WoW Forever fishing guide: 1-300
Checked on the Forever beta, October 2026.
Fishing is a secondary profession, so every character can learn it on top of their two primaries. It feeds Cooking and the Auction House, and in Forever it has its own camp items. This page covers the ranks and where to train them, where to fish, the camp items and the Stranglethorn derby. Playing on a controller? See Controller Support.
Fishing ranks
Fishing has ranks like every profession. Your skill stops at the cap until you learn the next rank, so plan the trips ahead.
| Rank | Skill cap | How to train |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 75 | Any Fishing trainer, 1 silver |
| Journeyman | 150 | Any Fishing trainer, 5 silver, at skill 50. Needs character level 10 |
| Expert | 225 | Expert Fishing book from Old Man Heming in Booty Bay, 1 gold, at skill 125. Needs character level 20 |
| Artisan | 300 | Nat Pagle's quest in Dustwallow Marsh at skill 225. Needs character level 35 |
Every Fishing trainer teaches both early ranks and the Fish Bowl camp item. Myizz Luckycatch in Booty Bay trains both factions.
Check your pole before a long session. A pole at 0 durability still looks equipped, but the game refuses to cast with "Must have a Fishing Pole equipped". Repair it at any vendor with a Repair option.
Where to fish by skill
Fishing doesn't use recipe colors. Every catch can give a point, and the chance drops as your skill climbs. Our skill log shows it: one catch per point from 2 to 65, and five to seven catches per point from 200 to 225.
Each zone's water also has a skill level. Below it, more fish get away. A lure or a better pole adds to your skill for catching, so with a lure on you can move to harder water sooner.
Rows marked "Yes" come from ForeverArtisan's catch log on our Forever beta characters. The other zone steps follow Classic's fishing levels and get checked as we fish them.
| Skill | Where to fish | What you catch | Checked in game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-75 | Your starting zone: lakes and rivers inland, or the coast | Raw Brilliant Smallfish inland, Raw Slitherskin Mackerel on the coast | Yes (skill-ups, one catch per point) |
| 50 | Train Journeyman Fishing | Any Fishing trainer, 5 silver. Needs level 10 | Yes |
| 75-150 | The level 10 to 25 zones: The Barrens, Silverpine Forest, Westfall, Darkshore, Loch Modan. Capital cities work too | Raw Longjaw Mud Snapper inland, Raw Rainbow Fin Albacore on the coast, Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish as you climb | Classic value, not checked yet |
| 125 | Learn Expert Fishing | Expert Fishing - The Bass and You, 1 gold from Old Man Heming in Booty Bay. Needs level 20 | Yes |
| 150-225 | Mid-level water: Hillsbrad Foothills, Ashenvale, Wetlands, Thousand Needles, Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Stranglethorn Vale | Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish and Raw Mithril Head Trout inland, Raw Rockscale Cod on the coast | Yes for Desolace (Shadowprey Village) from 194 |
| 225 | Learn Artisan Fishing | Nat Pagle's quest in Dustwallow Marsh. Needs level 35 | |
| 225 | Stranglethorn Vale coast: Booty Bay, Yojamba Isle, the Savage Coast | Raw Rockscale Cod, Firefin Snapper, Oily Blackmouth, Stonescale Eel, Stranglekelp, and now and then a Sturdy Locked Chest | Yes |
| 225-300 | High-level coast: Tanaris, Feralas, Azshara, The Hinterlands, Un'Goro Crater | Raw Spotted Yellowtail, Raw Glossy Mightfish, Firefin Snapper, and Raw Summer Bass or Raw Winter Squid depending on the season | Classic value, not checked yet |
If fish keep getting away, put a lure on or move back to easier water for a while. ForeverArtisan's catch log shows how often fish get away at each spot, so you can tell when a zone is ready for you.
