Pond smelt

From Nookipedia, the Animal Crossing wiki

Artwork of pond smelt
Real-world info
Name: Hypomesus nipponensis
(Japanese pond smelt)

Family: Osmeridae (smelts)
Main appearances

Other appearances
Names in other languages
 ワカサギ
 빙어
 Pingo
 Stint
 西太公鱼
 Éperlan
 Eperlano
 Spiering
 西太公魚
 Éperlan
 Eperlano
 Малая корюшка

The pond smelt is a fish in the Animal Crossing series that appears in every game. It appears as a small shadow that can be found in rivers all day long exclusively during winter.

Catch details[edit]

In Animal Crossing[edit]

#19
Pond smelt
"I caught a pond smelt! Whew! And I thought the POND smelt bad!"
Pond smelt
Time of year[nb 1] Dec – Feb
Time of day All day
Location River
Shadow size Tiny
Selling price  300 Bells
Feng shui None
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In Wild World[edit]

#21

Pond smelt
"I caught a pond smelt! What does the pond smell like?"

Description They made ice fishing famous!
Time of year December - February
Time of day All day
Peak times December - January
Location River
Shadow size Tiny
Fish size 15 cm
Selling price  300 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In City Folk[edit]

#22

Pond smelt
"I caught a pond smelt! Whew! This guy's ripe!"

Description Known as ice-fishing targets, these can survive in freshwater and salt water.
Time of year Dec – Feb
Time of day All day
Peak times N/A
Location River
Shadow size Small
Fish size About 6 in.
Selling price  300 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In New Leaf[edit]

#24

Pond smelt
"I caught a pond smelt! It could sure use a bath!"

Time of year Dec – Feb
Time of day All day
Peak times N/A
Location River
Shadow size Small
Fish size 15 cm
Selling price  300 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In Pocket Camp[edit]

#82

Pond smelt

Availability Not currently available
  • 2019-01-22 – 2019-01-29 (Fishing Tourney #10)
  • 2019-12-27 – 2020-03-27
  • 2020-12-28 – 2021-03-26
  • 2021-12-24 – 2022-03-24
  • 2022-12-26 – 2023-03-23
  • 2023-12-26 – 2024-03-26
Location Lost Lure Creek PC Map Icon.png Lost Lure Creek
Shadow size Small
Size 12.5 cm – 17.5 cm
Rarity
Selling price  100 Bells
Version added Unknown
Villager gift data Tier: 1 (Common)

Rewards:

  •  100 Bells
  • +2 Heart PC Icon.png Friendship points


In New Horizons[edit]

#25

Pond smelt
"I caught a pond smelt! Whoever smelt it dealt it!"

Time of year North: Dec – Feb
South: Jun – Aug
Time of day All day
Location River
Shadow size Small
Rarity Common
Spawn requirement Appears from the start of the game
Selling prices  Nook's Cranny 400 Bells
 C.J. 600 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


Donating to the museum[edit]

In Animal Crossing[edit]

"Even run-of-the-mill, common fish are valuable resources, you see. All part of the grand tapestry, wot!"

In Wild World[edit]

"Frying up a freshly caught smelt and devouring it! Sounds scrumptious, eh wot? Indeed, because pond smelt are lean, they are well suited for cooking with oil."

In City Folk[edit]

"Pond smelt are a popular catch during winter ice-hole fishing, eh wot? It's a simple sport, really. You open a hole in the ice, drop your line in...and then wait for a nibbly-nibbly! Not that I've tried. I find cold weather rather unappealing, so ice fishing is hardly a possibility..."

Upon donating it to the museum, it can be found in the middle/right tank in the aquarium.

In New Leaf[edit]

An information board in the aquarium will display this description of the pond smelt after donation:

"Pond smelt are small but vigorous fish that can survive in water of relatively poor quality. Pond smelt are related to salmon and as such have a lot of the same migratory tendencies. Most of them swim from rivers to the ocean and then return to rivers and lakes. However, some of them actually live in lakes that have no connection to the ocean, so they don't migrate. They have small fins and are perfect for eating whole as tempura or grilled on barbecues."

In New Horizons[edit]

When donating to Blathers or selecting "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fish:

"For many, thinking of pond smelt inevitably leads to thoughts of ice fishing in frozen rivers and lakes. Ice fishing involves making a round hole in the ice, dropping in your fishing line, and...waiting. Not to rain on anyone else's idea of fun, but...well, perhaps I shouldn't say anything."

Once donated to the museum, the pond smelt can be found in the lower level of the waterfall tank with the salmon and king salmon.

Fishing Tourney[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

"Ya know, with pond smelt, deep frying 'em is tasty. But grilling 'em up right is pretty good too! Not that I mind having this guy raw. Nope, not me! Happy to! YUM!"

Gallery[edit]

Real-world information[edit]

The pond smelt is a type of harmless commercially-caught fish found in middle to surface waters in lakes, rivers, and ponds. It can be found across the world in the Arctic, Northwest to Northeast of the Pacific, Canada, Alaska, Korea, and Japan. They feed off plankton, small insects, and algae. Adults can be found spawning in in-shore areas between spring and summer.

Names in other languages[edit]

Japanese ワカサギ
Wakasagi
Smelt

Korean 빙어
bing-eo
Smelt

Simplified Chinese 西太公鱼
Xī tàigōng yú
Western Taigong Fish

Traditional Chinese 西太公魚
Unknown

Russian Малая корюшка
Malaya Koryushka
Small smelt

Dutch Spiering Smelt

German Stint

European Spanish Eperlano Smelt

European French Éperlan Smelt

Italian Pingo

Notes[edit]

  1. All bugs and fish in the first-generation games can appear at a lower spawn rate up to five days before the start of their first month of availability.