WoW Forever Fishing leveling guide 1-300: where to fish, trainers, and gold

Fishing is a secondary profession, like Cooking and First Aid, so it doesn't take one of your two primary slots. It costs next to nothing, since vendors sell the pole and lures and everything you catch is yours. Wowhead puts it plainly: Fishing has basically no expenses, so every fish you sell is pure profit.

In Forever, anglers have more customers. Almost all cooked food gives +5% XP from kills now, and fish dishes give combat bonuses too. Poached Sunscale Salmon adds 40 attack power, Nightfin Soup 22 spell damage, and Grilled Squid 1% crit chance. Alchemists turn fish into oils, and Stonescale Oil goes into the Flask of the Titans, a raid flask worth 1200 health.

Fishing almost always goes with Cooking, because you can cook and eat your own catch right away, and our Cooking route uses about 50 fish. Hunters get extra use out of it, since a lot of raw fish can feed a pet.

• Fish Bowl, Fishing Rack, and Fishing Hut. Anglers put down their own camp items at the campfire now. The Fish Bowl, from skill 20, gives everyone sitting nearby +8% stats, and the rack and the hut unlock uncommon and rare fish for an hour. The Bait and Tackle ability, which comes with the profession, lets you place them. There's more in the camp section.
• Food that raises Fishing skill. Some old fish dishes give a Well Fed buff with a Fishing bonus in Forever. Rockscale Cod adds 12 points, and Filet of Redgill and Spinefin Halibut add 18 each. All the bonuses are listed in the gear section.
• Fish dishes got stronger. Wowhead says a lot of fish recipes were buffed and new ones added, like Plated Armorfish for +150 armor and two 40-person feasts, Specklefin Feast and Grand Lobster Banquet. For an angler, that mostly means people want raw fish, and there's more on that in the gold section.
• The Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza. The Master Angler quest has fifty winners now instead of one. The first fifty anglers to bring in 40 Speckled Tastyfish get a pole and a coin, Arcanite Fishing Pole and Extravagant Extravaganza Coin. Jang trades the coin for one reward of your choice: Hook of the Master Angler, Surfer Shoes, Master Angler's Fishing Hat, Empty Fish Bucket, or the Bitter Baitling pet.
• New trainers and a new fish. Two Fishing trainers stand on Zephras Isle, and there's another in Powderfuse Port in Riverglades. Whimsyfin and Deviate Fish are near twins, and both tooltips say the same thing, "Eat me." Wowhead says Recipe: Savory Whimsyfin Delight drops from mobs in Redridge Mountains. Where the Whimsyfin itself is caught, nobody knows yet.
• Legacy. Wowhead doesn't show any Legacy challenges for Fishing, but three perks still help. Working Overtime raises your skill-up chance, Luremaster gives a chance to pull up an extra fish while a lure is on your pole, and Dedicated Study adds a point to your lowest profession once every 23 hours, secondary professions included.

Anglers have no recipes to level with, so there's no crafting route either. Your skill goes up with every fish you land. According to Wowhead, how hard the water is doesn't change the pace, and an easy zone takes the same number of catches per point as a hard one. The higher your skill, the less often points come, so each hundred takes longer than the last.

That's where the main rule comes from: fish where nothing gets away. Every zone has a threshold where you can cast and a threshold where you always land the fish. In between, some casts are wasted, and for leveling that's just lost time. All the zone thresholds are in the zone table.

Up to skill 25, a Shiny Bauble helps, since with that lure on, fish in the starting zones won't get away. You can learn Journeyman from skill 50, and you should buy the Expert book as soon as you hit skill 125 and level 20, not wait for the 150 cap. The Artisan quest opens at skill 225 and level 35, and it takes a while, because its four fish are caught off the shores of four different zones.

