You can’t fish in World of Warcraft: Forever until three things are true: you have trained Fishing, you have a fishing pole equipped, and you click the Fishing ability itself while facing open water. The last one is what stumped us on our first try, because the Fishing tab in the Professions window only opens a recipe list, and the ability you actually cast sits in a box at the bottom of that window.
Below is each cause in the order to check it, what the game’s messages mean, and what to do when you can cast but never land a fish. We trained Fishing and caught our first fish on a Night Elf Hunter in Darnassus on November 7, so the steps come from that trip. The screenshots in this guide are from our own PC recording of the game. Fishing was not on Blizzard’s known issues list or in its latest hotfix notes when we checked on November 8, so start with the setup below rather than waiting for a fix.
What Is Stopping You
Match what you see to the row, then jump to that section.
| What you see | What it means | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| No Fishing ability anywhere | You have not trained it | Visit a fishing trainer |
| “There are no results with your current filters.” | You opened the Fishing tab, which lists recipes | Drag the Fishing icon from the main Professions page |
| Fishing’s tooltip shows “Requires Fishing Pole” | No pole is equipped | Right-click a pole in your bags |
| The cast will not start at the water | Wrong facing or wrong distance | Face open water from the edge of a dock or shore |
| “No fish are hooked” | You clicked before the bobber splashed | Wait for the splash |
| “Your fish got away!” | You clicked too late, or your skill is low for this water | Click sooner, use a lure or fish a lower-level area |
You Have Not Trained Fishing
Fishing is a profession you learn from a trainer, and until you do there is nothing to cast. Blizzard’s new player’s starter guide says profession trainers are in starting areas and major cities, and a city guard will point you to one.
Two we can name: Astaia stands on a dock in the Tradesmen’s Terrace in Darnassus and charged us 1 silver for Apprentice Fishing, and Kah Mistrunner is the Fishing Trainer in Thunder Bluff, at about 56, 47 on the map. It is a secondary profession, so it does not use one of your two main profession slots. Our full fishing guide covers ranks and skill, and Night Elves can follow our fastest route to learning Fishing.
You Opened the Fishing Tab Instead of the Fishing Ability
This is the trap. The Fishing tab on the right edge of the Professions window opens a recipe panel, and on our new character it read “Fishing 1/75” and “There are no results with your current filters.” That is not an error. It only means you know no fishing recipes, and nothing on that panel will cast a line.
The ability is one screen back:
- Press K to open the Professions window and stay on its main page.
- Find the Fishing box at the bottom. It holds two icons, Fishing and Bait and Tackle.
- Drag the Fishing icon onto an empty action bar slot.
- If the icon will not drag, type
/cast Fishingin the chat box, or put that line in a macro and drag the macro to your bar.
Your Fishing Pole Is Not Equipped
Fishing’s tooltip says “Requires Fishing Pole,” and having one in your bags is not enough. Right-click it to equip it. It is a Two-Hand item, so it takes your weapon’s place, and that is also why Fishing can stop working after you swap back to your weapon for a fight. Put the pole back on and it works again.
The basic pole cost us 23 copper from Voloren, the Fishing Supplier on the dock beside Astaia, and Narret Shadowgrove charges the same in Dolanaar. Our fishing pole guide lists a vendor for each starting area.
You Are in the Wrong Spot
The Fishing tooltip gives a range of 10 to 20 yards, so your bobber lands well away from your feet and you need open water that far in front of you. Stand at the end of a dock or the edge of a shore, turn your character to face straight out, and try again. If you are right beside a thin stream, a wider stretch of water gives the cast more room.
The ability is channeled for up to 30 seconds, and a cast bar labeled Fishing runs while the bobber floats. If nothing bites before the bar ends, cast again.
You Can Cast, but Nothing Comes Up
Wait until the bobber splashes and dips, then right-click the bobber with your mouse. If an Interact key binding is not picking it up, use the mouse instead. On a controller, Blizzard’s development notes say your own bobber is “always targetable.”
The two messages tell you what went wrong. “No fish are hooked” means you clicked too early. “Your fish got away!” means you clicked too late, or that your skill is low for the water you are in. Forever’s own skill description gives the advice: “If you are having trouble catching fish in a given area, move to a lower level area or purchase a fishing lure and try again.”
A new angler starts at Fishing 1, so head for water in a starting zone. A Shiny Bauble helps right away: Voloren sold us one for 50 copper, its tooltip reads “When applied to your fishing pole, increases Fishing by 25 for 10 min,” and once it was on, our Professions window showed Fishing 1 (+25).
Every Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I fish in WoW Forever? Check three things in order: you trained Fishing at a trainer, you equipped a fishing pole, and you are clicking the Fishing ability from the main Professions page, not the Fishing tab, while facing open water.
Why does the Fishing tab say there are no results? That tab is a recipe list, and you know no fishing recipes yet. It is not an error. Press K, stay on the main page and drag the Fishing icon from the box at the bottom to your action bar.
Why can’t I put Fishing on my action bar? Drag it from the Fishing box on the main Professions page, not from the tab. If it still will not drag, type /cast Fishing or make a macro with that line.
What does “No fish are hooked” mean? You clicked the bobber before it splashed. Wait for the splash and right-click it then.
What does “Your fish got away” mean? You clicked too late, or your skill is low for that water. Click sooner, attach a lure such as a Shiny Bauble, or move to a lower-level area.
Do I need a fishing pole to fish? Yes. Fishing’s tooltip says “Requires Fishing Pole,” and the pole has to be equipped, not just in your bags.
How far from the water should I stand? Fishing has a range of 10 to 20 yards. Stand at the edge of a dock or shore and face open water.