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World of Warcraft wasn't the first RPG or MMO to have a fishing minigame, but the concept of a profession that was connected to other activities, like quests, achievements, and rewards as we now know it might have started in Azeroth. The profession of Fishing might be the most important one of the three since players can use it to boost the other two secondary skills of Cooking and First Aid.
There's more to fishing than equipping a pole and dropping a line, but that is a good place to start. Players have to seek out gear, trainers, and special buff items, just like they have to do with raids and dungeons. There's a lot for fisherfolk to do in Azeroth, Outland, and Northrend, so it's helpful to have a guide to keep track of everything.
Getting Started - How To Fish
Grinding the Fishing skill anywhere in Azeroth following the Wrath of the Lich King expansion is easier because characters can fish anywhere now regardless of their skill level and still gain experience. The drawback here is that a lot of fish will get away in the meantime. Lures can help alleviate this issue and they're available from trade vendors and fishing trainers.
A Fishing Set
It's perfectly fine to equip a fishing pole and nothing else, but adding a few more relevant pieces of gear to complete the look and give your character a few extra buffs is also beneficial.
- Fishing Poles. Buy a simple one from any trainer or general goods vendor to get started, and work all your way up to the green, blue, and even epic-level fishing poles once your character reaches Mastery Level.
- Fishing Lures. Most are available from vendors, but others can be made or found. Engineers can make the Aerodynamic Fish Attractor and Nightcrawlers tend to drop from undead enemies.
- Enchants. You can now enchant any gloves with a +5 to their fishing skill, an Enchanting formula new with the recent expansion,
- Gear. Common examples include the Lucky Fishing Hat, which is one of the prizes for winning the Stranglethorn Fishing Contest, and the Weather-beaten Fishing Hat, a random reward for completing the Outland Fishing quests from Old Man Barlo. Anyone who fishes knows how important hats are.
Fish Tracking
The Find Fish skill isn't essential to be able to fish, but it gives a character the ability to see fishing nodes on the map. This skill isn't learned from trainers. Find Fish can only be learned from the Weather-Beaten Journal, an object that is randomly fished up in a variety of locations. It's bind-on-pickup too, which means it can't be sold or handed to another player.
Fishing And Resources
Fishing is connected to both Cooking and Alchemy. Using fish with Cooking recipes is obvious, but several Alchemy recipes utilize certain rare fish, so even if a catch isn't useful for Cooking, it might be handy for something else. Cooking is also an important profession to level and Fishing is one of the best ways to do so.
- Alchemy. Plenty of fish, such as the Stonescale Eel and the Oily Blackmouth, are used by Alchemists as ingredients in certain recipes. Even if you aren't an Alchemist yourself, these are valuable resources that are worth stockpiling and selling.
- Wreckage. There are various types of pools of wreckage you'll find around Azeroth, and these will yield fish along with other resources like cloth, ore, herbs, and gear.
- Cooking. It's possible to level Cooking without fishing, but it's more difficult and less fun. Most of the most important buff and raid foods you'll make at later levels require fish as a resource as opposed to meat.
- Magical And Rare Items. There are pets and mounts in the game that can now be found only through fishing. Mr. Pinchy's Magical Crawdad Box, which gives you a lobster pet, is the most famous example. There's also a turtle mount but this is only available in Northrend.
Fishing Times
About the same time you reach Artisan fishing, you'll be looking for Stoenscale Eel and Raw Nightfin Snapper, and when you go fishing becomes a more important consideration. These valuable fish are found more often at night. Sunscale Salmon, on the other hand, is a daytime fish.
You'll often find players who stock up on Winter Squid and Raw Summer Bass during those seasons, especially the squid, one of the Classic endgame raid foods.
Raising Your Fishing Level
Your character can train in Fishing as early as level 5 for Apprentice and level 10 for everything else, although the books that raise the skill cap past Journeyman are only available to characters of certain levels.
Apprentice Fishing covers levels 5 to 75, but you can train for Journeyman as early as level 50. This raises the skill cap to 150, but you can train for the next level as early as 125.
Fishing Trainers In Old Azeroth
There is one neutral fishing trainer in Azeroth. Myizz Luckycatch is a goblin in Booty Bay, Stranglethorn, and she's standing right outside of the house where you can also find Old Man Heming.
Old Man Heming sells a variety of fishing supplies including "Expert Fishing - The Bass And You." This book trains you for Expert fishing and raises your skill level to 225. Your fishing skill needs to be at least 125 to use it.
