TBC Classic Fishing Profession Guide (Phase 3)

Fishing is a secondary profession, so it doesn't take up either of your two main slots. Anyone can level it, at any time.

The main reason to level it is cooking. The best food in Outland, with bonuses to spell power, attack power, and stamina, is made from fish, and that fish doesn't drop from mobs: you have to catch it. The "fishing + cooking" combo fully covers your raid consumables and doesn't cost a single gold.

The second upside is direct income. Stacks of fish for raid food sell steadily on the auction house, and rare pools occasionally yield recipes and items you can't find anywhere else.

The profession has one downside, and it's a fair one: fishing takes time and patience. On the plus side, you can level it with no risk at all and while doing anything else on the side.

Trainers stand in every capital city. The profession is available from character level 5.

Horde

Lumak — Orgrimmar

Drathen — Silvermoon City

The profession is also taught by Armand Cromwell in Undercity.

Alliance

Grimnur Stonebrand — Ironforge

Arnold Leland — Stormwind

Erett — The Exodar

Master rank in Outland (300-375)

Zurjaya — Cenarion Refuge, Zangarmarsh

Juno Dufrain — Zangarmarsh

Juno sells Master Fishing - The Art of Angling, the book that unlocks the master rank. Without it, your skill will cap at 300.

Fishing costs almost nothing, but a couple of things are mandatory:

• Fishing Pole — the basic one, sold by any fishing supplies vendor.
• Shiny Bauble — lure for the first 100 skill, gives +25.
• Bright Baubles — lure for further on, gives +75.
• Aquadynamic Fish Attractor — the strongest lure, +100. Useful in Outland.
• Expert Fishing - The Bass and You — bought from Old Man Heming in Booty Bay, unlocks the expert tier at 125 skill.
• Master Fishing - The Art of Angling — bought from Juno Dufrain, unlocks the master rank at 300 skill.

Better fishing poles speed things up a lot, because they give their own bonus to skill:

• Strong Fishing Pole and Big Iron Fishing Pole — inexpensive options for the middle levels.
• Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole — drops from fishing in Outland, +20 to skill.
• Arcanite Fishing Pole — +25 to skill, but requires Enchanting and rare materials.

A lure is applied to your pole and lasts 10 minutes. This is no small thing: without it you'll miss bites and waste time for nothing, especially in pools above your level.

Now for the leveling itself:

Levels 1-75

Fish in any starting zone: Durotar, Eversong Woods, Dun Morogh, Elwynn Forest, Azuremyst Isle. Any water will do; depth and pool type don't matter on this stretch.

Apply Shiny Bauble and keep it on — with it, fish bite noticeably more often.

Levels 75-150

Return to the trainer for the next tier. After that, fish in city ponds and canals or in zones like the Barrens, Darkshore, and Silverpine Forest.

At 125 skill you'll need Expert Fishing - The Bass and You: it's sold by Old Man Heming in Booty Bay. Buy it in advance so you don't interrupt your leveling.

Levels 150-225

Switch to Bright Baubles and head to the Dustwallow Marsh. The zone is convenient because the quest chain for the next tier begins right here.

Levels 225-300

At 225 skill and character level 35, take the quest from Nat Pagle. For it you need to catch four rare fish — in Feralas, Stranglethorn Vale, Tanaris, and Dustwallow Marsh. The reward is the artisan tier.

After that, fish wherever is convenient: Felwood, the Hinterlands, Un'Goro Crater, and Tanaris all go equally smoothly.

This is the longest stretch of the whole profession. The advice is simple: fish in one pool and don't run between zones — it doesn't affect your speed, but it eats up a lot of time.

Levels 300-350

Buy Master Fishing - The Art of Angling from Juno Dufrain and learn the master rank from Zurjaya.

Fish in the lakes of Zangarmarsh. This is also where fish for raid food start to appear, so your catch doesn't go to waste.

Levels 350-375

Move to Terokkar Forest. The fish there is more valuable and more useful, and the last skill levels go smoothly.

Keep the Aquadynamic Fish Attractor on your pole: with it, the share of empty bites in Outland pools is noticeably lower.

The main payoff from the profession begins right here. Schools of fish in Outland provide materials for the best raid food, and some pools are only found in certain zones and are worth a dedicated route.

If you have cooking leveled, the whole chain closes: catch it, cook it, feed your raid for the evening. This is the cheapest way to cover consumables.

And for convenience, it's worth fishing up Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole: it's caught straight from Outland schools and gives +20 to skill, so it pays for itself right away.