WoW Classic 1.12.1 Fishing Poles: From Basic to Arcanite

◆What a fishing pole is and why you upgrade it

A fishing pole is a special two-handed weapon. While it is equipped you can cast your bobber into any body of water, and its Equip bonus is added to your Fishing skill. The higher your total skill, the less often you see the message that your fish got away, and the more reliably you fish in demanding zones. Levelling the profession itself is covered in the fishing guide 1–300; this page is about the gear.

The pole bonus is always active and stacks with temporary fishing lures and with items from the fishing gear page. A good pole is the foundation; a lure and a hat are the extras on top.

How to get every pole

1. Fishing Pole — sold by fishing supply vendors and many trade goods vendors for roughly twenty copper. No bonus, no requirements.
2. Strong Fishing Pole — fishing supply vendors, about 9 silver. Requires level 5 and Fishing 10.
3. Blump Family Fishing Pole — reward for the quest The Family and the Fishing Pole: Gubber Blump in Auberdine, Darkshore, wants 6 Darkshore Grouper.
4. Darkwood Fishing Pole — not sold by vendors and only appears as rare loot, so the Auction House is the sensible place to buy it.
5. Big Iron Fishing Pole — occasionally found in Shellfish Traps under the docks of Shadowprey Village in Desolace during the repeatable Horde quest Fish in a Bucket.
6. Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000 — reward for the Horde quest Snapjaws, Mon!: Katoom the Angler in Revantusk Village, The Hinterlands, asks you to kill 15 Saltwater Snapjaws. Requires level 44.
7. Arcanite Fishing Pole — choice reward of the quest Master Angler at the Stranglethorn fishing tournament: be the first to hand 40 Speckled Tastyfish to Riggle Bassbait.

◆Table: all fishing poles in 1.12.1

Note that the FC-5000 carries Nat Pagle's name but he does not hand it out. In 1.12.1 Nat Pagle himself gives the quest for Artisan Fishing — see the Nat Pagle quest guide.

Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000Binds when picked upUniqueTwo-HandFishing Pole93 - 140 DamageSpeed 3.00Durability 55 / 55Requires Fishing (100)Equip: Increased Fishing +25.«Limited Edition»

◆Which pole to use at each stage

Skill 1–100

Start with the basic pole and grab a Strong Fishing Pole as soon as you can: +5 is noticeable early and it costs next to nothing. Alliance characters passing through Darkshore should also do Gubber Blump's quest — it raises your skill and gives a pole.

Skill 100–225

The workhorse here is the Big Iron Fishing Pole or a Darkwood pole from the Auction House. Horde players past level 44 should definitely get the FC-5000: +25 is the second-best bonus in the game and the quest takes one evening.

Skill 225–300 and beyond

The FC-5000 is unavailable to the Alliance in 1.12.1, so until the tournament a Big Iron pole from the Auction House plus a lure remains the baseline. The goal for everyone is the Arcanite Fishing Pole: together with a fishing hat it lets you fish comfortably in the most demanding waters.

Arcanite Fishing PoleBinds when picked upUniqueTwo-HandFishing Pole42 - 63 DamageSpeed 3.00(17.5 damage per second)Durability 45 / 45Requires Fishing (300)Equip: Increased Fishing +35.«It looks like Nat Pagle himself used this.»

Tips for anglers on WoW x5

• Keep your normal weapon in your bags and swap to the pole only at the water: in Stranglethorn Vale and other contested zones an attack can start at any moment.
• The Arcanite Fishing Pole binds on pickup and is unique, so it cannot be traded — only won. Instead of it you may pick the Hook of the Master Angler, a trinket that turns you into a fish underwater.
• If the tournament is far away, cover the missing skill with lures — cheaper than waiting for a rare pole.
• For valuable fish and chests see the pages on fishing pools and fishing treasure.

◆Related pages

• Fishing lures: bonuses and where to buy
• Fishing gear: hats and bonuses
• Stranglethorn fishing tournament
• Fishing pools: where to catch valuable fish
• Fishing treasure: chests and wreckage
• Fishing guide 1–300

Want to try the Arcanite Fishing Pole yourself? Create an account on the WoW x5 server and connect to the game — the fishing tournament waits for you every Sunday.