Horde
- Armand Cromwell. He's outside the Magic Quarter of Undercity, standing on a dock over the sewer with the Fishing Goods vendor.
- Clyde Kellen. Brightwater Lake is in Tirisfal Glades, to the east of Brill. He's standing on the southern shore and also sells fishing goods.
- Kah Mistrunner. Find her on the Middle Tier of Thunder Bluff. You can also buy fishing goods from her friend.
- Katoom the Angler. He's standing on the dock in Revantusk Village, The Hinterlands. He has a Horde-only quest called "Snapjaws, Mon!" that rewards you with Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000, a green fishing pole.
- Kil'Hiwana: She's standing on the shore next to Zoran'gar Outpost in the western part of Ashenvale.
- Lau'Tiki. Look for the little seaside hut south of Sen'jin Village, Durotar. He also sells fishing gear and supplies.
- Lui'Mala. Shadowprey Village is on the east coast of Desolace and is a great place to both train and level. Lui-Mala has a shop just off the dock.
- Lumak. Standing on a dock next to the lake in the Valley of Honor in Orgrimmar.
- Uthan Stillwater. Standing by the lake in Bloodhoof Village, a small town in southern Mulgore.
Alliance
- Androl Oakhand. Rut'theran Village is the small settlement at the foot of Teldrassil where you can find both air and sea transport to the mainland.
- Arnold Leland. Standing on a dock on a canal by the Trade District in Stormwind.
- Astaia. The scenic Temple Gardens in Darnassus is where you can find Astaia, as opposed to the gathering with the other trainers on Craftsman's Terrace.
- Brannock. Feathermoon Stronghold is an island off the coast of Feralas. The ferry that stops at the dock can take you there.
- Donald Rabonne. He's standing on the dock in Southshore, in Hillsbrad Foothills.
- Grimnur Stonebrand. Find him in Forlorn Cavern. Not such a sad place, and the only place to fish in Ironforge.
- Harold Riggs. Menethil Harbor is the only faction settlement in the Wetlands. The city is isolated but the harbor is a transport hub that can take you to Kalimdor or Northrend.
- Lee Brown. He's standing on a dock overlooking a nice little fishing spot near Goldshire in Elwynn Forest.
- Matthew Hooper. He's in Lakeshire in Redridge Mountains, standing on the dock overlooking the lake.
- Paxton Ganter. Brewnall Village is a tiny settlement in Dun Morogh that most characters miss, even if they are leveling here.
- Warg Deepwater. Thelsamar is one of the towns in Loch Modan that enjoys the benefits of the Stonewrought Dam. This town is also big enough to have other trainers, vendors, and some other handy resources.
Artisan Fishing - Meeting Nat Pagle
To reach the level of Artisan Fishing, which covers levels from 225 to 300, players have to seek out the elusive Nat Pagle in Duswallow Marsh. He's standing on an island that's west of Theramore Isle. You have to be at least level 35 to get this quest, but the recommended level is 45. The reward for completing this quest is raising the Fishing level cap to 300.
Nat sends you to the four corners of Azeroth to find some elusive fish, which are only available during this quest. Don't look for schools, but fish in open water and use a lure if you can.
Feralas Ahi is the only one with the location in the name, but Nat tells you where to find each provided you read the text. The others required are the Misty Reed Mahi Mahi on the coast of the Swamp of Sorrows, the Sar'theris Striker off the coast of Desolace, and Savage Coast Blue Sailfin can be found in the shoreline in Stranglethorn Vale with the same name.
Master Fishing In Outland
Outland had an impressive choice of places to fish and resources to acquire through what was just a hobby in the older version of the game. This is the expansion where secondary professions got more attention, especially Fishing and Cooking. Consumes become even more important in The Burning Crusade and many of these were crafted from fish or items collected through fishing.
Upon reaching Shattrath, you need to seek out a precocious lad in the Lower City named Seth. He has a quest called "Rather Be Fishin'" which you complete by killing certain mobs in the nearby lake as opposed to fishing, hence the name. After you bring him eight Shimmerscale Eels, he'll give you Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole.
Outland Fishing Trainers
Both of the trainers sell supplies and recipes, along with the book "Master Fishing - The Art of Angling" which teaches you Master Fishing and raises your skill cap to 375.
- Juno Dufrain. A neutral vendor in the Cenarion Refuge, Zangarmarsh.
