You buy a fishing pole in World of Warcraft: Forever from a Trade Supplies or Fishing Supplies vendor, and there is one in or near every starting area and capital, including Zephras Isle for the Skyborne. Learn Fishing from a fishing trainer, buy the basic Fishing Pole for 23 copper, equip it, and you can cast right away.
Better poles add Fishing skill. The Strong Fishing Pole is the vendor upgrade, and a few quest and contest poles go further. Below are the vendors by zone, every upgrade worth chasing, and the lures that stack on top. Vendor and quest details reflect the game as it launched on November 4, checked November 6. Our fishing guide covers casting, skill ranks and the new camp features.
Where to Buy Your First Fishing Pole
The plain Fishing Pole is sold by Trade Supplies and Fishing Supplies vendors across the starting zones, so you can buy one the moment you learn Fishing. These are the closest sellers for each starting area:
| Starting area | Where to look | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Elwynn Forest (Human) | Goldshire | Tharynn Bouden, Trade Supplies |
| Dun Morogh (Dwarf, Gnome) | Ask a guard in Kharanos | The zone’s fishing supplies vendor |
| Teldrassil (Night Elf) | Dolanaar | Narret Shadowgrove, Trade Supplies |
| Durotar (Orc, Troll) | Sen’jin Village | Zansoa, Fishing Supplies |
| Mulgore (Tauren) | Bloodhoof Village | Harn Longcast, Fishing Supplies |
| Tirisfal Glades (Undead) | Brill | The trade supplies vendor |
| Zephras Isle (Skyborne) | The island’s villages | The trade supplies vendors |
We bought ours in Darnassus from Voloren, the Fishing Supplier on the Tradesmen’s Terrace dock beside Astaia, the fishing trainer, for 23 copper, and Narret Shadowgrove in Dolanaar charges the same. Voloren also stocks the Strong Fishing Pole (9 silver 1 copper), Shiny Bauble (50 copper), Nightcrawlers (1 silver), and Bright Baubles and the Aquadynamic Fish Attractor (2 silver 50 copper each).
The capitals have Trade Supplies vendors too. On Zephras Isle, Blizzard’s November 5 hotfixes mention the island’s trade supply vendors directly: one fix added the apprentice tradeskill bags they were meant to sell. If you cannot find a vendor, ask a city guard, the same tip Blizzard’s new player’s starter guide gives for trainers.
You must equip the pole before Fishing will cast. It takes your weapon’s place, so swap back to your weapon before you head into a fight.
The Strong Fishing Pole: The Vendor Upgrade
The Strong Fishing Pole adds Fishing skill while equipped and is the easiest upgrade in the game, since you simply buy it. At launch it needs character level 5 and Fishing 10, and Fishing Supplies vendors sell it in Stormwind, Darnassus, Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff and the Undercity, as well as in Redridge Mountains. Buy it as soon as your skill allows.
Quest and Contest Fishing Poles
The best poles come from quests and contests, as they did in the original game. Each one needs some Fishing skill to equip:
- Blump Family Fishing Pole (Alliance). Gubber Blump in Auberdine, Darkshore, gives it for the quest “The Family and the Fishing Pole.” It needs only Fishing 1, so an Alliance angler can have a skill-boosting pole from the start of the questing in Darkshore.
- Big Iron Fishing Pole. It comes from Shellfish Traps underwater off the coast of Shadowprey Village in Desolace. It needs level 25 and Fishing 100, and because it can be traded, it also turns up on the Auction House.
- Nat Pagle’s Extreme Angler FC-5000 (Horde). Katoom the Angler in Revantusk Village, The Hinterlands, gives it for the quest “Snapjaws, Mon!” At launch it adds 25 Fishing skill and needs Fishing 100.
- Arcanite Fishing Pole. The grand prize of the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza, the fishing contest held in Stranglethorn Vale. At launch it adds 35 Fishing skill and needs Fishing 300, which makes it the best pole in the game.
The contest’s rare-fish turn-ins also hand out a fishing line, High Test Eternium Fishing Line, which permanently adds 5 skill to a pole once you reach Fishing 150. You do not need to win the contest to earn it.
Lures: The Bonus That Stacks on Any Pole
A lure attaches to your equipped pole for a temporary skill boost, and it works with any pole, even the basic one:
- Shiny Bauble adds 25 Fishing skill for 10 minutes and is sold by Fishing Supplies vendors for 50 copper, and Narret Shadowgrove’s Trade Supplies stall in Dolanaar has it too. It is the first lure you can use.
- Nightcrawlers and Bright Baubles come later, with bigger bonuses and a Fishing skill requirement to apply.
Forever also adds a Legacy perk for anglers: Blizzard’s Legacy system overview lists Luremaster, which “grants a chance to fish up extra fish.” Our Legacy Points guide explains how to earn perks like it.
Which Fishing Pole Should You Use?
- Right after learning Fishing: the basic Fishing Pole from your starting zone’s vendor, plus a Shiny Bauble.
- From level 5 and Fishing 10: the Strong Fishing Pole from a Fishing Supplies vendor in a capital. Alliance players in Darkshore can grab the Blump Family pole as well.
- From Fishing 100: Nat Pagle’s Extreme Angler FC-5000 on the Horde side, or a Big Iron Fishing Pole for either faction.
- At Fishing 300: the Arcanite Fishing Pole, if you can win it.
Fishing is a secondary profession, so it never costs one of your two main profession slots. Our professions guide covers the full list, and every Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you buy a fishing pole in WoW Forever? From a Trade Supplies or Fishing Supplies vendor. Every starting area has one nearby, including Goldshire in Elwynn Forest, Sen’jin Village in Durotar and Zephras Isle for the Skyborne.
Do you need to equip a fishing pole? Yes. Fishing will not cast unless a fishing pole is equipped.
What is the best fishing pole in WoW Forever? The Arcanite Fishing Pole, the grand prize of the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza, which adds 35 Fishing skill at launch.
Is there a better fishing pole I can just buy? Yes. The Strong Fishing Pole, sold by Fishing Supplies vendors in most capitals, adds Fishing skill and only needs level 5 and Fishing 10.
Can Horde players get the Blump Family Fishing Pole? Its quest giver is in Auberdine, an Alliance town in Darkshore. The Horde’s early quest pole is Nat Pagle’s Extreme Angler FC-5000 from Revantusk Village, which needs more skill.
Do lures work with any fishing pole? Yes. A lure attaches to whatever pole you have equipped.