Up to 84% Off VPN
Fishing is the best it has ever been in World of Warcraft Forever. At the start of vanilla, fishing was a chill secondary profession with which you could sit back and relax in a single fishing spot for some modest rewards.
Patch 1.9.0 in January 2006 added schools of fish that dissipated after a few casts and turned the profession into a chase for these pools around the beaches, and this model was inherited by Classic. Open water fishing was dead: you could do it, but there was no good reason to.
WoW Forever takes both of these features and expands upon them to make multiple styles of fishing viable. You can search for schools of fish and floating wreckage and loot rare fish, raw materials, and even large 14-slot bags. You can also fish in the open water, and with the new fishing campfire buffs and a lure, you can get uncommon and rare bloated fish that can contain all sorts of valuables.
The fishing campfire buffs, Fish Bowl, Fishing Rack, and Fishing Hut, provide the highly desirable Blessing of Kings effect for 8% increased stats. The higher-tier buffs also enable you to catch special fish while providing some extra lures.
The Best Part: Fishing is a secondary profession, so you can pick it up on any character in addition to your primary professions.
Guide Contents:
- Leveling Up Fishing in WoW Forever: The Fastest Way
- Fishing Skill Ranks in WoW Forever
- Fishing Trainers in WoW Forever
- How To Get Expert Fishing Skill (Up To 225) In WoW Forever
- How To Get Artisan Fishing Skill (Up To 300) In WoW Forever
- Fishing Skill Needed to Never Miss a Catch in WoW Forever
- Leveling Up Your Fishing Together with Cooking
- Items That Improve Your Fishing Skill
Leveling Up Fishing in WoW Forever: The Fastest Way
Fishing is the easiest profession to level. All you need is training and a Fishing Pole:
- Skill gains come steadily as you catch fish
- Only the number of casts between gains increases as your skill increases
- You can only gain skill from successful attempts
- You can gain skill anywhere, even in the easiest possible area, all the way to 300
Basically, you can sit in Durotar or Elwynn Forest and fish away and hit the cap. You do need to learn new skill ranks, and for that, you need to move a bit.
You need 25 fishing skill to never lose a catch in the starting zones, so use one Shiny Bauble to get started a bit faster. After that, you can use lures and fishing skill items when you want to fish in higher-level zones and still get steady gains.
While you can fish all the way to the cap in a starter zone, it is much more profitable to move around a bit more, and you also have a great opportunity to level up your Cooking at the same time.
Fishing Skill Ranks in WoW Forever
You get the first two fishing skill ranks - Apprentice and Journeyman - from profession trainers. For Expert, you need to get a skill book, and for Artisan, you need to complete a quest.
- Apprentice, skill up to 75, from fishing trainer at any level
- Journeyman, skill up to 150, from fishing trainer at skill 50 and level 10
- Expert, skill up to 225, from the book Expert Fishing - The Bass And You at skill 125 and level 20
- Artisan, skill up to 300, from the quest Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme at skill 225 and level 35
Fishing Expert: You need up to 425 skill to never miss a catch, so you will need lures and gear even after reaching 300 skill.
Fishing Trainers in WoW Forever
You can find fishing trainers in all low-level zones and all capital cities.
Alliance Fishing Trainers
| Trainer | Location | Coordinates |
| Androl Oakhand | Rut'theran Village, Teldrassil |
/tway #1438 55.8 93.6 |
| Arnold Leland | Trade District, Stormwind City |
/tway #1453 55.0 69.6 |
| Astaia | Temple Gardens, Darnassus |
/tway #1457 47.6 56.6 |
| Brannock | Feathermoon Stronghold, Feralas |
/tway #1444 32.2 41.6 |
| Donald Rabonne | Southshore, Hillsbrad Foothills |
/tway #1424 50.6 61.0 |
| Grimnur Stonebrand | Forlorn Cavern, Ironforge |
/tway #1455 48.4 6.4 |
| Harold Riggs | Menethil Harbor, Wetlands |
/tway #1437 8.2 58.6 |
| Hunter Moore | Hillsbrad Foothills |
/tway #1424 54.0 80.2 |
| Lee Brown | Goldshire, Elwynn Forest |
/tway #1429 47.6 62.2 |
| Matthew Hooper | Lakeshire, Redridge Mountains |
/tway #1433 26.8 50.4 |
| Paxton Ganter | Brewnall Village, Dun Morogh |
/tway #1426 35.6 40.4 |
