It’s September in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and like with any new month, that means there are some new fish, bugs, and sea creatures to catch. In this guide, we’ll detail every new critter for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; note that these are only the new arrivals for the month and not every fish, bug, and sea creature you can catch this month.
For a more comprehensive list of every creature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we have a full list of all 80 fish to catch, including shadow sizes, and a list of all 80 bugs to catch, with tips on tracking down the handful of rare ones. September also marks the shift to a new season–fall for Northern Hemisphere players and spring for those in the Southern Hemisphere–which means some key seasonal changes as well. Those in the North can look forward to a variety of fall seasonal DIYs and materials, while those in the South can get some bamboo recipes.
September Fish, Bugs, And Sea Creatures In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Here are all the new fish, bugs, and sea creatures you can catch in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in September. We’ve sorted them by bells so you know what to focus on if you’re waiting for Flick or C.J. to visit, but if you’re a completionist, you’ll want to catch them all so you can donate to your museum! Keep in mind that the only way to get the coveted golden fishing rod and net DIYs is to complete your Critterpedia.
Northern Hemisphere
| New September Fish | Price | Location / Size | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden trout | 15,000 | River (clifftop) / 3 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Sturgeon | 10,000 | River (mouth) / 6 | All day |
| Char | 3,800 | River / 3 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Mitten crab | 2,000 | River / 2 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| King salmon | 1,800 | River (mouth) / 6 | All day |
| Pike | 1,800 | River / 5 | All day |
| Cherry salmon | 1,000 | River (clifftop) / 3 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Salmon | 700 | River (mouth) / 4 | All day |
September sees the return of several fish, including cherry salmon and char. It’s also a great month for fishing at the mouths of your river, where you can find the high-value sturgeon and both the salmon and the king salmon, the latter of which only appear in September.
| New September Bugs | Price | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violin beetle | 450 | On tree stumps | All day |
| Bell cricket | 430 | On the ground | 5 PM – 8 AM |
| Centipede | 300 | Hit rocks | 5 PM – 11 PM |
| Pill bug | 250 | Hit rocks | 11 PM – 4 PM |
| Red dragonfly | 180 | Flying | 8 AM – 7 PM |
| Common butterfly | 160 | Flying near flowers | 4 AM – 7 PM |
| Yellow butterfly | 160 | Flying near flowers | 4 AM – 7 PM |
| Monarch butterfly | 140 | Flying near flowers | 4 AM – 5 PM |
| Cricket | 130 | On the ground | 5 PM – 8 AM |
September marks the departure of the high-value summer beetles and welcomes in autumn bugs. It’s a good time to hit rocks for bonus bugs, catch some crickets–which, like grasshoppers, are displayed in a cool wooden cage instead of a regular tank–and get some pretty butterflies for Flick to turn into models. If you want to make money off of bug-catching, don’t worry, because scorpions are still available!
| New September Sea Creatures | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Umbrella octopus | 6,000 | All day |
| Oyster | 2,000 | All day |
| Chambered nautilus | 1,800 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Sweet shrimp | 1,400 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Turban shell | 1,000 | All day |
Even though the weather is getting cooler, make sure you’re still taking the time to swim in your ocean! There are five new sea creatures you can now catch, bringing the total up to 30 sea creatures (if you’ve been catching them since the summer update introduced them in July). There are 40 in total, so that’s a good pace!
Southern Hemisphere
| New September Fish | Price | Location / Size | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden trout | 15,000 | River (clifftop) / 3 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Barred knifejaw | 5,000 | Sea / 3 | All day |
| Char | 3,800 | River / 4 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Cherry salmon | 1,000 | River (clifftop) / 3 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Loach | 400 | River / 2 | All day |
| Tadpole | 100 | Pond / 1 | All day |
September marks the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere, which means the return of fair-weather fish like char, cherry salmon, and the high-value golden trout. If you don’t have any rivers on your cliffs, make sure you terraform some!
| New September Bugs | Price | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock butterfly | 2500 | Flying near black, purple, or blue flowers | 4 AM – 7 PM |
| Orchid mantis | 2400 | On white flowers | 8 AM – 5 PM |
| Man-faced stink bug | 1,000 | On flowers | 7 PM – 8 AM |
| Mantis | 430 | On flowers | 8 AM – 5 PM |
| Tiger butterfly | 240 | Flying near flowers | 4 AM – 7 PM |
| Honeybee | 200 | Flying near flowers | 8 AM – 5 PM |
| Ladybug | 200 | On flowers | 8 AM – 5 PM |
| Yellow butterfly | 160 | Flying near flowers | 4 AM – 7 PM |
| Stinkbug | 120 | On flowers | All day |
Springtime means ladybugs, mantises, and butterflies! Though it’s not the most lucrative month for bug-catching, you’ll still be able to find tarantulas after 7 PM.
| New September Sea Creatures | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Spider crab | 12,000 | All day |
| Umbrella octopus | 6,000 | All day |
| Chambered nautilus | 1,800 | 4 PM – 9 AM |
| Firefly squid | 1,400 | 9 PM – 4 AM |
| Turban shell | 1,000 | All day |
Swimming in your ocean in September can prove very profitable, with the 12,000-bell spider crab being the top prize for the month. If you haven’t completed your Mermaid set, make sure you spend some time looking for scallops for Pascal, too!
Check out more of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides below!
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