Sharks only appear for a few months out of the year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which makes them fairly rare and highly sought after! If you're wondering how, when, and where to catch the Great White Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Saw Shark, and or Whale Shark, just follow the steps below and you'll have them hooked faster than it'd take to pay your mortgage back to that pesky loan shark.

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 a Shark

When can you catch each shark?

The Great White Shark, Hammerhead Shark and Saw Shark are only available at the following times of the day/year:

  • Time: 4pm - 9am
  • Months: Jun-Sep (N) / Dec-Mar (S)

The Whale Shark is only available at the following times of the day/year:

  • Time: All day and night
  • Months: Jun-Sep (N) / Dec-Mar (S)

Where can you find sharks?

The Great White Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Saw Shark, and Whale Shark can be found anywhere in the wide-open sea that surrounds your island. You can find each of them while fishing off your pier or simply anywhere along your beach.

Blathers Great White Shark
Image: Nintendo Life

How do you catch each shark?

The trick to reeling in one of the many sharks available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is to craft fish bait using the squirting Manila Clams you dig up on the beach with your shovel in order to have one of these rare fish spawn quicker. 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.

Shark Shadow
Image: Nintendo Life

Another tell sign that you're about to reel in a shark lies within its shadow, as the shadow of any shark will feature a fin that sticks straight up out of the water. However, the shadow of the Suckerfish also sports a shark-like shadow, so you may end up catching a few of those in the process. Also, when you toss out fish bait, if you see a fish shadow that doesn't feature a shark fin, you can simply toss more fish bait out and a new fish shadow will appear.

To catch any of the sharks you're looking for, you're going to need time, patience, and some luck. We headed off down to our beach, found a nice spot, and fished to our heart's content with an obnoxious supply of fish bait. After tossing in around 100 bait we managed to nab a Hammerhead Shark, Saw Shark, Whale Shark, and two Great White Sharks. We feel we got fairly lucky with that amount of bait, but your results may vary

Great White Shark Wrapped And Bagged
Image: Nintendo Life

Of course, sharks will still spawn without the use of bait, but the chances of a shark being present along your beach and it being the shark you are looking for are far fewer than if you use bait to spawn new fish repeatedly.

How much are sharks worth?

Each shark will net you a fairly large amount if sold to Timmy and Tommy. The Hammerhead can be sold for 8,000 Bells, the Saw Shark for 12,000 Bells, the Whale Shark for 13,000 Bells, and the Great White Shark will nab you the most at 15,000 Bells, and remember to take off 20% if you're placing them in the drop-off box. Make sure you donate one of each 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!