- Zurjaya. Zabra'jin is a Horde outpost in western Zangarmarsh, just east of Sporeggar.
Outand Aquatic Life
Not everywhere in Outland is idea for fishing, with zones like Netherstorm and Blade's Edge Mountains getting a hard pass. Zangarmarsh, on the other hand, is one of the best places in Outland to fish and that's party because of Steam Pump Flotsam, which can yield Curious Crate and Heavy Supply Crates filled with rare resources.
Terrokar Forest is another hot spot, with plenty of Brackish and Highland Mixed Schools depending on where you are in the zone. Nagrand has the precious Icefin Bluefish, coveted by spellcasters, along with plenty of Pure Water nodes where you can fish up Motes of Water along with other useful items.
|
Name |
Location |
Recipe or Use |
|
Figluster's Mudfish |
Mudfish schools and open water throughout Nagrand. |
Grilled Mudfish, buffs Spirit and Agility. |
|
Furious Crawdad |
Crawdad schools and open water in Terrokar Forest. |
Spicy Cradad, buffs Stamina and Agility. |
|
Golden Darter |
Schools of Darter and open water in Terrokar Forest and occasionally Zangarmarsh. |
Golden Fish Sticks, buffs Spirit and increases healing spell power. |
|
Icefin Bluefish |
Schools of Bluefish are common in Nagrand rivers. |
Poached Bluefish buffs spell damage and Spirit. |
|
Zangarian Sporefish |
Schools of sporefish and open water in Zangarmarsh. |
Blackened Sporefish increases Mana regen and buffs Stamina. |
Northrend Fishing Trainers
It's time for players to return to Northrend again and face The Wrath of Lich King. Between the raiding, exploring, and general feats of amazing heroism of the new Classic: World of Warcraft expansion, it's easy to forget about the secondary professions of Cooking, First Aid, and Fishing.
Before you start fishing in Northrend, it's strongly recommended that you raise your skill to the maximum level allowed in the previous expansion, The Burning Crusade. Your level at this point should be at least 350, and the fishing trainers in Northrend can only train the Master Fishing skill past this level.
The sanctuary city of Dalaran is home to the Grand Master Fishing trainer Marcia Chase, and she'll teach players of either faction the art of casting a line. However, since you don't reach Dalaran until level 74, there are other trainers available in the starting zones of Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord.
Horde
- Warsong Hold. The zeppelin from Orgrimmar goes straight to this massive metal fortress in the Borean Tundra. Fishy Ser'ji can be found relaxing at the cooking tables by the innkeeper on the southern part of the main floor.
- Vengeance Landing. The icy waters of Howling Fjord are great for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. Angelina Soren waits outside on the dock with a friend selling equipment and lures.
Alliance
- Valiance Keep. A city built entirely on the water, you don't even have to leave the safety of town to grind your Fishing skill. Old Man Robert is just outside of the jail with the Cooking Trainer.
- Valgarde. The tall wooden buildings and set in a chilly fjord aren't just lovely, they're also an ideal place to find fishing nodes. Byron Welwick is the trainer here and he can help you find them.
The Aquatic Life Of Northrend
Fish
|
Name |
Location |
Recipe or Use |
|---|---|---|
|
Barrelhead Moby |
Shalozar Basin |
Sauteed Goby |
|
Bonescale Snapper |
Only found in open coastal water almost anywhere in Northrend. |
Grilled Stonescale and Snapper Extreme. |
|
Deep Sea Monsterbelly |
The Frozen Sea off the west coast of the Borean Tundra. |
Gigantic Feast |
|
Dragonfin Angelfish |
A freshwater fish from the Borean Tundra and Dragonblight. |
Dragonfin Filet and Blackened Dragonfin. |
|
Fangtooth Herring |
The rivers and lakes of Grizzly Hills and Howling Fjord. |
Haunted Herring, Pickled Fangtooth, and Spicy Fried Herring. |
|
Fountain Goldfish |
Like the name says, only the Eventide Fountain in Dalaran. |
No recipe for these, but eating them raw restores health. |
|
Glacial Salmon |
A freshwater fish in Howling Fjord and Grizzly Hills. |
Firecracker Salmon, Smoked Salmon, Fish Feast, and Small Feast. |
|
Glassfin Minnow |
The rivers and lakes of Crystalsong Forest. |
Used by Alchemists to make Ethereal Oil, a component in the Elixir of Water Walking. Enchanters use it for the Enchant Gloves: Angler recipe. |
|
Imperial Manta Ray |
The coastal waters of various zones. |