Skill	Where to fish	What to do along the way
1-75	Any starting zone, including Zephras Isle	Up to skill 25 you need a Shiny Bauble; from skill 50, learn Journeyman from any trainer
75-150	Capital city waters: Stormwind, Ironforge, Darnassus, Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, Undercity	At skill 125 and level 20, buy the Expert Fishing - The Bass and You book in Booty Bay
150-225	Dustwallow Marsh (handier for Alliance) or Stranglethorn Vale (handier for Horde)	Fish only stop getting away here at 225, so lures help until then; by skill 225, get ready for the Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme quest
225-300	Dustwallow Marsh or Tanaris	In Tanaris, fish only stop getting away at 300, so keep lures and Fishing food on hand

Fishing costs almost nothing, but not every fish sells. The valuable ones are the fish other professions turn into something useful. Here are the fish and catches that will definitely sell in Forever, and why.

You won't find prices here. The beta was capped at level 30, so nobody has seen real level 60 prices yet, and after launch your realm's Auction House will show them.

Fishing trainers in capitals and in towns near the starting zones teach Apprentice (up to 75) and Journeyman (up to 150), and you can take Journeyman from skill 50. After that, trainers can't help. Expert (up to 225) comes from a book and Artisan (up to 300) from a quest. All the training, book included, costs 1 gold 6 silver.

Rank	Skill and level	Cost	Alliance	Horde and neutral
Apprentice, up to 75	Right away	1s	Lee Brown in Goldshire (Elwynn Forest), Arnold Leland in Stormwind, Paxton Ganter in Brewnall Village (Dun Morogh), Grimnur Stonebrand in Ironforge, Warg Deepwater in Thelsamar (Loch Modan), Harold Riggs in Menethil Harbor (Wetlands), Matthew Hooper in Lakeshire (Redridge Mountains), Donald Rabonne and Hunter Moore in Hillsbrad Foothills, Androl Oakhand in Rut'theran Village (Teldrassil), Astaia in Darnassus, Brannock in Feathermoon Stronghold (Feralas)	Clyde Kellen at Brightwater Lake (Tirisfal Glades), Armand Cromwell in Undercity, Lau'Tiki near Sen'jin Village (Durotar), Lumak in Orgrimmar, Uthan Stillwater in Bloodhoof Village (Mulgore), Kah Mistrunner in Thunder Bluff, Kil'Hiwana in Ashenvale, Lui'Mala in Shadowprey Village (Desolace), Katoom the Angler in Revantusk Village (The Hinterlands); for everyone: Myizz Luckycatch in Booty Bay, Fenn Fairweather and Baelann Swiftcurrent on Zephras Isle, Krix in Powderfuse Port (Riverglades)
Journeyman, up to 150	Skill 50	5s	The same trainers	The same trainers
Expert, up to 225	Skill 125, level 20	1g	The Expert Fishing - The Bass and You book, sold by Old Man Heming in Booty Bay (Stranglethorn Vale)	The same book in Booty Bay
Artisan, up to 300	Skill 225, level 35	Free	The Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme quest from Nat Pagle in Dustwallow Marsh	The same quest in Dustwallow Marsh

Nat Pagle in Dustwallow Marsh gives the Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme quest if you have 225 Fishing and are level 35. He asks for four fish. They only bite while you're on the quest, and there are no special schools for them, but you can't catch them just anywhere either, because each fish has its own stretch of shore.

Feralas Ahi is caught in Feralas, in the Verdantis River southeast of Dire Maul. Misty Reed Mahi Mahi turns up along the east shore of Swamp of Sorrows, Sar'theris Striker off the west coast of Desolace, and Savage Coast Blue Sailfin off the west coast of Stranglethorn Vale. Wowhead notes that each fish might take more than one cast.

Keep in mind that in Feralas fish only stop getting away at skill 300, and you can start the quest at 225. Bring lures or Fishing food, or some of your casts there will come up empty.

Every zone has two thresholds. From the first you can cast, but fish will often get away, and from the second you always land them. The thresholds below come from Wowhead's Forever fishing overview. Lures, poles, and food add to your skill, so you can hit the second threshold sooner.

Everything that adds Fishing skill works the same way, by letting you fish as if your skill were higher. It doesn't give skill points, but it lets you land fish where they'd otherwise get away. A lure goes on your pole and lasts a limited time. With the Luremaster Legacy perk, a lure also gives a chance to pull up an extra fish, so it's worth using for more than the skill bonus.

