Certain fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons only spawn in certain places at certain times. With this in mind, it may be frustrating for some players to find what they need to complete their museum collection. However, there is a craftable item available to cause fish to spawn wherever players want at any time. This item of course is Fish Bait.
Fish bait is an item that can be crafted from manila clams found on the beach in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. By using fish bait on any water's surface, a fish of a random size will spawn there for the player to catch.
The recipe for fish bait can be received by players digging up their first manila clam. These can be found on beaches as little dark dots that occasionally spit out water in the same manner as Gulliver's communicator parts. By digging these up with any shovel, players can receive both a manila clam and the recipe for fish bait if they haven't already received it. Despite manila clams being alive when dug up, they do not count as a creature and cannot be donated to the museum.
To use fish bait, players just need to go to any water's edge and use the bait from their inventory. By doing this, a fish will automatically appear. This is very helpful when trying to catch fish with very specific spawning locations such as the golden trout.
For players not having much luck with finding fish in the ponds on their island, a healthy dose of fish bait can turn their trash ponds into koi ponds. Of course, fish bait isn't permanent and players can't choose what kind of fish will appear upon use. Also, using fish bait while other fish are nearby will automatically cause them to swim away and scatter, so it's recommended to fish out what's already there before using the bait.
Another aspect that affects what kind of fish spawn is the weather. So for players needing to take advantage of a rainy day to catch a coelacanth, stocking up on clams and fish bait would be recommended to save time on combing the rainy beaches for fish. As manila clams spawn rather quickly, multiple slow strolls down the island's beaches will help players spot plenty of clams for crafting.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
