There are several rare fish to find in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the Giant Trevally is absolutely one of them. It's only available for six months of the year (which will differ depending on which hemisphere you're in) and then only in one very specific location on your island. If you're wondering how, when, and where to catch the Giant Trevally, just follow the steps below and you'll soon have it hooked.

If you're after information about every fish in New Horizons and general tips on how to hook them, check out our Animal Crossing: New Horizons fish guide and list for all the fishy facts you could want.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Catch the Giant Trevally

When can you catch the Giant Trevally?

The Giant Trevally is only available at the following times of the day/year:

  • Time: All day and night
  • Months: May-Oct (N) / Nov-Apr (S)
Giant Trevally Animal Crossing New Horizons

Where is the Giant Trevally?

The Giant Trevally can only be found when fishing off the pier located on your beach. We caught ours while tossing fish bait straight out from the end of the dock but we had trouble trying to catch one anywhere else on the pier. Try to stay away from tossing fish bait on the sides and corners of your pier if you can and just toss it straight out from the end.

Blathers Giant Trevally
Image: Nintendo Life

How do you catch the Giant Trevally?

The trick to nabbing the Giant Trevally is to craft fish bait using the squirting Manila Clams you dig up on the beach with your shovel in order to have the rare fish spawn. Each clam can be crafted into a single helping of fish bait which you can sprinkle in any body of water for the shadow of a fish to appear.

Giant Trevally Fish Bait
Image: Nintendo Life

To catch the Giant Trevally you're going to need time, patience, and some luck. We went out to the pier located on our beach, faced straight off the edge, and fished to our heart's content. After tossing in around 100 fish bait we managed to nab three Giant Trevally, but your results may vary.

It's also worth noting that the shadow of the Giant Trevally is on the larger side, meaning you'll be catching a lot of Sea Bass in the process. Also, when you toss out fish bait, if you see a fish shadow that doesn't match up with the fish your searching for you can simply toss more fish bait out and a new fish shadow will appear.

Giant Trevally Wrapped And Bagged
Image: Nintendo Life

Of course, the fish will still spawn in the spot without the use of fish bait, but the chances of a fish being present at the end of your pier and it being a Giant Trevally are far fewer than if you use fish bait to spawn new fish repeatedly in that location.

It should be noted that the above method and location is exactly the same one we used to catch the rare Mahi-Mahi, too. However, it seems we exhausted all our good luck with the Giant Trevally - the slightly rarer Mahi-Mahi took us much longer to hook (upwards of 300 fish bait over several days).

How much is the Giant Trevally worth?

The rare Giant Trevally is worth 4,500 Bells if you sell it to Timmy and Tommy (or 3,600 Bells if you leave it in the Nook's Cranny Drop Box). Make sure you donate one to the Museum, though!

This article is part of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons walkthrough, which includes a Complete Fish List, Complete Bug List and Complete Sea Creatures List. If you're looking for specific fish or bugs, we can tell you how to catch the elusive Coelacanth, Mahi-Mahi, Giant Trevally, Stringfish, Golden Trout and all the Sharks and Beetles, along with a full list of critters leaving at the end of the month (unless you visit Kapp'n's Boat Tour islands, of course!).

We can also help with How to Spot Redd's Fake Paintings and Statues, How to Make Bells Fast, How to Breed Flowers, How to Get more DIY Recipes, How to Upgrade Nook's Cranny, where and when to find special characters like Gulliver, Sable, Label, Wisp, Celeste, Pirate Gulliver and Jack, plus tips on using the Star Wand, Tool Ring, Rock Trick, Cutting Down and Moving Trees, using amiibo on Harv's Island, How to Back Up Your Island Data, How to Time Travel, How to Get a 5-Star Island Rating and a whole lot more.

If it's new content you're looking for help with, we can help you find gyroids, unlock Brewster's café, use the new Pro Camera App for selfies, enact new ordinances, get the beloved Froggy Chair, and even learn How to Cook.

And finally, Where to Buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch, if for some reason you haven't yet picked up the game, and How To Buy The Happy Home Paradise DLC, too!