So you want 99 fishing huh? As a veteran fisher of level 99 I will tell you the best and fastest ways to level up. This article may become out of date one day, but it should still be a great way to go.

I will begin the guide with simply having level 1 fishing all the way down to 99. If you have a certain level to start from, just scroll down to the proper area.

Level 1-5

Requirements: Fishing Net

If you are starting from anywhere between level 1-5 then this is very well your start to a high fishing level. What you will need is a fishing net. If you didn’t lose it from the tutorial you should still have one  so take that out. If you don’t have one, go to Port Sarim fishing shop and buy one, they are cheap (refer to RuneScape map to find). Go ahead and bank all other items you may be holding to be lightweight and hold as much fish as you can.

Head to draynor village (refer to RuneScape map to find). Just along the lake there is a net spot that you will be catching Shrimps in. Fill your inventory completely with them and then put them all in the bank (or cook them on the spot if you want, I recommend to cook later). Head back to the fishing spot and continue. If you like doing this, you can do it all the way to level 20 but it will be slow. If you want to continue faster leveling, refer to the next stage.

Level 5-20

Requirements: Fishing Rod, Bait

At this level, you should be good to go for quite some time. If you do not have the rod or bait, go to the fishing store and buy the items for really cheap (refer to RS map to find) Be sure to buy a good deal of bait! If you run out you can always buy more, but they are cheap so it doesn’t matter if you buy a little extra. Head back to the lake along Draynor Village and now we will be fishing herring and sardines in the bait spot. When you hit level 20 you can either stop here and move on or get to 25 for a little bit of faster fishing.

Level 20-X

Requirements: Fly Fishing Rod, Feathers

This is the fastest way of fishing in RuneScape, at higher levels of course. Head back to the fishing shop and buy a fly fishing rod and a lot of feathers. Even when your fishing level is up in the 90′s you will come back. There is no limit of feathers you should buy.

Head up to barbarian village by the bridge close to the way to varrock (refer to RuneScape map to find). We will be luring salmon and trout here. These fish are decent in 3 ways: they heal good, they sell for a good price, they give good cooking xp. What you decide to do with the fish is all up to you, but I recommend you to cook them. To bank, run north to Edgeville and hit up the bank. It’s very annoying running back and forth to the bank, being a member is better.

Members: Fish these in Catherby or the Fishing guild. The absolute BEST spot and FASTEST way to level up fishing is to fish these in Shilo Village (do the quest). The bank is literally touching the fishing spots so it is extremely fast.

Level 35-50

Requirements: Harpoon

The fastest way to level is listed in the “20-X” section, so if you are looking for fast leveling refer to that instead. At level 35, you can catch tuna. They heal about 10hp and sell for a good price (although not sold very well). You will need money for this. Have anywhere for 1-5k gp in your inventory just to be safe. Go to port sarim and take the trip to Karamja, it is 30gp there and 30gp back. Walk past the banana trees to get to the fishing spot.

Level 50-60

Requirements: Lobster pot

Although it only takes level 40 to catch lobsters, they are WAY TOO SLOW at that level. Level 50 is a decent level for lobster catching. The rules are the same as getting tuna in the section before this (referring to going to Karamja). Lobsters sell for a great price, heal a great deal of health (12) and are a extremely fast way to leveling cooking.

Level 60+

Requirements: Harpoon

You need level 50 to catch Swordfish, but it is useless at that level. The prime level for catching swordfish is 60 because they come in at a decent rate. To get swordfish, refer to the karamja technique. These heal 15hp, the best food on F2P (free to play), sell for great (although not sold well) and are awesome for cooking xp.

Level 80+ (Members)

Requirements: Harpoon

Fast leveling involves my technique about fly fishing. If you are looking to take advantage of your fishing level to just fish for money, then it’s time for sharks. Go to the fishing guild or catherby to fish these. Stay calm as they come in slow, even at 99 fishing. Just watch some tv or do homework or anything else to pass time as you catch them.

Below is a guide from Tip.it

Net (Level 1):
When you first start fishing, the only things you can catch are shrimp and crayfish(mentioned above). These small creatures can be found in many parts of the sea in RuneScape. One of the best places if you want cooking experience as well, is on the seashore near Draynor Village. Just a little Southwest of the bank there’s a fishing spot where you can catch shrimp, and there are lots of trees around to get wood for your cooking fire. To catch shrimp, you’ll need a “Small Fishing Net”, that can be bought in the Port Sarim fishing shop for 5 gold pieces. You can also catch anchovies with the net at level 15.

