10 Fish Pumpkin Carving Patterns

We curated 10 of the very best fish pumpkin carving patterns so you can pick one and start carving in minutes.

1. Fan Tail Fish with Low Notches
A plump fantail goldfish glides across the pumpkin as one big glowing silhouette, with a rounded body, sweeping double tail, and small notched fins along the belly. The entire fish is pierced through in a single connected shape, so it lights up like an aquarium at night. At medium difficulty the low fin notches are the detail work; cut the broad body and tail first, then nick out the small fin points with short careful strokes.
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2. Hammerhead with Unequal Fins
A hammerhead shark cruising in full profile, its wide flattened head, tall dorsal fin, and forked tail all reading instantly in silhouette. The complete shark is one cut-through opening that stretches across the pumpkin's widest face for a dramatic glowing display. An easy carve with one caution: the slim notch between the tail forks is delicate, so cut it before removing the large body piece.
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3. Three Fish Above Two Waves
Three fish swim in a loose diagonal school above two rolling wave bands, with a trail of round bubbles rising toward the stem. Every element is cut through: fish bodies with notched tails, the long curved waves, and the bubble dots all become glowing openings. The waves are the longest cuts, so brace the pumpkin and saw them in smooth continuous strokes; poke the bubbles out first with a round tool while the wall is solid.
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4. Curled Dolphin Profile
A leaping dolphin caught mid-arc, its curved body, pointed snout, dorsal fin, and sweeping tail all glowing through one sculpted cut-through opening, with an intact rind island shaping the pectoral fin and belly. The interior island is the key feature: cut the outer outline in sections and leave the connecting bridges to the island untouched until the very end, then trim them carefully to final width.
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5. Two Fish and Six Bubbles
Two plump fish swim toward each other with a rising trail of six bubbles between them and two wavy water slots rippling underneath. The fish bodies, bubbles, and wave lines are all cut through, turning the pumpkin into a glowing underwater scene. A relaxed medium carve for anglers and lake families; drill the bubbles in ascending size order, then saw the fish, and finish with the long shallow wave curves.
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6. Goldfish with Flowing Fins
A fancy fantail goldfish glides across the pumpkin with billowing fins, a sweeping double tail, and a body covered in overlapping scale rows. This is a continuous-wall shading design: the skin is shaved away at varying depths so fins glow softly and each scale reads in relief, with no pierced holes. Rated hard for its texture work, it goes best if you outline the fish first, clear the background layer, then carve the scales one row at a time.
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7. Seahorse with a Ribbed Fan
An elegant seahorse posed upright with a ridged, segmented body, a ribbed fan fin on its back, and a tail that coils into a tight spiral. This is a shading pattern: you carve away skin at varying shallow depths to sculpt the plates, fin ribs, and curl while the wall stays solid. Rated hard for its fine detail, it rewards a light touch; work the tiny tail spiral with a small gouge last.
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8. Seahorse with Ten Raw Plates
An elegant seahorse curls down the pumpkin in profile, its coronet, snout, banded belly plates, back fin, and spiral tail all rendered in carved relief. This is a shading design: the body is shaved to a pale glow while the plate lines and outline are left or scraped at different depths for dimension, with no pierced openings. Rated hard for its fine segmentation, shave the belly bands one at a time and keep each dividing ridge intact.
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9. Round Fish and Three Bubbles
A plump fish silhouette with a notched triangle tail swims across the pumpkin, trailed by three round bubbles rising toward the stem. The fish body and each bubble cut completely through, giving anglers a bold, glowing catch with almost no fine detail to fuss over. An easy pattern; remove the large body in two pieces split at the tail notch, then drill or carve the bubbles smallest to largest.
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10. Spotted Eagle Ray
A spotted eagle ray glides diagonally across the pumpkin, its wide wings dotted with rows of round spots, a long whip tail trailing off behind, and a curled loop near the tail base. The whole creature is rendered by etching the skin: outlines and spots are shaved to glow softly while the wall stays sealed. Rated hard for the fine linework; carve the spots with a small round gouge and keep your outline strokes shallow and consistent.
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