Fishing Locations & Pools

fishing a pool cataclysm fishing guide featured image j

There are two types of fishing in World of Warcraft: open water fishing, and pool fishing. While open water fishing requires a certain fishing skill to prevent fishing up junk, pools of fish let you fish up fish (or some other non-junk item) every time, no matter your skill level. In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how pools work, and go over the locations of the various pools where you can catch specific fish.

Open Water

How Open Water Fishing Works

You can fish in any open water with fishing skill 1. However, if your current fishing skill (base plus items and consumables) is below the no-junk skill level of the zone, you have a chance to catch junk. The larger the gap between your fishing skill and the no-junk level, the more junk you will catch. While the junk can be sold, it is not valuable, and it’s rarely worth fishing in areas where there is a large gap between your fishing skill and the no-junk skill level.

Open Water Locations

Below, we’ve listed the areas you can catch 100% fish, no junk, in open water, when your fishing skill level is equal to or greater than the fishing level indicated. Note that as 525 is the maximum base fishing skill, you may need to use gear and consumables to guarantee no junk in some areas.

No-Junk Skill
Zones and Areas
1
Blackrock Mountain, Burning Steppes, Mount Hyjal (Throne of Flame), Twilight Highlands (Cannon’s Inferno) and Un’Goro Crater (Fire Plume Ridge)
25
Azuremyst Isle, Blasted Lands (Tainted Forest), Dun Morogh, Durotar, Elwynn Forest, Eversong Woods, Gilneas (Worgen), The Lost Isles, Mulgore, Teldrassil and Tirisfal Glades
75
Azshara (General), Blackfathom Deeps, Bloodmyst Isle, Darkmoon Island, Darkshore, Darnassus, The Deadmines, Ghostlands, Gilneas (Ruins), Ironforge, Loch Modan, Northern Barrens (except Oasis), Orgrimmar, Redridge Mountains (General), Silverpine Forest, Stormwind City, Thunder Bluff, Undercity, The Wailing Caverns and Westfall
100
Northern Barrens (Oasis)
150
Arathi Highlands (General), Ashenvale, Duskwood, Hillsbrad Foothills, Northern Stranglethorn (General), Redridge Mountains (Lake Everstill), Stonetalon Mountains and Wetlands
225
Arathi Highlands (Forbidding Sea), The Cape of Stranglethorn, Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), The Forbidding Sea, The Great Sea, The Hinterlands, Scarlet Monastery, Southern Barrens and Western Plaguelands
300
Azshara (Ruins of Arkkoran), Badlands, Eastern Plaguelands, Felwood, Feralas (Verdantis River), Maraudon, Moonglade, Northern Stranglethorn (South Seas), Tanaris, The Temple of Atal’Hakkar and Thousand Needles
375
Hellfire Peninsula, Nagrand (Forge Camp Hate), Shadowmoon Valley and Un’Goro Crater (General)
400
Coilfang Reservoir and Zangarmarsh (East)
425
Blasted Lands (Coastal), Deadwind Pass, Dire Maul, Feralas (Jademir Lake), Scholomance, Searing Gorge, Silithus, Stratholme, Swamp of Sorrows and Winterspring
450
Isle of Quel’Danas, Terokkar Forest (Rivers) and Zangarmarsh (West)
475
Borean Tundra, Dragonblight, Grizzly Hills, Howling Fjord, Nagrand (General), Netherstorm and Zul’Drak
490
Nagrand (Lakes)
500
Crystalsong Forest and Terokkar Forest (Lakes)
525
Dalaran, Sholazar Basin and Wintergrasp
550
Deepholm, Hrothgar’s Landing, Icecrown, Storm Peaks and Ulduar
575
The Frozen Sea, Mount Hyjal (General) and Vashj’ir
650
The Ruby Sanctum, Twilight Highlands (General) and Uldum
675
Tol Barad

Pools

In addition to fishing from open water fishing, you can fish from pools at any fishing skill level. Below you’ll find lists of all the pools, the common catch in thsoe pools, and where you can find them.

How Pools Work

You can fish a pool with fishing skill 1, regardless of the zone it’s in. However, after 3-5 catches, a pool will be fished out, and disappear — it’ll respawn in a nearby spawn location. Depending on the pool type, it may respawn after a delay, or right away.

Cataclysm Pools

90% of the catches from these pools will be the Common Catch, 10% of your catches will instead be x1-x3 Volatile Water. The exception is the Pool of Fire, in which you will only catch the Volatile Fire.

Pool (School)
Common Catch
Zones and Areas
Albino Cavefish School
Inland: Deepholm
Blackbelly Mudfish School
Inland: Uldum
Deepsea Sagefish School
Coastal: Twilight Highlands (General)
Fathom Eel Swarm
Coastal: Tol Barad, Uldum
Highland Guppy School
Inland: Twilight Highlands (General)
Mountain Trout School
Inland: Mount Hyjal (General)
Pool of Fire
Inland: Mount Hyjal (Throne of Flame), Twilight Highlands (Cannon’s Inferno)
Shipwreck Debris
Coastal: Tol Barad

Northrend Pools

90% of the catches from these pools will be one of the Common Catches, 10% of your catches will instead be Crystallized Water or Reinforced Crate. There is also a 2/3 chance to get a bonus Pygmy Suckerfish, except in the Glassfin Minnow Schools.

