Fishing 1-525
Daily Quests
There are two types of fishing in World of Warcraft: open water fishing, and pool fishing. While open water fishing requires a certain fishing skill to prevent fishing up junk, pools of fish let you fish up fish (or some other non-junk item) every time, no matter your skill level. In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how pools work, and go over the locations of the various pools where you can catch specific fish.
Open Water
How Open Water Fishing Works
You can fish in any open water with fishing skill 1. However, if your current fishing skill (base plus items and consumables) is below the no-junk skill level of the zone, you have a chance to catch junk. The larger the gap between your fishing skill and the no-junk level, the more junk you will catch. While the junk can be sold, it is not valuable, and it’s rarely worth fishing in areas where there is a large gap between your fishing skill and the no-junk skill level.
Open Water Locations
Below, we’ve listed the areas you can catch 100% fish, no junk, in open water, when your fishing skill level is equal to or greater than the fishing level indicated. Note that as 525 is the maximum base fishing skill, you may need to use gear and consumables to guarantee no junk in some areas.
No-Junk Skill | Zones and Areas |
|---|---|
1 | Blackrock Mountain, Burning Steppes, Mount Hyjal (Throne of Flame), Twilight Highlands (Cannon’s Inferno) and Un’Goro Crater (Fire Plume Ridge) |
25 | Azuremyst Isle, Blasted Lands (Tainted Forest), Dun Morogh, Durotar, Elwynn Forest, Eversong Woods, Gilneas (Worgen), The Lost Isles, Mulgore, Teldrassil and Tirisfal Glades |
75 | Azshara (General), Blackfathom Deeps, Bloodmyst Isle, Darkmoon Island, Darkshore, Darnassus, The Deadmines, Ghostlands, Gilneas (Ruins), Ironforge, Loch Modan, Northern Barrens (except Oasis), Orgrimmar, Redridge Mountains (General), Silverpine Forest, Stormwind City, Thunder Bluff, Undercity, The Wailing Caverns and Westfall |
100 | Northern Barrens (Oasis) |
150 | Arathi Highlands (General), Ashenvale, Duskwood, Hillsbrad Foothills, Northern Stranglethorn (General), Redridge Mountains (Lake Everstill), Stonetalon Mountains and Wetlands |
225 | Arathi Highlands (Forbidding Sea), The Cape of Stranglethorn, Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), The Forbidding Sea, The Great Sea, The Hinterlands, Scarlet Monastery, Southern Barrens and Western Plaguelands |
300 | Azshara (Ruins of Arkkoran), Badlands, Eastern Plaguelands, Felwood, Feralas (Verdantis River), Maraudon, Moonglade, Northern Stranglethorn (South Seas), Tanaris, The Temple of Atal’Hakkar and Thousand Needles |
375 | Hellfire Peninsula, Nagrand (Forge Camp Hate), Shadowmoon Valley and Un’Goro Crater (General) |
400 | Coilfang Reservoir and Zangarmarsh (East) |
425 | Blasted Lands (Coastal), Deadwind Pass, Dire Maul, Feralas (Jademir Lake), Scholomance, Searing Gorge, Silithus, Stratholme, Swamp of Sorrows and Winterspring |
450 | Isle of Quel’Danas, Terokkar Forest (Rivers) and Zangarmarsh (West) |
475 | Borean Tundra, Dragonblight, Grizzly Hills, Howling Fjord, Nagrand (General), Netherstorm and Zul’Drak |
490 | Nagrand (Lakes) |
500 | Crystalsong Forest and Terokkar Forest (Lakes) |
525 | Dalaran, Sholazar Basin and Wintergrasp |
550 | Deepholm, Hrothgar’s Landing, Icecrown, Storm Peaks and Ulduar |
575 | The Frozen Sea, Mount Hyjal (General) and Vashj’ir |
650 | The Ruby Sanctum, Twilight Highlands (General) and Uldum |
675 | Tol Barad |
Pools
In addition to fishing from open water fishing, you can fish from pools at any fishing skill level. Below you’ll find lists of all the pools, the common catch in thsoe pools, and where you can find them.
How Pools Work
You can fish a pool with fishing skill 1, regardless of the zone it’s in. However, after 3-5 catches, a pool will be fished out, and disappear — it’ll respawn in a nearby spawn location. Depending on the pool type, it may respawn after a delay, or right away.
Cataclysm Pools
90% of the catches from these pools will be the Common Catch, 10% of your catches will instead be x1-x3 Volatile Water. The exception is the Pool of Fire, in which you will only catch the Volatile Fire.