| Warg Deepwater | Thelsamar, Loch Modan |
/tway #1432 40.6 39.6 |
| Baelann Swiftcurrent (Neutral) | Valanaar, Zephras Isle |
/tway #2521 63.2 75.8 |
| Fenn Fairweather (Neutral) | Shen'dar Village, Zephras Isle |
/tway #2521 45.0 48.4 |
| Krix (Neutral) | Powderfuse Port, Riverglades |
/tway #2548 79.2 54.8 |
| Myizz Luckycatch (Neutral) | Booty Bay, Stranglethorn Vale |
/tway #1434 27.6 77.0 |
Horde Fishing Trainers
| Trainer | Location | Coordinates |
| Armand Cromwell | Magic Quarter, Undercity |
/tway #1458 80.8 31.2 |
| Clyde Kellen | Brightwater Lake, Tirisfal Glades |
/tway #1420 67.2 51.0 |
| Kah Mistrunner | Middle Tier, Thunder Bluff |
/tway #1456 56.0 46.8 |
| Katoom the Angler | Revantusk Village, The Hinterlands |
/tway #1425 80.2 81.4 |
| Kil'Hiwana | South of Blackfathom Deeps, Ashenvale |
/tway #1440 10.8 33.6 |
| Lau'Tiki | South of Sen'jin Village, Durotar |
/tway #1411 53.2 81.6 |
| Lui'Mala | Shadowprey Village, Desolace |
/tway #1443 22.6 72.6 |
| Lumak | Valley of Honor, Orgrimmar |
/tway #1454 69.8 29.6 |
| Uthan Stillwater | Bloodhoof Village, Mulgore |
/tway #1412 44.6 60.6 |
| Baelann Swiftcurrent (Neutral) | Valanaar, Zephras Isle |
/tway #2521 63.2 75.8 |
| Fenn Fairweather (Neutral) | Shen'dar Village, Zephras Isle |
/tway #2521 45.0 48.4 |
| Krix (Neutral) | Powderfuse Port, Riverglades |
/tway #2548 79.2 54.8 |
| Myizz Luckycatch (Neutral) | Booty Bay, Stranglethorn Vale |
/tway #1434 27.6 77.0 |
How To Get Expert Fishing Skill (Up To 225) in WoW Forever
To upgrade your skill rank to Expert, you need to reach skill 125 and character level 20 and read the skill book Expert Fishing - The Bass And You. The book is sold for 1 Gold by Old Man Heming in Booty Bay.
/tway #1434 27.4 77.0 Old Man Heming
Expert Fishing - The Bass And You is tradeable so you can buy it for your alt or even find it in the Auction House.
How To Get Artisan Fishing Skill (Up To 300) In WoW Forever
To get to Artisan fishing, you need to complete a quest for Nat Pagle. You can find Nat in Dustwallow Marsh, and he will give you the quest Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme.
/tway #1445 58.6 60.0 Nat Pagle
Where To Find All The Fish For Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme Quest
To complete the quest, you need to catch four quest fish around the world:
- Feralas Ahi from Verdantis River in Feralas
- Misty Reed Mahi Mahi from Misty Reed Strand in Swamp of Sorrows
- Sar’theris Striker from Sar’theris Strand in Desolace
- Savage Coast Blue Sailfin from Savage Coast in Stranglethorn Vale
These fish can only be caught while you are on the quest, and they are caught from open water in the correct area.
Feralas Ahi
You can catch the Feralas Ahi from the Verdantis River in Feralas. This is just south-east of Dire Maul.
Misty Reed Mahi Mahi
You can catch the Misty Reed Mahi Mahi from the Misty Reed Strand in Swamp of Sorrows. This is the strand of shoreline around the eastern coast.
Sar'theris Striker
You can catch the Sar'theris Striker in Desolace, at the Strand along the western coast.
Savage Coast Blue Sailfin
You can catch the Savage Coast Blue Sailfin in Stranglethorn Vale, specifically from the Savage Coast which comprises the shallows along the western shoreline.
Fishing Skill Needed to Never Miss a Catch in WoW Forever
You can only gain skill from successful casts, so you want to increase your skill with lures and gear to be able to practice in more difficult, and lucrative, zones.
The zones have a minimum skill rank to be able to fish in them: for example, Redridge Mountains requires you to be a Journeyman to even be able to cast. Redridge Mountains also has a minimum skill of 150 to ensure that every cast is successful, and that happens to be the skill cap of a Journeyman Fisherman, so ideally you'd want to venture there while a Journeyman but not at the cap, and use skill bonuses to ensure successful casts while gaining skill.
The difficulty of the zones is roughly in line with their level requirements. These maps of Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor show you the minimum skill needed to always be successful when fishing in various areas.
This may shows the minimum skill needed in each zone of the Eastern Kingdoms, to ensure that every fishing cast is successful.
This may shows the minimum skill needed in each zone of Kalimdor, to ensure that every fishing cast is successful.
