line up to five times, and once the bobber dips under the water, press “A” again to reel the line in. That’s all there is to it!
Fish Bait
Of course, if you don’t want to wait for the fish to show up, you can speed things up by crafting fish bait. Here’s how to do that.
Along the beach, you’ll occasionally see small spouts of water. Use a shovel on that spot, and you’ll dig up a manila clam. The first one you dig up will give you the DIY recipe for fish bait, and you can head to a DIY table to start crafting. Craft as many manila clams into fish bait as you can, and once you’re ready, head to a body of water and throw the fish bait in. Each time you do that, a fish will show up. You won’t need to wait around for fish any longer!
How to Catch a Great White Shark
Now that you know the ins and outs of fishing, here’s everything you need to know about catching great white sharks in Animal Crossing: New Horizons!
Shark Ichthyology
The first thing you need to know is a little bit of ichthyology, which is the branch of zoology that’s all about fish. All of the creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons have different times when they’re active, and that’s when you can catch them. Great white sharks (in the Northern Hemisphere) are active from June to September, between 4pm to 9am. If you’re in that zone, be ready to catch some sharks!
Quickest Way to Catch a Great White Shark
So what’s the fastest way to catch a great white shark? Just keep throwing fish bait into the water when the great white is active. Keep going until you see a shadow with a fin sticking out of the water — that’s a shark. If it doesn’t have a fin, skip it and throw in some more bait.
Once a shark shows up, just cast your line and catch it. If it ends up being some other kind of shark, keep trying until you catch a great white. That’s all there is to it!
Just keep in mind that it can still take some time for the great white to show up — I went through fifty pieces of bait before a great white showed up! Keep your eyes peeled for fins and be patient. You’ll catch that great white in no time.
A Fine Addition to Your Collection
Once you have your great white shark, you have a couple of options. You can sell it to Timmy and Tommy for 15,000 bells if you’re looking for some quick cash, or you can place it somewhere on your island for decoration. You can also just carry it around in your pockets to show off when your friends are around!
If you decide to donate your shark to Blathers in the Museum, then it will be around for the rest of your time on your island for all of your friends and villagers to enjoy. It will certainly make a fine addition to your collection.
Join the High Ground
We hope you found our article on catching great white sharks in Animal Crossing: New Horizons informative! Feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss any Animal Crossing content.
Happy gaming!
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