Want to catch an extremely expensive fish? Then you want to find the golden trout in the upper portions of your island. Here’s how.
There are many great ways to get rich in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and fishing is one of them. You can spend your days in the sun on the pier just casting and re-casting, taking whatever fish happen to find your lure, or you can take some of the variability out of your fishing adventures and just go catch yourself the big one. Or in this case, the medium-sized one that just so happens to be worth its weight in gold.
We’re talking about the golden trout, so-called due to its gold-colored scales and not because it’s actually made of gold. Although it might as well be; Timmy and Tommy Nook will buy a golden trout for 15,000 bells, making it one of the most expensive items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
There are a few things to note before you go fishing for a golden trout. First, you can only find the golden trout in the upper portions of the island. This means heading up to the cliffs, which means you'll need to get a ladder. Tom Nook gives you a ladder recipe after he tells you to build a bridge to accommodate three new villagers to the island. After placing the second villager residence he'll hand you the ladder recipe. Make the ladder and then you're good to go.
Now that you've got your ladder, it's time to head up to the cliffs. You'll need to hop up to the highest point on the island and then find a pond. Throw fish bait into the pond until you spawn a medium-sized fish and make sure you bring a strong fishing pole (the flimsy pole is unlikely to land you a golden trout). Then cast your lead and reel it in once it bites.
It should be noted that the golden trout is a finicky fish. It only spawns during the spring and fall months (so from March to May and from September to November) and it only spawns in the morning from 4 AM to 9 AM.
Once obtained, you can sell your fish or donate it to Blathers for some interesting tidbits.