Leveling Up Your Fishing Together with Cooking
If you are also interested in Cooking, Fishing is a great complementary profession for it, and you can even catch the fish you need to level up Cooking while you level up your fishing!
To level up your Cooking, you can journey to catch these fish:
| Fish | Guaranteed Catch Fishing Skill | Best Places to Catch |
| Raw Brilliant Smallfish | 25 |
Alliance: Dun Morogh, Elwynn Forest Horde: Mulgore |
| Raw Longjaw Mud Snapper | 75 |
Alliance: Stormwind City, Darnassus Horde: Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff Note that in Undercity, you will catch many sickly fish, reducing the number of useful catches |
| Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish | 150 |
Eastern Kingdoms: Redridge Mountains, Duskwood Kalimdor: Stonetalon Mountains, Ashenvale |
| Raw Mithril Head Trout | 225 |
Eastern Kingdoms: Alterac Mountains, Arathi Highlands Kalimdor: Dustwallow Marsh, Desolace |
| Raw Redgill | 300 |
Eastern Kingdoms: Western Plaguelands, The Hinterlands Kalimdor: Moonglade, Felwood, Un'Goro Crater Fished from lakes and rivers. |
| Raw Spotted Yellowtail | 300 |
Tanaris, The Hinterlands Fished from coastal areas. |
You will be able to find the full details on how to level up your Cooking from our Cooking Leveling guide.
Items That Improve Your Fishing Skill
There is a large variety of items that increase your fishing skill, from lures and fishing poles to food and armor pieces.
Fishing Lures
Lures give a temporary buff to your fishing skill. Most lures come from vendors, and you get some lures from the campfire buffs Fishing Rack and Fishing Hut. Lures are also needed to benefit from the Legacy talent Luremaster, which can significantly increase the number of fish and items that you catch.
Blueprint: Fishing Rack drops from Gelihast in the Blackfathom Deeps dungeon.
| Item | Buff | Source |
| Shiny Bauble | Increases Fishing by 25 for 10 minutes | Vendors |
| Nightcrawlers | Increases Fishing by 50 for 10 minutes | Vendors, occasional loot from undead |
| Aquadynamic Fish Lens | Increases Fishing by 50 for 10 minutes | Fishing Rack |
| Bright Baubles | Increases Fishing by 75 for 10 minutes | Vendors, Fishing Rack |
| Flesh Eating Worm | Increases Fishing by 75 for 10 minutes | Rotted One in Duskwood (not viable to farm) |
| Aquadynamic Fish Attractor | Increases Fishing by 100 for 5 minutes | Engineering, Vendors |
Fishing Poles
In WoW Forever, you must have a Fishing Pole equipped in order to fish.
Hint: Don't accidentally sell your weapon while wielding your Fishing Pole. Not that anyone would have ever done that.
| Item | Buff | Source |
| Fishing Pole | None | Vendors |
| Blump Family Fishing Pole | Increased Fishing +3. Requires Fishing (1) | Alliance-only quest The Family And The Fishing Pole in Darkshore |
| Strong Fishing Pole | Increased Fishing +5. Requires Fishing (10) | Vendors |
| Big Iron Fishing Pole | Increased Fishing +20. Requires Fishing (100) | Shellfish Trap in the ocean at the Southwestern coast of Desolace - 1% drop rate |
| Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler Fc-5000 | Increased Fishing +25. Requires Fishing (100) | Horde-only quest Snapjaws, Mon! in Revantusk Village in The Hinterlands |
| Arcanite Fishing Pole | Increased Fishing +35. Requires Fishing (300) | Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza event reward |
Fishing Skill Food
| Item | Buff | Source |
| Loch Frenzy Delight | Gain 3 Fishing skill for 15 minutes | Cooking |
| Fillet Of Frenzy | Gain 5 Fishing skill for 15 minutes | Cooking |
| Bristle Whisker Catfish | Gain 8 Fishing skill for 15 minutes | Cooking |
| Rockscale Cod | Gain 12 Fishing skill for 15 minutes | Cooking, Vendors |
| Filet Of Redgill | Gain 18 Fishing skill for 15 minutes | Cooking |
| Spinefin Halibut | Gain 18 Fishing skill for 15 minutes | Cooking, Vendors |
Miscellaneous Fishing Skill Items
| Item | Buff | Source |
| Lucky Fishing Hat | Increased Fishing +5. Requires Fishing (1) | Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza event reward |
| Nat Pagle's Extreme Anglin' Boots | Increased Fishing +5. Requires Fishing (1) | Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza event reward |
| Enchant Gloves - Fishing | Permanently enchant gloves to grant +2 Fishing skill | Enchanting |
| High Test Eternium Fishing Line | Permanently enchant your Fishing Pole to grant +5 Fishing skill | Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza event reward |