Baked Manta Ray and Imperial Manta Steak. |
|
Magic Eater |
An urban fish from the sewers or wishing well in Dalaran. |
No cooking is needed to have fun with this fish, which either gives a character a random Well fed buff or casts a polymorph spell that turns them into a cockroach, wisp, dragon whelp, or basilisk. |
|
Nettlefish |
Only in Shalozar Basin. |
Used for Fish Feast, Small Feast, Spicy Blue Nettlefish, and Poached Nettlefish. |
|
Pygmy Suckerfish |
Doesn't spawn its own schools but appears in every other one as well as open water throughout Northrend. |
Used to make Pygmy Oil, a reagent for many high-level Alchemy recipes, such as the Flask of Pure Mojo and the Potion of Speed. It's also used to make the Indestructible Alchemist's Stone. |
|
Rockin Grouper |
Find this fish off the icy coast anywhere in Northrend. |
Used to make Gigantic Feast and Smoked Rockfin. |
|
Sewer Carp |
The Underbelly area of Dalaran. |
Served raw, like many of the urban fish, and restores health without the need for a recipe. |
|
Shimmering Minnow |
The water feature in front of the Violet Hold in Dalaran. |
One of the sashimi-style urban fish restores health but doesn't provide any buffs. |
|
Slippery Eel |
The pools outside of the Violet Hold in Dalaran. |
The only food that provides a buff without being cooked, it improves your dodge rating. |
|
Terrorfish |
In schools and open water in the PvP zone of Winterspring. |
Only used to complete one of the Dalaran Daily cooking quests. |
Shellfish And Cephalopods
|
Name |
Location |
Recipe or Use |
|---|---|---|
|
Darkwater Clam |
Open these to harvest Succulent Clam Meat. Other rare items include Northsea Pearls and Sirens Tears. |
Dalaran Clam Chowder, Bad Clams |
|
Borean Man O' War |
A saltwater cephalopod found in Dragonblight, Borean Tundra, and Howling Fjord. |
Black Jelly |
|
Moonglow Cuttlefish |
Found in schools and open water in the Frozen Sea. |
Cuttlesteak |
|
Musselback Sculpin |
In both schools and open water off the coast of Borean Tundra and Dragonblight. |
Fish Feast, Grilled Sculpin, and Poached Northern Sculpin. |
Treasures, Magical Items, And Other Goodies
|
Name |
Location |
Recipe or Use |
|---|---|---|
|
Copper Coin |
There are 22 different copper coins in the fountain, each one with a unique message. |
Required for the "Penny for Your Thoughts" Achievement. |
|
Crystallized Water |
These are like the motes of water that could be fished up in Outland. They sometimes drop from enemies but are more commonly found while fishing. |
Collect ten and turn them into a powerful reagent, Eternal Water, which is used for Alchemy and Enchanting. |
|
Gold Coin |
There are 15 gold coins, and their messages come from the most famous names in Warcraft lore. |
Required for the "There's Gold in That There Fountain" Achievement. Throw it back and get a two-minute buff that improves the chances of finding more coins. |
|
Silver Coin |
There are 15 silver coins, and their messages come from obscure but heroic names in the Warcraft universe. |
Required for the "Silver in the City" Achievement. |
|
Reinforced Crate |
These can be fished up virtually anywhere, but are more common in fishing schools located off the coast. |
Contains a variety of items that range from useless vendor trash to valuable raw resources like frostweave cloth, cobalt ore, and different kinds of Borean leather. |
Daily Fishing Quests And Contests
With the last two expansions now live, there are a few more activities related to fishing that you can enjoy.
- Dalaran Daily. Marcia Chase isn't just the Fishing trainer, she's also the keeper of Northrend's daily fishing quest. Like the fishing quests that were introduced in The Burning Crusade, there are a few different quests available and you get a random one every day.
- Kalu'ak Fishing Derby. Historically, it was added in a different and later patch, but this weekly fishing contest is available in the current version of WoW: Classic. This is about finding a specific
- Old Man Barlo. He stands on the shore of the lake outside Shattrath in Terrokar Forest, and although he's the source of the daily he's not a trainer. You have to finish a quest in the city to unlock him.
- Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza. The popularity of this event is what prompted the Northrend version, the Kalu'ak Fishing Derby. Part of the fun is dodging players from opposing factions and dangerous tropical animals while trying to fill a fish quota.