Pool (School) | Common Catch | Zones and Areas |
|---|---|---|
Albino Cavefish School | Inland: Deepholm | |
Blackbelly Mudfish School | Inland: Uldum | |
Deepsea Sagefish School | Coastal: Twilight Highlands (General) | |
Fathom Eel Swarm | Coastal: Tol Barad, Uldum | |
Highland Guppy School | Inland: Twilight Highlands (General) | |
Mountain Trout School | Inland: Mount Hyjal (General) | |
Pool of Fire | Inland: Mount Hyjal (Throne of Flame), Twilight Highlands (Cannon’s Inferno) | |
Shipwreck Debris | Coastal: Tol Barad |
Northrend Pools
90% of the catches from these pools will be one of the Common Catches, 10% of your catches will instead be Crystallized Water or Reinforced Crate. There is also a 2/3 chance to get a bonus Pygmy Suckerfish, except in the Glassfin Minnow Schools.
Pool (School) | Common Catch | Zones and Areas |
|---|---|---|
Borean Man O’ War School | Coastal: Borean Tundra | |
Deep Sea Monsterbelly School | Coastal: The Frozen Sea | |
Dragonfin Angelfish School | Inland: Dragonblight | |
Fangtooth Herring School | Inland and Brackish: Howling Fjord | |
Glacial Salmon School | Inland: Grizzly Hills | |
Glassfin Minnow School | Inland: Crystalsong Forest | |
Imperial Manta Ray School | Coastal: Borean Tundra, Dragonblight, Grizzly Hills, Howling Fjord | |
Moonglow Cuttlefish School | Coastal: The Frozen Sea | |
Musselback Sculpin School | Inland: Borean Tundra | |
Nettlefish School | Inland: Sholazar Basin |
Outland Pools
You’re a lot more likely to find things besides the common catch in Outland pools, though it’s still the most likely thing to fish up. There’s a 5% chance to fish up a Curious Crate or a Mote of Water in all the Outland pools besides Pure Water (where it’s mostly Mote of Water),
Pool (School) | Common Catch | Zones and Areas |
|---|---|---|
Bluefish School | Inland: Nagrand (except Forge Camp Hate) | |
Brackish Mixed School | Inland: Terokkar Forest (Rivers), Zangarmarsh | |
Highland Mixed School | Inland: Terokkar Forest (Lakes) (lakes Blackwind, Ere’Noru and Jorune) | |
Mudfish School | Inland: Nagrand (except Forge Camp Hate) | |
Pure Water | Inland: Nagrand (except Forge Camp Hate) | |
School of Darter | Inland: Terokkar Forest (Rivers) | |
Sporefish School | Inland: Zangarmarsh | |
Steam Pump Flotsam | Inland: Zangarmarsh |
Classic Azeroth Pools
Finally, here are the pools in the original Azeroth.
Pool (School) | Common Catch | Zones and Areas |
|---|---|---|
Bloodsail Wreckage Pool | Coastal: The Cape of Stranglethorn (General) | |
Firefin Snapper School | Coastal: Arathi Highlands (General) (Faldir’s Cove), Ashenvale, Azshara (General), Blasted Lands (Coastal), The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), Hillsbrad Foothills, The Hinterlands, Northern Barrens (General), Northern Stranglethorn (General), Silverpine Forest, Southern Barrens, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles, Westfall, Wetlands, Coastal and Inland: Darkshore (General) | |
Floating Debris Pool | Coastal: Azshara (General), Northern Barrens (General), Coastal and Inland: Darkshore (General), Silverpine Forest, WestfallInland: Duskwood, Redridge Mountains | |
Floating Wreckage Pool | Coastal: Blasted Lands (Coastal), Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles, Inland: Eastern Plaguelands | |
Greater Sagefish School | Inland: Arathi Highlands (General), Blasted Lands (Tainted Forest), The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Eastern Plaguelands, Feralas, The Hinterlands, Moonglade, Northern Stranglethorn (General), Stonetalon Mountains, Un’Goro Crater (General), Western Plaguelands | |
Oily Blackmouth School | Coastal: Arathi Highlands (General) (Faldir’s Cove), Ashenvale, Azshara (General), Blasted Lands (Coastal), The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), Hillsbrad Foothills, The Hinterlands, Northern Barrens (General), Northern Stranglethorn (General), Silverpine Forest, Southern Barrens, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles, Westfall, Wetlands, Coastal and Inland: Darkshore (General) | |
Sagefish School | Inland: Ashenvale, Azshara (General), Darkshore (Freshwater), Duskwood, Hillsbrad Foothills, Loch Modan, Northern Barrens (except Oasis), Redridge Mountains, Silverpine Forest (Lordamere Lake), Westfall, Wetlands | |
School of Deviate Fish | Inland: Northern Barrens (Oasis) | |
School of Tastyfish | Coastal: The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Northern Stranglethorn (General) | |
Schooner Wreckage Pool | Coastal: Arathi Highlands (General) (Faldir’s Cove), Northern Stranglethorn (General), Coastal and Inland: Ashenvale, Hillsbrad Foothills, Wetlands, Inland: Stonetalon Mountains | |
Stonescale Eel Swarm | Coastal: Blasted Lands (Coastal), Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles | |
Waterlogged Wreckage Pool | Coastal: Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), Inland: Western Plaguelands |
Much of the data for this page was sourced from the exhaustive El’s Extreme Anglin’ site