Pool (School)
Common Catch
Zones and Areas
Borean Man O’ War School
Coastal: Borean Tundra
Deep Sea Monsterbelly School
Coastal: The Frozen Sea
Dragonfin Angelfish School
Inland: Dragonblight
Fangtooth Herring School
Inland and Brackish: Howling Fjord
Glacial Salmon School
Inland: Grizzly Hills
Glassfin Minnow School
Inland: Crystalsong Forest
Imperial Manta Ray School
Coastal: Borean Tundra, Dragonblight, Grizzly Hills, Howling Fjord
Moonglow Cuttlefish School
Coastal: The Frozen Sea
Musselback Sculpin School
Inland: Borean Tundra
Nettlefish School
Inland: Sholazar Basin
Net-fished, and unusual pools not listed

Outland Pools

You’re a lot more likely to find things besides the common catch in Outland pools, though it’s still the most likely thing to fish up. There’s a 5% chance to fish up a Curious Crate or a Mote of Water in all the Outland pools besides Pure Water (where it’s mostly Mote of Water),

Pool (School)
Common Catch
Zones and Areas
Bluefish School
Inland: Nagrand (except Forge Camp Hate)
Brackish Mixed School
Inland: Terokkar Forest (Rivers), Zangarmarsh
Highland Mixed School
Inland: Terokkar Forest (Lakes) (lakes Blackwind, Ere’Noru and Jorune)
Mudfish School
Inland: Nagrand (except Forge Camp Hate)
Pure Water
Inland: Nagrand (except Forge Camp Hate)
School of Darter
Inland: Terokkar Forest (Rivers)
Sporefish School
Inland: Zangarmarsh
Steam Pump Flotsam
Inland: Zangarmarsh

Classic Azeroth Pools

Finally, here are the pools in the original Azeroth.

Pool (School)
Common Catch
Zones and Areas
Bloodsail Wreckage Pool
Coastal: The Cape of Stranglethorn (General)
Firefin Snapper School
Coastal: Arathi Highlands (General) (Faldir’s Cove), Ashenvale, Azshara (General), Blasted Lands (Coastal), The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), Hillsbrad Foothills, The Hinterlands, Northern Barrens (General), Northern Stranglethorn (General), Silverpine Forest, Southern Barrens, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles, Westfall, Wetlands, Coastal and Inland: Darkshore (General)
Floating Debris Pool
Coastal: Azshara (General), Northern Barrens (General), Coastal and Inland: Darkshore (General), Silverpine Forest, WestfallInland: Duskwood, Redridge Mountains
Floating Wreckage Pool
Coastal: Blasted Lands (Coastal), Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles, Inland: Eastern Plaguelands
Greater Sagefish School
Inland: Arathi Highlands (General), Blasted Lands (Tainted Forest), The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Eastern Plaguelands, Feralas, The Hinterlands, Moonglade, Northern Stranglethorn (General), Stonetalon Mountains, Un’Goro Crater (General), Western Plaguelands
Oily Blackmouth School
Coastal: Arathi Highlands (General) (Faldir’s Cove), Ashenvale, Azshara (General), Blasted Lands (Coastal), The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), Hillsbrad Foothills, The Hinterlands, Northern Barrens (General), Northern Stranglethorn (General), Silverpine Forest, Southern Barrens, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles, Westfall, Wetlands, Coastal and Inland: Darkshore (General)
Sagefish School
Inland: Ashenvale, Azshara (General), Darkshore (Freshwater), Duskwood, Hillsbrad Foothills, Loch Modan, Northern Barrens (except Oasis), Redridge Mountains, Silverpine Forest (Lordamere Lake), Westfall, Wetlands
School of Deviate Fish
Inland: Northern Barrens (Oasis)
School of Tastyfish
Coastal: The Cape of Stranglethorn (General), Northern Stranglethorn (General)
Schooner Wreckage Pool
Coastal: Arathi Highlands (General) (Faldir’s Cove), Northern Stranglethorn (General), Coastal and Inland: Ashenvale, Hillsbrad Foothills, Wetlands, Inland: Stonetalon Mountains
Stonescale Eel Swarm
Coastal: Blasted Lands (Coastal), Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, Thousand Needles
Waterlogged Wreckage Pool
Coastal: Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas (General), Inland: Western Plaguelands

Much of the data for this page was sourced from the exhaustive El’s Extreme Anglin’ site

 

About the Author

DanielD

An avid reader of sci-fi, fantasy, and history. Believes disagreement should mean discourse, not flame wars. Still searching for that next game that grabs him the way (those mimics in) Dark Souls did.
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