This guide will show you how to fish in WoW Forever, from learning Fishing to catching your first fish. If you are new to the game, just follow the steps one by one. If you played Classic, a few things work differently in Forever, so check steps 2 and 3 even if you fished before.
Below the steps you will find the closest Fishing trainer for every starting zone, where to buy a Fishing Pole, which water to fish in at the start and when you need a lure.
Follow these steps to catch your first fish:
- Learn Fishing from a Fishing trainer. Every starting zone and capital city has one (see Fishing Trainer Locations below).
- Open the Professions window with the hammer and pick button, the 2nd button in the menu at the bottom of your screen. In WoW Forever Fishing is not in your spellbook.
- Drag the
Fishing spell from the Fishing box to your action bar.
- Bind the Fishing spell to a key that is easy to reach. I use Mouse 5, so I can fish with one hand.
- Buy a
Fishing Pole and a few 
Shiny Baubles from a Fishing Supply or Trade Supply vendor (see Where to Buy a Fishing Pole below). - Equip your Fishing Pole and apply the Shiny Bauble lure (see Lures below).
- Go to any starting zone and look for a lake, pond or river (see Fishing Skill below).
Remember, starting zones do not include capital cities! Capital cities need a bit more Fishing skill, so you will get fewer catches there until your skill is higher.
- Stand in front of the water and press the Fishing button on your action bar to throw in your bobber.
- Mouse over the bobber in the water, and when it splashes, right-click on it.
Fishing Trainer Locations
Apprentice Fishing has no level requirement in Forever, so you can learn it on a fresh character.
Capital Cities
Every capital city has a trainer. You can also ask a guard, then it will be marked with a red flag on your map.
Horde trainers:
- Orgrimmar:
Lumak - Undercity: Armand Cromwell
- Thunder Bluff: Kah Mistrunner
Alliance trainers:
- Stormwind City:
Arnold Leland - Ironforge: Grimnur Stonebrand
- Darnassus: Astaia
Starting Zones
Every starting zone has a Fishing trainer, and they all stand next to water, so you can start fishing right away.
| Race | Zone | Closest trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Orc, Troll | Durotar | Lau'Tiki on the coast at Sen'jin Village |
| Tauren | Mulgore | Uthan Stillwater at Stonebull Lake, next to Bloodhoof Village |
| Undead | Tirisfal Glades | Clyde Kellen at Brightwater Lake, east of Brill |
| Human | Elwynn Forest | Lee Brown at Crystal Lake, east of Goldshire |
| Dwarf, Gnome | Dun Morogh | Paxton Ganter at Iceflow Lake, on the way to Gnomeregan |
| Night Elf | Teldrassil | Androl Oakhand in Rut'theran Village, on the shore next to the dock |
| Skyborne | Zephras Isle | Baelann Swiftcurrent in Valanaar, Fenn Fairweather in Shen'dar Village |
Other Zones
Horde trainers:
- Ashenvale: Kil'Hiwana in Zoram'gar Outpost
- Desolace: Lui'Mala in Shadowprey Village
- The Hinterlands: Katoom the Angler in Revantusk Village
Alliance trainers:
- Loch Modan: Warg Deepwater at the Loch
- Wetlands: Harold Riggs in Menethil Harbor
- Redridge Mountains: Matthew Hooper at Lake Everstill
- Hillsbrad Foothills: Donald Rabonne in Southshore
- Feralas: Brannock in Feathermoon Stronghold
Where to Buy a Fishing Pole
A Fishing Pole only costs a few copper. Every Fishing Supply vendor sells it, and so do many Trade Supply vendors. Every vendor below also sells Shiny Bauble, open your faction:
Horde vendors
| Zone | Vendor |
|---|---|
| Durotar | Zansoa in Sen'jin Village |
| Mulgore | Wunna Darkmane in Bloodhoof Village |
| Tirisfal Glades | Martine Tramblay at the Death's Watch Waystation, south-east of Brill |
| Zephras Isle | Baelann Swiftcurrent in Valanaar, Belandiel Farflight in Shen'dar Village |
| Orgrimmar | Shankys, next to the Fishing trainer |
| Undercity | Lizbeth Cromwell, next to the Fishing trainer |
| Thunder Bluff | Sewa Mistrunner, next to the Fishing trainer |
| Ashenvale | Wik'Tar in Zoram'gar Outpost |
| The Hinterlands | Katoom the Angler, the Fishing trainer in Revantusk Village |
Alliance vendors
| Zone | Vendor |
|---|---|
| Elwynn Forest | Tharynn Bouden in Goldshire |
| Dun Morogh | Gretta Ganter at Iceflow Lake |
| Teldrassil | Nessa Shadowsong in Rut'theran Village |
| Zephras Isle | Baelann Swiftcurrent in Valanaar, Belandiel Farflight in Shen'dar Village |
| Stormwind City | Catherine Leland, next to the Fishing trainer |
| Ironforge | Tansy Puddlefizz, next to the Fishing trainer |
| Darnassus | Voloren, next to the Fishing trainer |
| Loch Modan | Khara Deepwater at the Loch |
| Wetlands | Stuart Fleming in Menethil Harbor |
| Redridge Mountains | Vernon Hale at Lake Everstill |
| Hillsbrad Foothills | Lindea Rabonne in Southshore |
Fishing Skill
Every zone needs a certain Fishing skill. If your skill is too low for the zone, some fish get away and you see "Your fish got away!". The lower your skill, the more fish get away. Once your skill is high enough for the zone, no fish gets away at all, and you don't need a lure there.
This is why I recommend the starting zones until 75. No fish gets away there from Fishing 25, and with a Shiny Bauble none get away even at skill 1. In the capital cities most fish get away at the start, and from 75 none do.
Higher level zones need more skill. For example in Redridge Mountains you can't catch anything below Fishing 55, and fish get away there until 150. My Fishing leveling guide always sends you to a zone where no fish gets away, and says when you need a lure for it.
Lures
A lure increases your Fishing skill for 10 minutes. Equip your Fishing Pole, then use the lure to put it on the pole.
You only need a lure when fish get away. In the starting zones a Shiny Bauble stops it right away, and from Fishing 25 you don't need it there. Later you need a lure when you fish in a zone that needs more skill than you have, for example 
Bright Baubles in Dustwallow Marsh from 150.
The Fishing Supply vendors also sell 
Nightcrawlers and Bright Baubles, and some of them sell 
Aquadynamic Fish Attractor too.
| Lure | Fishing | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Shiny Bauble | +25 | - |
| Nightcrawlers | +50 | Fishing 50 |
| Bright Baubles | +75 | Fishing 100 |
| Aquadynamic Fish Attractor | +100 for 5 min | Fishing 100 |
Leveling Fishing
Once you can fish, my Fishing leveling guide shows where to fish for every skill range from 1 to 300 and how to learn Expert and Artisan Fishing.