“A true angler has respect for the water... don't you forget that.”
— Willy
Willy is a villager who grew up traveling among the Fern Islands and now lives south of Pelican Town on The Beach. He sells bait and fishing supplies in his shop. His shop is open every day, but will be closed on Saturday if the weather is nice enough for him to go fishing.
Schedule
Most days Willy wakes up at about 6:10 AM, and fishes at the beach for a few hours before operating his fish shop between 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. He'll often do more fishing on the beach after closing up shop until about 10:00 PM. During winter he'll go to the saloon instead of the beach after work. On the 9th of Spring, he has an appointment at the clinic.
Willy's shop is closed on Saturday while he's out fishing, unless it's raining in which case he'll keep the shop opened.
His schedule can deviate if there are specific conditions like season, weather or certain days of the week. Below are his schedule deviations prioritized highest to lowest (for example when it rains that schedule will override all others below it)
Spring 9
6:10 AM
Wakes up for the day, goes fishing outside his fish shop.
Starts working at the counter in the fish shop, goods are available for sale. "I have a doctor's appointment today, so if you need to buy anything you'd better hurry."
10:10 AM
Leaves the fish shop, walks over to the Harvey's Clinic. "Eh, I got a fish hook stuck in my thumb... the Doctor's gonna cut it out."
1:30 PM
Continues checkup at the Harvey's Clinic. "Yowch! That hurt, Doc!"
5:00 PM
Leaves the Harvey's Clinic, walks over to the saloon. "I need a little warm-me-up to be ready for another cold night on the ocean."
Willy spends most of his time fishing just outside his shop when not operating the sale counters at his shop. He's often seen at the saloon in evenings, especially during the winter. He lives close to Elliott, the two of them are the only residents of the beach.
You can give Willy up to two gifts per week (plus one on
his
birthday), which will raise or lower
his
friendship with you. Gifts on
his
birthday ( 24 Summer) will have 8× effect and show a unique dialogue. For loved or liked gifts, Willy will say
“
“A birthday gift? That's very kind of you! I love it.”
“
“You remembered my birthday! Thank you. This is great!”
For neutral gifts, Willy will say
“
“Oh, a birthday gift! Thank you.”
For disliked or hated gifts, Willy will say
“
“Oh... It's for my birthday? ... Thanks.”
Love
“
“This is great! If only me ol' Pappy was around. He'd go nuts for this.”
Willy greets you outside the Fish Shop. He says he needs your help, and asks you to come inside. Once inside, you see Crabs run amok, covering the Fish Shop floor. Before you can do anything to help, Gus enters the Fish Shop and offers to purchase all the crabs, minus a discount for the labor involved. Willy agrees, and Gus gathers the crabs. Afterward, Gus turns to you and says he's going to run a special on Crab Cakes for the next few days (but not to tell Willy). The cutscene ends with Willy saying goodbye to his "sweet ladies" as they are taken away to be killed and cooked.
Gus will sell an unlimited amount of Crab Cakes at the Saloon for data-sort-value="550">550g each starting on the day of the cutscene and for 3 days after. Mayor Lewis will comment that he's smelled crab "all afternoon" the day the event is viewed.
Seven Hearts
After reaching seven hearts with Willy he will send you a recipe in the mail.
I'd like to share an ol' cooking recipe my pappy used to make. It's important the fish is FRESH.
-Willy
Quotes
Regular
First Meeting
“
“Ahoy there! It's nice to see young folk movin' in to the valley. It's not very common these days.”
Regular
“
“Ahoy there, [son/lass]. Looks like decent weather for fishing, eh?”
“
“Have you had much luck in the local waters? You look like you could be a strong angler if you set your mind to it.”
“
“A true angler has respect for the water... don't you forget that.”
“
“Some fish come and go with the seasons. Others only come out at night or in the rain.”
“
“*mumble* *mumble* ...Eh? I would tell you about my thoughts, but it's a fisherman's secret”
“
“There's rumors of some very rare fish in these parts... but only an experienced angler could stand a chance against them. You'll need the finest bait you can get if you want a rare fish to bite.”
“
“If you really want to get the fish biting, make sure you put some bait on your hook.”
“
“If the local fishing scene got a bit more lively, I might expand the shop's stock.”
“
“If you purchase a high quality fishing rod, you'll be able to attach bait and tackle to the line. Bait causes fish to bite faster. Tackle can make your job a lot easier when reeling fish in. There's all kinds of tackle, with different perks. They're usually a little flimsy, so don't be surprised if your tackle breaks after a while.”
6+ Hearts
“
“The ol' Man was a fisherman, you know. I grew up sailing between the fern islands, living from catch to catch. The fishing life is tough, but there's something about it that keeps you goin'.”
8+ Hearts
“
“How's the fishing life going for ya? I try to fish as often as possible, but it's not easy when you've got a shop to run.”
10+ Hearts
“
“Hey, it's my skipper, [Player]! I'd give you a discount on bait if I could afford it.”
“Sometimes I'll hide an egg too well and no one finds it... Well, until summer rolls around. Then the hot air starts to bring out the rotten smell... Hehe.”
"In the night sky of winter, there is a bright star only visible from this valley. No one knows why this is... but in times of old people would come from far and wide to see it.*They believed that anyone who laid eyes on the Winter Star would be blessed with good fortune. Some even claim that the mysterious fruit known as Stardrop is connected to the Winter Star in some way."
"To The Beach": Willy will send you a letter on the 2nd of Spring asking you to meet him on the beach south of town. The reward is a Bamboo Pole.
"Catch a Squid": Willy will send you a letter on the 2nd of Winter asking you to catch and bring him a Squid. The reward is data-sort-value="800">800g and 1 Friendship heart.
"Catch a Lingcod": Willy will send you a letter on the 13th of Winter, year 2, asking you to catch and bring him a Lingcod. The reward is data-sort-value="550">550g and 1 Friendship heart.
Fishing: Willy may randomly request that you catch a certain number of a specific fish from the current season at the "Help Wanted" board outside Pierre's General Store. The reward is 3x the fish's base value (per fish). (You get to keep the fish).
1.4: Fixed bug where all recipes would be sent at 3 friendship hearts. Willy now is neutral towards Dish O' The Sea, Maki Roll, and Sashimi. Fixed bug where skipping intro cutscene would not count towards introductions quest.
Summer 24
Catfish
Diamond
Mead
Octopus
Pumpkin
Sea Cucumber
Sturgeon
Sunfish (1)
Bream (1)
Wheat Flour (1)
Carp (4)
Clam (1)
Milk (1)
Crab (1)
Egg (1)
Oil (1)
Largemouth Bass (1)
Crayfish (1)
Mussel (1)
Periwinkle (1)
Tomato (1)
Tuna (1)
Tortilla (1)
Red Cabbage (1)
Mayonnaise (1)
Squid (1)
Eel (1)
Lobster (1)
Salmon (1)
Amaranth (1)
Kale (1)
Flounder (1)
Midnight Carp (1)
Squid Ink (1)
Rainbow Trout (1)
Green Algae (1)
800g and 1 Friendship heart.
