Many people quickly overlook fishing as it seems like an add – on that every RPG on the planet throws in to placate genre fans. However, that could not be further from the truth as it is actually a fun and highly profitable profession once you get past the first few early levels. The thing you need to remember though is that Fishing is a long and arduous process that requires a fair amount of patience and attention to detail to master. If you are impatient or looking for more action, Fishing may not be for you. However, if you have maxed out your two primary professions, are patient and are looking for a good secondary profession to occupy your time, fishing may be just the thing for you.

By pairing fishing with cooking you can win a lot. Cooking has a multitude of valuable recipes that require fish and if you can catch them yourself, you can save a good deal of gold. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are other professions that use fish for potions and the like – not enough to recommend any of them as specific professions you should choose, but ones that you might decide to add fishing to as a supplement.

Use the following information as a basis for your decision whether to choose Fishing as a secondary profession. Additional money making tips for this profession are available below as well.

The Right Equipment for fishing

Always make sure you have the best possible fishing rod when you go out to fish. Not only will it ensure you catch better fish, it will help you increase the rate of your fishing skill going up and of catching high level items from the water.

In reality, fishing is a great way to make gold, but only if you find the right locations and farm them properly. Stay away from overcrowding, be sure your rod is good and you have the right skill level, and most of all be persistent if you want to be successful.

In reality, the concept of speed leveling does not fit well with Fishing. You will rarely, if ever, be able to level up your Fishing skill as quickly as some of the other professions, but that is partially the point of the profession. It is supposed to take a little while. After training as an apprentice Fisher, make sure you have a good fishing pole and a few baubles and buffs. Also, I recommend picking up Cooking as well when you start Fishing. You can use the fish you catch to quickly and easily level up your cooking skill at the same time. Also, buy «Expert Fishing – The Bass and You» from Old Man Heming in Booty Bay as quickly as possible as it is a limited supply item. If you see it, buy it. If you get to Level 150 and don't have it yet, you don't want to pay the Auction House premium to pick it up.

Leveling Fishing 1–75

To get started, go to the starting areas of either Mulgore (for Horde) or Elwynn Forest (for Alliance) and catch Raw Brilliant Smallfishes and Raw Longjaw Mud Snappers until you reach skill Level 50. It should not take very long to reach Level 50 and you won't have to move around very much to do it. The best locations for either zone are near the main villages of Bloodhoof village and Goldshire.

After you reach the next level, travel to the main cities of Orgrimmar (for Horde) and Stormwind (for Alliance) and start catching Raw Longjaw Mud Snappers from the city waters. These fish are a little higher level than their zone counterparts and will get you the rest of the way up to Level 75.

Leveling Fishing 75–150

The next step is to train your Journeyman Fishing skills with the nearest trainer (there should be one in the main cities you are already in). Now, it is time to head to Hillsbrad Foothills for the longest profession grind you will likely ever get stuck in, the dreaded Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish near Tarren Hill/Southshore. You will be catching these little guys until you reach Level 150 and it will take a while to do, so get used to this zone.

Leveling Fishing 150–225

Train Expert Fishing and proceed to travel to Desolace (for Horde) or Arathi Highlands (for Alliance) and start fishing for Raw Mithril Head Trouts. This is another long grind, but there will be a few other things at least to keep you occupied in these zones (for any gathering professions you may have).

Leveling Fishing 225–300

When you reach Level 225, you need to complete a string of quest objectives to become an Artisan in Fishing. To get started, visit Nat Pagle in Dustwallow Marsh – you will find him on an island near the cost here, alone and near a sunken ship. Accep this quest and then proceed to travel to the following locations to catch these rare fish:
   Feralas – Near Camp Mojache (West) – Verdantis River – Feralas Ahi
   Swamp of Sorrows – East Coast – Misty Reed Strand – Misty Reed Mahi Mahi
   Desolace – Near Shadowprey Village (South) – Sar'theris Strand – Sar'theris Striker
   Stranglethorn Vale – Northwest Coast – Savage Coast – Savage Coast Blue Sailfin
After catching all of these, you will be an artisan in fishing and can travel to either The Hinterlands (for Horde) or Tanaris (for Alliance) and start catching Raw Spotted Yellowtails and Raw Sunscale Salmon. The best place to look for either faction though is in Tanaris, near Steamwheelde Port. This will get you to skill Level 250.

After reaching skill Level 250, travel to Felwood, near Bloodvenom Falls, and start fishing for Raw Sunscale Salmon until you reach skill Level 260. From here, go to Azshara, near The Bay of Storms, and start fishing for Large Raw Mightfish. This should get you all the way to Level 300 and prepare you to visit Outland and start on the next leg of your leveling.

Leveling Fishing 300–375

To start, head to Outland and find Juno Dufrain in Zangarmarsh. Buy «Master Fishing – The Art of Angling» to become a Master in Fishing and then go to Umbrafen Lake in the same zone and start fishing for Spotted Feltails. These will get you to Level 330.

Next, travel to either Serpent Lake or Marshlight Lake and fish for Zangarian Sporefish until you are skill Level 345. After this, you can leave Zangarmarsh and go to Terokkar Forest and start fishing for Golden Darter until you reach skill Level 360.

The final step to reach 375 in fishing will require that you are Level 70 and have a flying mount. In addition, I recommend a series of fishing buffs, such as baubles and upper level rods that will allow you to reach at least Level 475, and probably 500. Fly to Highland Mixed Schools and search for Furious Crawdads (they can be hard to find); fish for these until you reach skill level 375.

Leveling Fishing 375–450

Leveling your fishing skill in Northrend is relatively easy because you will have so many buffs at this point – at least a +20 pole and a +100 bauble at all times – that you can pretty much just find a good spot and level up to 450 all in one go.

You will want to find Inland Open Water to pull this off – these are the best spots to get your skill up and can be found in Howling Fjord or Grizzly Hills. If you are Alliance, just fish in Valgarde as it is considered inland and if you are Horde, go to Grizzly Hills. To reach level 450, you need to catch about 650 Bonescale Snappers, 250 Fangtooth Herrings and 250 Glacial Salmon. Make sure to keep all of these as well as you will be using them to level your cooking skill (unless you skip cooking).

Fishing trainers

I hope this WoW Fishing guide has helped you to reach 450.