How to Fish in WoW: Simple Fishing Guide

Image Credit: Blizzard, World of Warcraft

Fishing in World of Warcraft (WoW) is one of those things that sounds fun in theory but mostly involves staring at a bobber and questioning your life choices. That said, it can be useful. You can catch fish for cooking, find rare items, and even pull up mounts and pets. If you have the patience of a saint or just need something to do while watching a show, here’s how to get started.

Step 1: Learn Fishing (Yes, You Have to Be Taught How to Click a Button)

Fishing is a secondary profession, meaning anyone can learn it, even if you have two main professions already. Just visit a Fishing Trainer in any major city and let them teach you the ancient art of… waiting.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can buy a fishing pole from a vendor, but in modern WoW, you don’t even need one—your character will magically pull out a stick with a string if necessary.

Step 2: Find Water (But Not Just Any Water, Because That Would Be Too Easy)

You can fish in:

• Lakes

• Rivers

• Oceans

• Lava (yes, really)

• And whatever that green stuff is in Shadowlands

However, the water has to be deep enough. If you get a message saying it’s not, move around and try again.

Step 3: Cast Your Line and Stare at a Bobber

Once you’ve picked a good fishing spot:

1. Open your Professions Tab and click the Fishing ability.

2. Your character will throw a line into the water.

3. A bobber will appear.

4. Wait.

5. When the bobber splashes, click it within a few seconds or the fish gets away.

If you’re bad at noticing visual cues, turn up your game sound and listen for the splash.

Step 4: Accept That You Might Just Catch Trash

Depending on your fishing skill, you might:

• Catch actual fish (useful for cooking, alchemy, or selling).

• Pull up junk items (a sign that your skill is too low).

• Find random loot, including rare mounts, toys, and gear.

• Summon angry sea creatures that will try to murder you (surprise!).

To improve your odds, use better fishing poles, lures, and gear that boost your skill.

Step 5: Fish in Pools for Better Loot

Instead of fishing randomly, look for fishing pools—small circular ripples in the water.

• Pools guarantee specific fish (instead of random junk).

• Some pools contain treasure chests or rare alchemy ingredients.

• If you have the Find Fish ability (from the Weather-Beaten Journal), you can see pools on your minimap.

If you’re after something specific, just keep hopping between pools until you get what you need.

Step 6: Do Fishing Quests (If You Really Want to Commit to This Life)

Several fishing quests exist, but the most famous are:

• Daily Fishing Quests – Found in major cities and expansion hubs, these quests reward skill points and random loot.

• Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza – A chaotic PvP fishing contest in Booty Bay that rewards rare items.

• Nat Pagle’s Reputation Grind – Because what every player wants is to fish for hours to impress an NPC.

If you stick with it long enough, you can even earn the “Salty” title, which at least makes you sound cool while explaining why you spent an entire weekend fishing in a video game.

Step 7: Sell, Cook, or Hoard Your Fish Like a Dragon

Now that you have a backpack full of fish, you can:

• Sell them – Some rare fish sell for good gold at the Auction House.

• Cook them – Fish-based recipes provide strong buffs.

• Use them for alchemy – Certain fish are needed for potions.

• Throw them at your guildmates – Because why not?

Final Blurb

• Fishing is slow, but it can be profitable.

• Use pools to catch better fish and loot.

• Turn up your sound unless you enjoy missing every bobber splash.

• Stick with it and you’ll eventually fish up rare mounts, gear, and even a boss (yes, The Lurker Below is a thing).

Now go forth and embrace the peaceful, yet somehow frustrating, world of Azeroth fishing.

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