Animal Crossing: New Horizons has launched their first fishing tourney. Today through 6 PM, players can participate in CJ’s Fishing Tourney, a mini-event that challenges players to catch as many fish as they can over a three minute period. Players can enter the tournament as many times as they want, although players will need to spend 500 Bells to enter after their first try. Players score points based on the number of fish they catch, and earn a random exclusive reward after accumulating 10 points. Players also earn trophies for scoring 100, 200, and 300 points to give players even more incentive to keep fishing.
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Players earn one point for every fish they catch during the tournament, and they score two bonus points if they catch more than three during their catching window. Since the fishing tourney is all about the number of fish caught, the best strategy is to stock up on fish bait, which can be made using the manila clams players can dig up on beaches. To maximize your chances, you’ll want to stockpile 10 fish baits before starting a fishing tourney round. Fish bait means you won’t have to move around, which means you can just reel in whatever fish is lured in by the bait.
In addition to fish bait, you’ll also want to bring an extra fishing rod if you’re planning on doing a lot of fishing during the tourney. Since any fish you catch during the tournament are automatically sent to CJ’s cooler, you’ll have the extra space for a rod in case yours breaks during a tournament.
While 500 Bells seems like a lot of money to spend on a fishing tourney, CJ will offer to pay 1.5x their normal value after you finish up a round. This is a great way to rack up some cash, especially if you snag a more expensive fish during the tournament. You also have the option of pulling the fish out of CJ’s cooler in case you catch one you want for your museum or your home.
CJ’s prizes are exclusive to the tournament, so you won’t be able to grab a duplicate from Nook Shopping in case you decide to sell them after the tournament is over. If you’re a completionist, that may make you think twice before selling your prizes to Timmy and Tommy.
Although players only have until 6 PM to participate in the fishing tourney, you’ll have more opportunities to try again later this year.