You'll usually swap poles a couple of times while leveling. Vendors sell the Strong Fishing Pole, and the Big Iron Fishing Pole doesn't bind, so you can find it on the Auction House. The Arcanite Fishing Pole only goes to Fishing Extravaganza winners and needs skill 300 to equip. Lucky Fishing Hat, Nat Pagle's Extreme Anglin' Boots, and High Test Eternium Fishing Line add 5 skill each, and Enchant Gloves - Fishing adds 2.

What	Skill bonus	Requirement
Shiny Bauble	+25	Any skill
Nightcrawlers, Aquadynamic Fish Lens	+50	Skill 50
Bright Baubles, Flesh Eating Worm	+75	Skill 100
Aquadynamic Fish Attractor	+100	Skill 100
Loch Frenzy Delight	+3	Level 5
Fillet of Frenzy	+5	Level 5
Bristle Whisker Catfish	+8	Level 15
Rockscale Cod	+12	Level 25
Filet of Redgill	+18	Level 35
Spinefin Halibut	+18	Level 45
Strong Fishing Pole	+5	Skill 10
Big Iron Fishing Pole	+20	Skill 100
Arcanite Fishing Pole	+35	Skill 300

Camping is a new Forever system. At a campfire, each player can put down one item from their profession, and it gives a bonus to everyone who sits or works nearby for at least a minute. All camp items share a 1-hour cooldown. The Bait and Tackle ability, which comes with the profession, lets anglers place them.

You learn to make the Fish Bowl at skill 20, either from the trainer for 1 silver or from the Camping 101: Fishing quest. It takes a Raw Brilliant Smallfish and an Empty Vial, which cost next to nothing, and gives +8% stats. That's the same bonus as the paladin's Blessing of Kings, and the two don't stack.

The Fishing Rack unlocks at skill 140 and goes on top of the Fish Bowl. It keeps the bowl's bonus, lets you catch uncommon fish for an hour, and gives you a Fishing lure. Blueprint: Fishing Rack drops from Gelihast in Blackfathom Deeps, but Wowhead says only about once in a hundred kills.

The Fishing Hut is a skill 300 item, with the Fish Bowl bonus, a lure, and an hour of rare fish. Nobody knows yet where to get Blueprint: Fishing Hut. The hut also needs Seasonal Fish Steaks, and it's not clear where those come from either. The game files have a Chef's Knife, which needs 275 Fishing, and its tooltip says it prepares unique fish "in a special way." That might be how the steaks are made, but we can't confirm it until launch.

Item	Skill	What it gives	Made from
Fish Bowl	20	+8% stats at the campfire, like Blessing of Kings	Raw Brilliant Smallfish, Empty Vial
Fishing Rack	140	Fish Bowl bonus, a lure and an hour of uncommon fish	2 × Simple Wood, Crystal Vial, 2 × Raw Mithril Head Trout
Fishing Hut	300	Fish Bowl bonus, a lure and an hour of rare fish	5 × Simple Wood, 2 × Bolt of Runecloth, Seasonal Fish Steaks

• Fishing where fish get away. You only get a point for a fish you land, so every one that escapes is lost time. If fish keep slipping the hook, put on a lure or go back to an easier zone.
• Waiting until 150 to buy the book. You can read Expert Fishing - The Bass and You from skill 125 and level 20, and it's only sold in Booty Bay. If you're in Stranglethorn Vale earlier, buy the book anyway. You'll read it at 125, and your skill won't stall at 150.
• Putting off Nat Pagle's quest. Artisan only comes from the Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme quest, and it needs level 35. The four fish only bite while you're on the quest and only off the shores of Feralas, Swamp of Sorrows, Desolace, and Stranglethorn Vale, so plan your route ahead of time.
• Vendoring valuable fish. A vendor pays 4 copper for Oily Blackmouth, and alchemists make potion oil out of it. Put your Blackmouths, Snappers, and eels on the Auction House or give them to an alchemist friend.
• Putting a Fish Bowl down next to a paladin. The Fish Bowl and Blessing of Kings give the same bonus and don't stack. If a paladin has already buffed the group, the bowl does nothing for you.