Your First Catch - El's Extreme Anglin'

This page contains an illustrated step by step guide to catching your first fish. How to get basic training, buy your first fishing pole, cast, and reel in your first fish! On this page:
The examples used in this section show a gnome near Iceflow Lake in Dun Morogh. The same techniques can be applied for any race or zone.

Watch: Your First Catch

This 2 minute movie illustrates the 7-step guide written below.

Read: Your First Catch

To start fishing you must have:

Reached at least level 5.
At least 1 Silver 23 Copper spare cash.

Now simply follow the seven steps below:

1. Buy Fishing Pole

Buy a basic Fishing Pole from Fishing Suppliers or Trade Suppliers. You will normally find a fishing supplier by water, close to a fishing trainer. A basic pole will cost you 23 Copper (assuming no reputation or rank related reductions). More advanced poles may be available. These are introduced later in the Equipment & Pools section. You only need a basic Fishing Pole to get started.

Tip: Draenai can gain a Fishing Pole by completing the quest "Red Snapper - Very Tasty!" from Diktynna, in Azuremyst Isle. To confuse you, the quest introduces a method of fishing pools (the net) that you'll never use again.
2. Find Fishing Trainer

Every capital city (such as Stormwind) has a Fishing Trainer, and there are some in other zones to. These people are normally found near water, where you might expect them. If you have trouble finding a trainer in a city, ask a guard for directions. Learn from any fishing trainer.

Learn the Apprentice Fishing skill from the trainer. This will cost 1 silver (assuming no reputation or rank related reductions).

Tip: As Alliance at level 10 or above, you can ask Gubber Blump in Darkshore: Take the quest The Family and the Fishing Pole, and then talk to Gubber again and he will teach you to fish for free (thanks Wyllow).
3. Find Open Water

Travel to almost any lake, river, sea or large open area of water.

Stand (or sit) next to a patch of water, with a clear view of the water in front of you. Your feet must be on dry land - you cannot be swimming.

Tips: It helps if you are safely away from enemies, so you are not engaged in combat while fishing. It is also helpful to be able to hear splashes in the water, so don't stand next to something noisy like a waterfall.
4. Equip Pole

Equip your new fishing pole in your main hand. ((Open the character screen, and drag the pole from your inventory onto the "main hand" slot.)).
5. Spellbook Icon

Open your Spellbook. Select the "General" page, and find the Fishing icon. (If you don't see the icon, you have not learnt it: return to a trainer.)

This Fishing icon is what you select to cast a line into the water.

Drag the Fishing icon onto the tool/action bar ((the bar of icons at the bottom of the screen)), so you don't have to keep the Spellbook open while you fish.

Tip: ((You can assign a hot-key to the button you placed the Fishing icon on, via Key Bindings on the main menu. This will allow you to re-cast quickly using a hot-key.))
6. Cast

Cast by clicking the Fishing icon. Do not click on the Fishing Pole itself.

If your cast is successful, you will see a bobber appear in the water.

If your cast did not land in fishable water ((and you got a message to say so)), try and find a wider or deeper area of water, or adjust where you are standing to face more water.

Now wait for the bobber to splash...
7. Reel In

As soon as the bobber splashes, reel your fish in: Right-click once on the bobber.

Transfer the fish from the loot box to your inventory: Congratulations - your first fish!

If there was nothing on your hook, you reeled in at the wrong time: Either too late or too early.

Tips: ((Select "auto-loot corpse" from the interface options screen (via the main menu) to automatically transfer catches to your inventory. Alternatively, assign a key (such as SHIFT) for auto-looting (on the same screen).)) You can avoid early "get-aways" by using a Shiny Bauble lure: Lures are covered in the Equipment and Pools section.