Where to fish at 225
Our catch log from Stranglethorn Vale at skill 225 (Booty Bay and Yojamba Isle): Raw Rockscale Cod, Firefin Snapper, Oily Blackmouth, Stonescale Eel and Stranglekelp, plus the occasional Sturdy Locked Chest. On derby days, the same water gives Speckled Tastyfish and Dezian Queenfish.
Any coast where your catches come up steady is a good spot. If fish keep getting away, move somewhere easier and come back with more skill.
Fishing camp items
Forever's Camping gives Fishing three camp items: the Fish Bowl at 20 (+stats), the Fishing Rack at 140 and the Fishing Hut at 300. Fishing is a secondary profession, so every character can bring its camp item to the fire on top of their two primaries. See the professions guide for how Camping works.
The Stranglethorn derby
The Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza runs in Forever, with Speckled Tastyfish to turn in and Dezian Queenfish as the big catch. ForeverArtisan's Fishing window counts down to the next one.
Let the addon track it
ForeverArtisan's Fishing window logs every spot you fish, with what bit and how often, so you can see where your catches come up steady. It tells you which character level the next rank needs before you make the trip, warns you when your pole is close to breaking, and counts down to the next Stranglethorn derby. One button casts, puts your best lure on and reels in, on a keyboard or a controller.
Controller Support
Forever plays well on a controller until you go fishing. Casting is easy. Reeling in is the problem: the game has to target your bobber, and on a controller it can't always reach it. Here's why, and how to catch every fish anyway.
Why controller fishing breaks
On a mouse, you click the bobber when it splashes. A controller has no cursor, so the game uses soft targeting: it picks the nearest thing you can interact with, and your interact button uses it.
That works when the bobber lands close. Fishing casts land at random distances, and some land past the game's controller interact range. When that happens, the game never targets the bobber, the button does nothing, and the fish gets away. It's a known issue in the game's controller mode, and players have reported it to Blizzard.
In our testing, about 7 casts in 10 land in reach. The other 3 need a plan.
How to catch every fish on a controller
With the game's Gamepad UI turned on:
- When the bobber is in reach, the game shows an "X Fishing Bobber" prompt. Press your interact button on the splash.
- When it lands too far, there's no prompt. Turn the camera until the white dot in the middle of your screen sits on the bobber, and the prompt appears.
With the Gamepad UI off:
- There's no white dot, so a far cast can't be reached. Cast again right away instead of waiting for the splash.
Either way, watch for the prompt before the splash. No prompt means out of reach. Recasting early costs you a few seconds. Waiting costs you the fish.
What the addon does on a controller
ForeverArtisan puts fishing on one button, on a controller or keyboard:
- Cast, lure and reel in: the same button casts, puts your best lure on the pole when it runs out, and reels in on the splash.
- Far casts: when your bobber lands out of reach, a yellow note says so right away and tells you what to press. With the Gamepad UI on, aim the white dot and press the button. With it off, the same button casts again.
- Weapon swap: swaps your pole for your weapons when a fight starts.
With the note plus the white dot or a recast, we stopped losing fish to far casts. Set your buttons in the ForeverArtisan Fishing window or under Key Bindings, AddOns.
Questions
What's the fishing skill cap?
75, 150, 225 and 300, one per rank. Learn the next rank when you hit the cap: Old Man Heming in Booty Bay for Expert, Nat Pagle in Dustwallow Marsh for Artisan.
What character level do Expert and Artisan Fishing need?
Level 20 for the Expert book and level 35 for Nat Pagle's Artisan quest.
Can you fish on a controller in WoW Forever?
Yes. Casting works on any button. Reeling in depends on the game targeting your bobber, and about 3 casts in 10 land out of the controller's reach. Use the white dot with the Gamepad UI on, or recast with it off.
Why won't my controller reel in the bobber?
The bobber landed past the game's controller interact range, so it was never targeted. It's a known issue in the game's controller mode. Aim the white dot at it or cast again.
Does fishing work with or without the Gamepad UI?
Both. With it on you get the "X Fishing Bobber" prompt and the white dot for far casts. With it off, recast when a cast lands too far.
Enjoy the journey!