To fish in World of Warcraft, learn the Fishing profession from a fishing trainer, open your Professions window, cast Fishing at open water, and click your bobber the moment it splashes. Fishing is a secondary profession, so it never takes one of your two primary profession slots.
The rest of this guide covers where to learn it, the casting and reeling loop, fishing pools, rods and profession gear, how Fishing skill works in the current expansion, and the newer fishing activities Blizzard has added this year. It covers retail World of Warcraft on the Midnight expansion (patch 12.1 as of September 2026), checked against official patch notes, and notes where WoW: Forever differs.
How to learn Fishing
Fishing is taught by fishing trainers, found in the major cities and in many towns. Speak to one and choose to learn Fishing. Like Cooking, it sits alongside your two primary professions (such as Alchemy or Engineering) rather than replacing one.
For Midnight specifically, player guides place the Midnight fishing trainer in Silvermoon City, near the pond at the center of the city. Some players on Blizzard’s forums also report picking up Midnight Fishing automatically, without a trainer, after their companion Valeera fished from a pool during a Delve. If you already see Fishing in your Professions window, you are ready to go.
Skill is tracked per expansion in the modern game. Your Midnight Fishing skill is separate from, say, Dragon Isles Fishing, so catching fish in Quel’Thalas raises the Midnight line.
How to cast and reel in
- Press K to open your Professions window, find Fishing, and drag the Fishing ability onto an action bar.
- Face a body of water and press the Fishing button. Your character casts, and a bobber lands in the water.
- Watch the bobber. When it splashes and bobs, right-click it to reel in. Too slow and the fish gets away.
- Your catch goes into your bags. Cast again and repeat.
Two settings make this far easier. Turn on Auto Loot in the game options so catches go straight to your bags, and consider binding the Interact key so you can reel in without hunting for the bobber with your mouse. If you travel between fishing spots a lot, our guide on how to ride a mount covers the fastest ways to get around, including Skyriding.
Pools, open water and what you catch
You can fish almost any water, but there are two ways to do it:
- Open water: cast anywhere. You get the zone’s common fish plus junk, and at low skill you fail more casts. Players on Blizzard’s forums reported that patch 12.0.5 made higher Fishing skill cut open-water failures much more noticeably.
- Fishing pools: swirling schools of fish visible on the water’s surface. Cast so your bobber lands inside the pool to target the fish it holds.
Midnight also adds special fishing spots. Blizzard’s 12.1 Curse of Ula’tek notes say “killing a rare elite unlocks Venom Fishing in that location” on the new Coiled Isle, alongside a local story that teaches you to fish its cursed waters. Player reports also describe a Midnight Anglin’ score, added in 12.1, that tracks the fish you catch and ties into an achievement.
Rods and profession gear
Since Dragonflight’s profession overhaul, Blizzard gives every profession “one tool slot, and two accessory slots” in the Professions window, and fishing rods go in the tool slot. That means you no longer swap a rod into your weapon slot; equip it once in the Professions window and your weapons stay put.
Player guides say that Midnight’s fishing rods are crafted by Engineers, so you buy one on the Auction House or through a crafting order rather than from a vendor. A better rod raises your fishing stats, and player guides describe Perception as the key Fishing stat, improving your odds of rarer catches. Lures work the same way they always have: apply one before casting for a temporary bonus.
Abyss Anglers and other fishing events
Not all fishing uses a bobber now. The 12.0.5 content update notes added Abyss Anglers, “a new repeatable event” off Zul’Aman’s coast. You speak to Depthdiver Jeju to “suit up and enter the Depths,” then “catch creatures with your harpoon” as a team to earn points, fishing rewards and diving gear upgrades. It is a good option if you want fishing rewards without standing at a shoreline.
Fishing in WoW: Forever
WoW: Forever, the classic-style version launching November 4, 2026, is set in a reimagined version of the original game’s Azeroth, where Fishing historically meant a trainer, a single skill raised by catching fish, and a rod you equip. Blizzard has not yet said whether Forever keeps that model or borrows retail’s profession gear: its launch material so far covers professions broadly (it mentions over 600 new recipes) rather than fishing specifically. Access comes with the same subscription as retail, as our World of Warcraft cost guide explains, and our WoW: Forever Legacy system guide covers what carries between characters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fishing take up a profession slot? No. Fishing is a secondary profession, so you can learn it on top of your two primary professions.
Do you need a fishing rod to fish in WoW? A rod goes in the tool slot of your Professions window and improves your fishing; player guides note Midnight’s rods are made by Engineers.
How do I reel in a fish? Right-click the bobber as soon as it splashes, or press your Interact key if you have one bound.
Why do my casts keep failing? Low Fishing skill fails more often in open water. Fish in pools, and keep catching fish to raise your skill.
Does Fishing skill carry over between expansions? No. Modern WoW tracks Fishing skill per expansion, so Midnight Fishing levels separately from older skill lines.