Here is a listing of watery areas that one can go to to move up the fishin skill tree...
0
Starting.....Water near the Battleground Hall in Ogrimmar works great for killin time between battles.
can get into 100 there.
055
Ashenvale
Stonetalon Mnts
Duskwood
Hillsbrad foothills
Redridge Mnts
Wetlands
130
Dustwallow Marsh
Desolace
Thousand Needles
Alterac Mountains
Arathi Highlands
Stranglethorn Vale
Swamp of Sorrows
205
Azshara
Felwood
Ferales
Tanaris
Un'Goro Crater
Moonglade
The Hinterlands
Western Plaguelands
330
Winterspring
Azshara (Bay of Storms only)
Deadwind Pass
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The Stranglethorn Vale Fishing Tournament
Every Sunday at 14:00 (2:00 PM) local server time
Stranglethorn Vale
For kicks, some decent prizes, and because it's something other than grinding.
Getting Started
Fishing Skill & Bait:
All you need to get started is a fishing pole and a decent level of fishing skill. I started doing this at skill 260, and I did not receive a single "Your fish got away" message in over 1.5 hours of participation (without bait). So, you probably want to have one of ...
A. 250 Fishing Skill
B. 200 Fishing Skill and a bunch of Nightcrawlers (+50 for 10 minutes)
C. 175 Fishing Skill and a bunch of Shiny Baubles (+75 for 10 minutes)
Fishing Pole:
Note that there is a vendor in Booty Bay (all the way on the bottom platform near the plank leading into the water) that will sell you (limited quantity item) a Strong Fishing Pole (+5 Fishing Skill). Every little bit helps, so you should always be using this instead of the regular fishing pole (Also, you can get the Big Iron Fishing Pole, with a whopping +20 to fishing, instead... it's a rare drop from Shellfish Crates that are part of a Horde quest line in Desolace - thanks to Emmert for this info).
Horde characters, as several folks have pointed out to me, can get Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000 via a quest, which gives +25 to fishing and is therefore the best possible pole (aside form the one you can win in this tournament) to fish with.
Also, you can pick up a +2 to Fishing Skill enchant on your gloves if you're able to find a willing Enchanter (Thanks to Lucas for reminding me about this).
Level:
While you can theoretically win the contest as a level 1 character, the reality of it is that you'll probably want to be at least level 40 before you attempt this, for two reasons: First, you'll want a mount for the speed increase (see below); second, the area you'll be running around in is quite full of mobs between levels 35 and 45. If you are in combat, you aren't fishing - so you'll need to avoid constantly getting aggro'd by everything around you.
Speed Increase:
You'll also want to have something to drastically increase your speed, as you'll need to travel at a few hundred meters every 2-3 minutes. The faster the better. In order of preference:
A. Epic mount (+100% speed increase)
B. Regular mount (+60% speed increase)
C. Sprint/Dash/Aspect of the Cheetah/etc (+~40-50% speed increase)
Hearthstone
Make certain that you bind yourself in Booty Bay, and that you do not use your Hearthstone after about 1:15 PM local server time. You'll most likely need to hearth back to Booty Bay as soon as you're done if you want to win.
Inventory Space:
Last but not least, you will want at least 16 slots of inventory free. Make sure you bring at least one fully-empty 16-slot container or its equivalent. You may want to have a little extra space just in case. Most fish (including the Tastyfish) stack in lots of 20, just so you're aware...
Tournament Basics
Announcements
At approximately 30 seconds after the server clock hits 14:00 (2:00 PM), a /yell will be sent to all of Stranglethorn Vale indicating that the Fishing Tournament has begun. Another yell will be sent when the contest has ended.
Goals:
Goal #1: The main goal of the tournament is to be the first to catch 40 Tastyfish and to return them to the goblin contest master Riggle Bassbait in Booty Bay. Riggle stands on the dock just outside of the Inn. Along with the man in charge of the contest, there is Fishbot 5000 and another goblin who give out consolation prizes...
Goal #2: (Consolation Prize) Bring 5 Tastyfish to the goblins to receive 23 silver (repeatable as many times as you want).
Goal #3: (Consolation Prize) Bring a rare fish to the Fishbot 5000 to receive "Rare Nat Pagle fishing accessories" (Haven't gotten any myself). There are three types of rare fish to be found, and yes, rare means rare - in an hour and a half of fishing, I did not catch a single one.
Rewards:
The Internet is surprisingly devoid of information on the rewards for this tournament. I did manage to find out some details, though:
First Prize:
Arcanite Fishing Pole (Requires Fishing 300)
A fishing pole (used by Nat Pagle himself!) that gives +35 to fishing.
http://www.thottbot.com/?i=51841
-or-
Hook of the Master Angler (Requires level 60)
Trinket, increases your swim speed by 25%, cooldown 5 seconds, can be used in combat.
http://www.thottbot.com/?i=51848
Rare Fish #1 (Dezian Queenfish):
High Test Eternium Fishing Line (Requires Fishing 150/Level 10)
Use to replace the line on a fishing pole, permanently adding +5 to Fishing Skill to the item.
http://www.thottbot.com/?i=51854
Rare Fish #2 (Keefer's Angelfish):
Lucky Fishing Hat (Requires Fishing 1/Level 5)
Gives +5 to Fishing Skill. Quite possibly the best looking hat 'evar' (Thanks to Brudarek for a link to this one).
http://www.thottbot.com/?i=51844
Rare Fish #3 (Brownell's Blue Striped Racer):
Nat Pagle's Extreme Anglin' Boots Boots (Requires Fishing 1/Level 5)
Gives +5 to Fishing Skill.
http://www.thottbot.com/?i=51842
Let the Tournament Begin!
School of Tastyfish:
As soon as the tournament begins, "School of Tastyfish" nodes will spawn all along the coast of Stranglethorn Vale. Yes, the entire coast is in-play. The nodes look like small whirlpools, 2-3 meters in diameter, complete with silvery fish flickering in and out. They are visible from a good distance as a shimmering spot in the water.
Spawn Locations:
The locations of the nodes are fixed. That is, a node is either there or not there, but the locations do not change. You'll find that there is a spawn location approximately every 100-200 meters along the coast, so there are many pools forming constantly. Along the southeastern coast alone there are about 10 spawn points. The best way to learn them is to participate in the tournament - you'll be in trouble the first time, but you'll learn them for the next time.
How to Catch the Elusive Tastyfish:
In order to catch Tastyfish, you must cast your bobber inside one of the fishing nodes. To be on the safe side, ensure that your bobber is at least partially touching the edge of the swirling waters. Ideally, cast it right into the center so you don't have to worry. If you miss, re-cast again. There is no way to guarantee that your bobber will land in the right place. Learn how far back to stand so that the average-distance cast will at least have a chance to intersect the pool itself (stand too close and you'll always overcast; stand too far and your bobber will never make it out to the pool).
Once your bobber lands in a good position, just wait and fish as normal. You'll reel in either some Stranglekelp, a Tastyfish, a rare fish or (rarely) something else (anything you could normally catch in these waters goes here).
Node Mechanics:
It seems that the nodes are quantity based, similar to other resource nodes. There are approximately 2 to 5 Tastyfish per node. Once they've all been caught, the node will disappear.
Multiple people can and will fish in a single node. Multiple bobbers will clutter the whirlpool and make it hard to click.
Changing Nodes:
As soon as a node despawns, immediately mount (or hit your speed boost) and proceed to the next most probable location for a spawn. This is something you will learn from experience. If you know a nearby pool despawned about 6 minutes ago, head there now, as this seems to be the approximate time between respawns.
The best way to do this by far is to stay just in the water, out of aggro range of most mobs but still able to walk/run/mount (don't swim!). Run along the coast until you see the next node, and hit it.
Things to Watch Out for:
There are quite a few nasties along the STV coast. On the southwest side are the highest level mobs in the area, namely varieties of Naga. These are particularly annoying because they wander far (even into the ocean) and have a large aggro radius, are social, and like to net you.
The rest of the west coast is (for the most part) inhabited by Crocolisks and Raptors, of which the Crocolisks are by far the worst since they (like the Naga) will sometimes enter the water where you are.
The east coast of Stranglethorn, by comparison, is great. The ruins full of undead can be a problem if you are below level 40; levels 40 and up will generally be able to walk past without a problem. The one thing you must watch out for, regardless of your level, is the unique level 47+ Elite Giant Gorlash. He roams the shore slowly and is easily avoided, but there are always a disturbing number of skeletons near him when you pass by.
And last but not least, if you are on a PvP server, watch out for the enemy. you will hate your life as this event is commonly referred to on PvP servers as the "Stranglethorn Vale Fishing Gankfest".
The Tournament Completed
How Long This Takes:
The tournament on Sunday 18 December 2005 was won in exactly 38 minutes. This means you should be catching, on average, about 1 tastyfish every 55 seconds if you hope to win.
Winning:
I haven't won. That said, keep a close eye on the number of Tastyfish you've caught. The second you hit 40, hearth back to Booty Bay, hti your speed boost if you've got it, and talk to Riggle Bassbait to win the tournament. A /yell will be sent to all of STV informing them that you are the victor. W00t for j00!
Not Winning:
Most likely you will not win. If this is the case, you can just quit when you get the /yell, or you can continue to fish the nodes. The mechanics stay the same if you keep going. You can continue to catch Tastyfish and even rare fish for as long as the tournament continues. Once the contest is over and the node despawn for the week, you should return to Booty Bay and turn in what you've got for what prizes you can.
Sorry, No Cheating:
Blizzard has it covered when it comes to the various shady tactics that we all, of course, immediately think of and wish we could explot:
1. Tastyfish are eternally Soulbound, so you cannot trade them.
2. They are limited duration items, and will disappear 4 hours after catching.
3. Stack in lots of 20.
4. Cannot be eaten, cooked, disenchanted, sold, fed to pet, or used in any other way.
Noressa
Guild: Dachaos
Realm: Eonar
