Fishing Pools (Schools of Fish) in WoW Classic 1.12.1: Types, Zones and Catch

◆What a pool is and why it matters

A pool is a small circle on the water surface with fish swimming beneath it. These spots were added in patch 1.9: a pool survives a few successful casts, then it is fished out and disappears, and later it respawns at another point of the same waters. That is why on a coast it pays to follow a route instead of standing still.

The key advantage is the loot table. According to the 1.12 database, about 85% of a fish pool's catch is its main fish, and the rest is shared by Stranglekelp, a trunk from wreckage and a bottle of Rumsey Rum. There is no junk like old boots in a pool. Your fishing skill rises just as it does from a normal cast, so pools combine nicely with levelling fishing.

◆How to fish a pool: step by step

1. Equip a fishing pole and, if possible, apply a lure — see the bonuses in our fishing poles guide.
2. Spot a circle with fish or floating crates and stand on the shore so the circle is right in front of your character.
3. Cast. If the bobber lands outside the circle, cancel at once and cast again — a catch from open water will be an ordinary one.
4. When the bobber splashes, click it as with normal fishing.
5. Repeat until the pool vanishes, then move to the next one along the shore.
6. Floating wreckage on the same route gives trunks — read more in treasure from the deep.

◆Fishing pools in Vanilla 1.12.1

Names follow the game client; zones come from the 1.12 database spawns (the most common places). A pool has no separate skill requirement: the zone requirement applies, so the column shows the level of the waters.

There is also a special School of Tastyfish — it only appears during the Sunday Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza and gives Speckled Tastyfish to hand in to the organiser.

◆Valuable fish: what to do with it

Stonescale Eel is the most wanted catch. An alchemist turns one eel and a Leaded Vial into Stonescale Oil, and ten oils go into Flask of the Titans, which raises maximum health by 1200 for 2 hours. The oil is also used in Elixir of Superior Defense and Greater Stoneshield Potion — all popular raid consumables.

Stonescale EelMax Stack: 20

Firefin Snapper and Oily Blackmouth also go to alchemists: two snappers and an Empty Vial make Fire Oil, two blackmouths make Blackmouth Oil. Sagefish is a cooking material: it becomes Smoked Sagefish, and Raw Greater Sagefish becomes Sagefish Delight with a mana regeneration bonus. Deviate Fish is needed for Savory Deviate Delight — find the recipes in our cooking guide.

Routes and tips

• Stonescale Eel and mithril-tier wreckage. The best coasts are Tanaris, Feralas and Azshara; in the south of the Eastern Kingdoms — the Stranglethorn Vale coast. Walk the shoreline and fish every pool you meet.
• Sagefish. Look for it in inland waters — rivers and lakes, not the sea. Greater Sagefish lives in the inland waters of Stranglethorn Vale and the Alterac Mountains.
• Keep moving. An empty shoreline means the pools have already been fished; move on and come back later.
• Watch the bobber. In floating wreckage the crates bob and hide the bite — turn on sound and listen for the splash.
• PvP risk. The Stranglethorn coast is contested territory, so fish with an eye on your surroundings.

◆Related articles

• Fishing poles in WoW Classic: which one to pick
• Treasure from the deep: trunks and wreckage
• Fishing lures and their bonuses
• Fishing guide 1–300
• Cooking profession
• Nat Pagle's quest and the best pole

Want a stock of eels before your first raid? Create an account on the WoW x5 server and connect to the game — the coasts of Tanaris and Feralas are waiting for anglers.