Okay, so, the other day I decided it was time to really get serious about my fish collection in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. You know how it is, you start playing, you get distracted by a million other things, and before you know it, you’ve got like five fish in your encyclopedia. Not good enough!
So I was flipping through my guidebook – yeah, I still use one of those, don’t judge – and I saw this fish called the Barbel Steed. It looked pretty cool, and I realized I didn’t have it yet. That’s when the mission began.
First, I had to figure out where this thing even lived. Turns out, it’s a river fish, which is good, my town’s got a decent river. But then I saw it’s only around during certain months and at specific times. Classic Animal Crossing, making you work for it.
I waited until the right time of year, then I spent days just fishing in the river. Morning, noon, and night, I was there. I caught so many Black Bass and Carp it wasn’t even funny. My pockets were constantly full, and I was making a killing selling them all to Reese at Re-Tail – she’s the best, by the way, always paying top dollar. I even tried to befriend a few townsfolk for gift but it didn’t work. So I sold fruits and vegetables to get more bells.
- Went to the river every day.
- Fished during the Barbel Steed’s active hours.
- Sold all the extra fish to Re-Tail.
- Talked to the townsfolk and gave some gifts.
Finally, after what felt like forever, I got a bite that felt different. It was a good-sized shadow, not too big, not too small. I reeled it in, and bam! There it was, the Barbel Steed! My character did the little victory pose and said something like, “I caught a Barbel Steed! It just needs a Barbel saddle!” So corny, but I was so pumped.
It was a grind, but worth it.
Honestly, it was a bit of a grind, but that’s part of the charm of Animal Crossing, right? You gotta put in the time if you want to catch ’em all. And let me tell you, seeing that Barbel Steed in my encyclopedia made it all worth it. Now I just gotta find that darn Stringfish…
