Animal Crossing: New Horizons' first event of the new year has arrived. The game's Fishing Tourney returns today, Jan. 8, giving you another chance to earn trophies and other exclusive prizes. Here's everything you need to know about the event.

When is the Fishing Tourney?

The Fishing Tourney takes place on Saturday, Jan. 8 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. your time.

How does the event work?

While the Fishing Tourney has been a staple of the Animal Crossing series since its earliest installment, the event works a little differently in New Horizons than in previous games. To enter the competition, first speak to C.J. in your town's plaza. After paying a small entry fee of 500 bells, you'll have three minutes to reel in as many fish as you can.

After the time has elapsed, return to C.J. and he'll tally up the number of points you earned based on how many fish you were able to catch. You'll receive one point for each fish you reel in, with additional points awarded if you're able to land three or more fish before time runs out.

The points you accrue can be redeemed for exclusive fish-themed items from C.J., such as a tackle bag and a fish umbrella. You'll also receive a special trophy if you hit certain point milestones. You can enter the tourney again as many times as you'd like until the event ends at 6 p.m.

What are the prizes?

For every 10 points you earn, C.J. will gift you a special fish-themed item that can't be obtained outside of the Fishing Tourney. You can't choose which item to spend your points on, as they'll be given out at random, but you'll receive one of each before C.J. starts giving you duplicates. Here's the full list of prizes:

• Anchor statue
• Fish door plate
• Fish-drying rack
• Fish pochette
• Fish-print tee
• Fishing rod stand
• Fish rug
• Fish umbrella
• Fish wand
• Fresh cooler
• Marine pop wall
• Tackle bag

As mentioned, you'll also take home a special fishing trophy when you've reached certain point milestones. Here are all the trophies and how many points you need to earn in total to receive them:

• Bronze Fish Trophy (mailed to your house after amassing 100 points)
• Silver Fish Trophy (mailed to your house after amassing 200 points)
• Gold Fish Trophy (mailed to your house after amassing 300 points)

Fishing Tourney tips

While you can participate in the Fishing Tourney alone, you'll be much more effective if you team up with a friend for the event. The number of fish each player catches will be added together at the end of the round, making it much easier to amass points and earn prizes. 

It's also a good idea to prepare for the Fishing Tourney by crafting lots of bait ahead of the event. With this bait, you can simply camp out and fish in one spot, rather than having to run around your island searching for fish spawns. C.J. will also purchase any fish you catch for the same increased rate he usually pays when he visits your island, making this a good opportunity to rake in some extra bells as well.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons' big 2.0 update arrived back in November and introduced a variety of new items and features to the game, including gyroids, Brewster's cafe and cooking. In addition to the free update, Nintendo released a paid DLC expansion called Happy Home Paradise, which is free to access for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers.