Animal Crossing: New Horizons — C.J. fishing guide (2024)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has introduced a few new characters to the series. We've already introduced you to Flick, the chameleon artist who adores all things creepy crawly and took the place of Nat in hosting Bug Offs. Now it's time to meet his partner C.J.! C.J., or as fans speculate Chip Junior, is the son of Chip, the beaver who hosted Fishing Tourneys in previous Animal Crossing games. He is young and loves to livestream fishing for his many followers. We here at iMore have all the details on C.J. and his fishing challenges!

Who is C.J. and why does he want my fish?

Son of Chip, the beaver who hosted Fishing Tourneys in previous Animal Crossing Games, C.J. is the go-to guy for all things fishing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Much like his partner, Flick, C.J. will buy all the fish you bring him for 150% what Timmy and Tommy will pay at Nook's Cranny. He also hosts Seasports Challenges and Fishing Tourneys, and takes commissions for fish statues made by Flick. Unlike his father (who happily ate every fish brought to him,) C.J. is more interested in exciting his livestream fans.

What is a Seasports Challenge?

On most of C.J.'s visits, he is simply looking for footage that will entertain his fans. On these days, he will show up on your island at 5 a.m. and stay the entire day. He will also offer you a Seasports Challenge, and if you complete the challenge, he will buy all the fish you bring him for 150% the normal price.

His challenges always involve catching three fish in a row, without any getting away (or being scared away, so walk gently!) but which fish he looks for changes. Sometimes, he will ask for three tiny fish in a row. Other times, he might want three giant fish in a row. Either way, you need to catch those three fish before he will buy from you or let you commission a fish statue. Fortunately, the challenges aren't that difficult, and you have all day to complete them.

What is a Fishing Tourney?

In addition to his Seasports Challenges, on the second Saturday of January, April, July, and October from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., C.J. will host a Fishing Tourney. On these days, you can complete a special challenge: catch as many fish as possible in three minutes. On these days, everyone on your island will take part in the festivities, gathering at the rivers, lakes, and beaches to catch fish! You'll want to have lots of fishing rods crafted and ready to go for the Fishing Tourneys, as well as lots of fish bait. Because fish bait is time consuming to craft, we recommend you devote some time in the days leading up to the Tourney to craft as much of this useful item as possible. In case you need a refresher, you craft fish bait by following these easy steps:

1. Go to any beach with a shovel and lots of space in your pocket.
2. Search for Manila Clams. These's little clams hide in the sand and will occasionally shoot little streams of water up, indicating their location.

3. Dig up a Manila Clam.

4. Repeat until your pockets are full.
5. Take the Manila Clams to your D.I.Y. Workbench.
6. Press A to access your D.I.Y. Workbench.

7. Press A to select "Let's craft!"

8. Press A to select Fish bait.

9. Press A to select Craft it!

10. Press A to select Let's do it!"

11. Repeat until you've used all your Manila Clams.

Once you've crafted a lot of fish bait, you can keep it in your house or storage until its time for the Fishing Tourney. For more on how to catch the most fish and all the awesome rewards you can earn, make sure to check out our C.J.'s Fishing Tourney Guide!

What are the best fish to sell to C.J.?

While each month brings new fish to your waters, not all of those fish are worth the effort it takes to catch them, and there are some fish that are worth holding onto until C.J. comes around (even if it is tempting to sell them at Nook's Cranny!) The following fish are the most valuable in the game (all worth at least 5,000 Bells), and definitely worth saving.

Not all of these fish are available all the time, and the months they are available changes based on which hemisphere you live in. Add the possibility of time travel and finding the right fish to sell can be tricky! You also don't have to limit yourself to these fish. Remember, C.J. will buy any fish you bring him, so if you have the room to save more fish, by all means, bring him everything from the tiniest Tadpole to the massive Coelacanth!

How do C.J.'s art commissions work?

As we detailed in our Flick bug catching guide, Flick is not just a bug collector, but also an artist. He and C.J. are partners and roommates, leading C.J. to convince his bug loving partner to take a break every now and then from sculpting bugs to create fish-themed works of art! These commissions work the exact same way:

1. Catch three of the same kind of fish. Hint: you don't have to catch these the day that C.J. is on your island. You can catch them anytime and save them in your house or storage until he arrives!

2. Find C.J. on your island.
3. Press A to talk to C.J.

4. Press A to select "Make me a collectible. from C.J.'s options.

5. Press A to select a fish. Hint: only fish you have three of will be available to select.

6. Press A to select "Yes please!

7. Check your mail the next day to find your awesome new fish art!

And just like that, you can have a piece of Flick's fish art to display next to your bug statues!

Questions?

Do you have any questions about C.J., his Seasports Challenges, or Fishing Tourneys? Want to show off your latest haul of fish? Drop us a comment below, and be sure to check out our many other Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides for all your Nook approved goodness!