Fish & Feast

Start here the moment you hit level 5. Train both professions, buy a Strong Fishing Pole from Harn Longcast as soon as Fishing reaches 10, and fish the lake beside Bloodhoof Village. Cook every Brilliant Smallfish until it goes grey around 85, and switch to Longjaw Mud Snapper at 50. Pick up the camping quest from Kaga Wildhoof: it leads to the Fish Bowl at Fishing 20. Keep about ten Smallfish for Fish Bowls; never sell them.

At level 10, train Journeyman in both. From Fishing 75 a capital pond never lets a fish escape, and every catch is still one skill point, so you can sit here all the way to 150. Longjaw keeps cooking orange to 90; Bristle Whisker Catfish (one catch in five) takes over at 100. Smoked Sagefish (80) is a good filler if you pass Sagefish water later. Orgrimmar's Valley of Honor pond works the same way.

Optional, but it pays. The Ratchet coast catches Rainbow Fin Albacore and Oily Blackmouth, and the south end has Iron Bound trunks worth more than the fish. The oasis pools near the Wailing Caverns are the only place to catch Deviate Fish for Savory Deviate Delight. Kilxx in Ratchet sells everything a fisher needs, and the boat to Booty Bay leaves from the same dock.

At Fishing 125 and level 20, take the boat from Ratchet and buy Expert Fishing – The Bass and You from Old Man Heming (1g). Without it fishing stops at 150. While you're here, note Kelsey Yance: you'll come back for the Redgill and Glossy Mightfish recipes after cooking 225. This is also the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza (Sundays 2–4 pm server time): the first 50 players to hand Riggle Bassbait 40 Tastyfish win the Arcanite Fishing Pole, the best pole in the game. Fishbot 5000's rare-fish quests pay out the Lucky Fishing Hat (+5), Anglin' Boots (+5) and High Test Eternium Fishing Line, which adds fishing to your pole.

The best catfish water on the Horde side. Mirkfallon Lake always has two Sagefish pools up (it's popular, so expect company). Cook Catfish until it goes green at 160, and bank the extras. When Cooking reaches 125, ride west into Desolace for the Expert Cookbook; otherwise cooking stops at 150. If cooking stalls after that, it's waiting for trout.

Buy the Expert Cookbook from Wulan (1g) as soon as Cooking hits 125, or cooking stops at 150. Shadowprey has three new fishing quests and a full fishing shop. The coast here is the first water with Rockscale Cod and Mithril Head Trout. The Shellfish Traps under the water off the village drop the Big Iron Fishing Pole (about 1 trap in 60), your mid-level pole upgrade.

Trout country. Fish the inland channels near Brackenwall Village and cook Mithril Headed Trout from 175 until it greys out at 255. Keep two trout per Fishing Rack if you have the blueprint. At level 35 and Fishing 225, Nat Pagle (on the islet in the bay) gives the Artisan quest; Lumak in Orgrimmar starts it with "You Too Good."

Cooking's Artisan quest is here: Dirge Quikcleave's "Clamlette Surprise" (12 Giant Egg, 10 Zesty Clam Meat, 20 Alterac Swiss). Then walk to Steamwheedle Port and buy Nightfin Soup from Gikkix. The coast is good money (Yellowtail, Stonescale Eel, Mithril Bound trunks) and Big-mouth Clams give the Zesty Clam Meat you need.

The finish. Redgill is a third of the catch here, so cook Filet of Redgill from 225 until it turns green around 285, then Nightfin Soup to 300. Nightfin only bites at night, so fish the evening hours. Cooking will reach 300 well before Fishing does. The Verdantis River also holds Nat Pagle's Feralas Ahi.

The Horde quest pole. At level 44, Katoom the Angler in Revantusk Village gives "Snapjaws, Mon!": kill 15 Saltwater Snapjaws on the beach north of the village, and the reward is Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000 (+25, the best pole short of the Extravaganza). His follow-up, "Gammerita, Mon!", sends you after a rare turtle that wanders the same beach. Revantusk's water is also good Redgill and Nightfin fishing, so you can keep cooking here.

A druid-only shortcut. Teleport: Moonglade puts you a short walk from the lake, and half of everything caught here is Raw Redgill, with another fifth Nightfin Snapper. It's the same finish as Feralas, with no travel and no other faction. Buy the Redgill and Nightfin recipes first (Booty Bay and Tanaris), then fish and cook here.