Catfish

← (17) Loach

New Horizons fish

Giant snakehead (19) →

New Horizons fish
← (17) Loach	→ Giant snakehead (19)

Catfish
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Silurus asotus (Amur catfish) Family: Siluridae (sheatfishes)
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  ナマズ  메기  Pesce gatto  Katzenwels  鲶鱼  Silure  Siluro  Meerval  鯰魚  Barbotte  Siluro  Сом

The catfish is a common fish introduced in Doubutsu no Mori+. In games prior to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it appears in rivers; in New Horizons, it instead appears in ponds. It appears as a large shadow from 4 PM to 9 AM from late spring to mid fall. Selling for 800 Bells, the catfish is the second least expensive lake fish.

Catch details

In the first-generation games

#7

"I caught a catfish! I think I'll name it Whiskers..."

DnM / iQue

DnM+

AC

DnMe+

Time of year	May – Oct
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Location	River
Shadow size	Large
Selling price	200 Bells
Feng shui	None
Furniture size

In Wild World

#15

"I caught a catfish! Here, kitty kitty!"

Description	They're nocturnal carnivores and cannibals. This, of course makes them hard to breed.
Time of year	May – Oct
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	Jun – Sep
Location	River pool
Shadow size	Medium
Fish size	60 cm
Selling price	800 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#15

"I caught a catfish! Who's meowing now?!"

Description	These nocturnal carnivores are also cannibals, so they're hard to farm-raise.
Time of year	May – Oct
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	N/A
Location	River pool
Shadow size	Medium
Fish size	About 24 in.
Selling price	800 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

#17

"I caught a catfish! Do you think it has 9 lives?"

Time of year	May – Oct
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	9 PM – 4 AM
Location	River pool
Shadow size	Large
Fish size	60 cm
Selling price	800 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp

#58

Availability (Pocket Camp Complete)	Spring, Winter
Former availability (Pocket Camp)	Currently available (since March 26, 2024) 2019-04-24 – 2019-04-29 (Fishing Tourney: Schoolroom) 2019-08-20 – 2020-06-29 2021-02-17 – 2021-02-20 (Catfish Goals) 2021-03-26 – 2021-06-29 2022-03-24 – 2022-06-23 2023-03-23 – 2023-09-15 2024-02-18 – 2024-02-21 (Catfish Goals)
Location	Lost Lure Creek
Shadow size	Large
Size	50.1 cm – 69.9 cm
Rarity	★★
Selling price	400 Bells
Version added	Unknown
Villager gift data	Tier: 3 (Uncommon+) Rewards:  1,500 Bells Fortune cookie (20%) +3 Friendship points

In New Horizons

#18

"I caught a catfish! I'm more of a dogfish person..."

Time of year	North: May – Oct South: Nov – Apr
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Location	Pond
Shadow size	Large
Rarity	Common
Spawn requirement	Appears from the start of the game
Selling prices	Nook's Cranny:  800 Bells  C.J.:  1,200 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

In Animal Crossing

Upon donation to the museum, Blathers will give a generic comment about common fish:

"Even run-of-the-mill, common fish are valuable resources, you see. All part of the grand tapestry, wot! We will take excellent care of this fellow, oh yes. You can rest assured. Excellent care, indeed."

In Wild World

"I've heard some claim that these fish taste a bit like eel, you know. If you want to sample it, <Player Name>, I'd recommend panfrying it. Indeed, I believe you could deep-fry a rock, and I'd enjoy it, wot!"

In City Folk

"Catfish are known the world over for their voracious appetites! They'll try to eat anything in one bite, up to and including things the of their bodies...or so I hear! The largest of these hungry fish can grow up to 40 inches in length... Imagine going down to the river and having one of those behemoths come at you! The horror!"

It can be found in the middle-left tank in the aquarium.

In New Leaf

Blathers does not make a small talk about the fish in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but there is an information board for the catfish.

"Catfish are known for their long whiskers, wide bodies, and large mouths, but they don't have fur. Despite having large eyes, they have rather poor eyesight. They make up for this with sensory whiskers. Catfish have small horizontal and vertical lines in their bodies, almost like perforated lines. These holes are for detecting weak electric currents of other fish, making them adept hunters. Catfish are artful carnivores as they swim around lazily, but then strike quickly when prey is found."

In New Horizons

When donating to Blathers or selecting "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fish:

"Catfish don't have scales and are rather slimy. Believe it or not, this slime helps them breathe! Some species of catfish are nocturnal, and they'll feed on almost anything. They use a suctioning action to pull in their food. Did I mention they can grow as large as you or I?"

When donated, the catfish can be seen swimming around the large recessed tank in the freshwater section of the fish exhibit with the Bluegill.

Fishing Tourney

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a catfish, Chip will say the following dialogue.

In City Folk

"Y'know, microwaved catfish will make your house smell like catfish. Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

In New Leaf

"If it's catfish we're talking about, you have to do tempura. Have to. No way around that, no, sir. I mean, I'm just gonna go ahead and eat it raw, but you know... Oh well. Mmmm. YUM!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

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  Animal Crossing

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  Animal Crossing: Wild World

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  Animal Crossing: City Folk

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  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

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  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

A real-life catfish

Catfish have one of the greatest range in size within a single order of bony fish. Many catfish have a maximum length of under 12 cm. Some of the smallest species of Aspredinidae and Trichomycteridae reach sexual maturity at only 1 centimeter (0.4 in). The Siluriformes are commonly caught in real life, usually in ponds or lakes. In some fiction, it plays a pun on the name "catfish" by making it have the head of a cat. In some parts of the world, catfish are eaten.

Names in other languages

	ナマズ Namazu	(Amur) catfish
	메기 Megi	(Amur) catfish
	鲶鱼 Niányú	Catfish
	鯰魚 nim4jyu2	Catfish
	Сом Som	Silurus catfish
	Meerval	Siluridae catfish
	Katzenwels	Catfish
	Siluro	Sheatfish/Wels catfish
	Silure	Catfish
	Barbotte	Bullhead catfish
	Pesce gatto	Catfish

Notes

Pocket Camp fish

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