If you are a member and have completed the Swan Song quest you might want to dust off your small net and put it back to use catching monkfish (level 62) at the Piscatoris Fishing Colony. Not only do they heal 16 each after cooking, also give more fishing experience than sharks!

Baiting at sea (Level 5):
Once you catch enough shrimp and your fishing level reaches 5, you will be able to catch sardines. To catch sardines, you’ll need a fishing rod and some bait. A fishing rod costs 5 gold pieces and Bait costs 3 gold pieces. You can also catch herring with bait and a fishing rod, but you will need level 10 fishing to catch them. You can catch both sardines and herring from the sea. To use your fishing rod and bait, first make sure you have both in your inventory. Then right-click on the fishing spot and select the second option, which is ‘Bait’. You will use one bait each time you catch a fish.

Baiting in river (Level 25):
You can also Fish with bait in the rivers of RuneScape, but you won’t catch sardines or herring as these are sea fish. When you fish with a fishing rod and bait in a river, you’ll catch pike. This fish heals 8, and you need level 25 to fish it. Again, get a fishing rod and some bait, and start fishing. Bait is the second option when you right click on the river fishing spots.

Note: You can also get bait from killing zombies and banshees.

Feathering/luring (Level 20):
Next up is fly-fishing. You will need level 20 fishing to catch trout, and level 30 fishing to catch salmon. To go fly fishing, you will need a fly fishing rod and some feathers. Like all other F2P fishing equipment, both can be bought in the fishing shop in Port Sarim. You can fly fish only in the RuneScape rivers. You cannot use your fly-fishing rod and feathers on fishing spots in the sea. To fly-fish, simply click on the fishing spot and to select “Lure”. You will use one feather each time you catch a fish.

Note: You can also get feathers from killing chickens.

If you’re fishing and cooking for experience, then Lumbridge is probably the best place to be. Just fish, get some wood, start a fire, cook your fish then either drop or eat. Fly-fishing is probably your best bet for power fishing because it has a high catch rate and can earn you over 50% more experience per hour than catching monkfish, even at level 90+!

If, however, you want to bank the fish instead of eat/drop it, then Barbarian village is probably the best place for you. Fish, cook them in the barbarian house farthest to the North (there’s 2 ever-lasting fires), and go North into Edgeville and bank your fish.

At level 38 members can catch rainbow fish by using stripy feathers rather than regular feathers. Stripey feathers can be obtained by snaring tropical wagtails (hunting level 19). Rainbow fish can be used raw to hunt barb-tailed kebbits, or cooked and eaten to heal 11hp.

Harpooning (Level 35):
Next up is the big boys (well, fish actually). Get your Harpoon (Port Sarim fishing shop, costs 5 gold pieces) and head off to the beautiful island of Karamja (take the boat from Port Sarim). Go down to the fishing dock, located North of the banana field. The trip to Karamja will cost you 30 gold pieces by the way, and another 30 to get back. Here you’ll be able to catch tuna with the harpoon. Simply right click on the fishing spot and select “harpoon”. Tuna is good for training on low level monsters that won’t hit you that hard. For example, Karamja Volcano has red spiders and skeletons which are good for training. There are also Lesser Demons, but you might need some better food for them.

Next on the harpooning chain is swordfish. You will need level 50 fishing to fish these. They heal 14 hp, and you catch them the same place you catch tuna. Depending on your fishing level, you will most likely get more tuna than swordfish when harpooning for them. Like the tuna, you also need a harpoon to catch swordfish.

Members who reach a lofty level 76 can start catching the bone-crunching sharks. They heal an amazing 20 hp, and you catch them the same place you go big net fishing.

Note: If you are p2p, you can obtain Barb-tail harpoons from Barb-tailed Kebbits (level 33 Hunter) or buy from other players. A barb-tail harpoon is wieldable, which frees up 1 more inventory space. That’s handy isn’t it?

Caging (Level 40):
You can also fish lobsters on Karamja. However, to do this, you will need a “Lobster Pot” to do this (don’t ask WHY they call it a pot…makes more sense to call it a cage. A pot is for cooking! Oh well…). The lobster pot will cost 20 gold pieces from the Port Sarim fishing shop. Lobsters are a great way of making money. Many people prefer lobsters for training food, because you only need level 40 to fish and cook them, and they heal 12 hp. Cage is the first option when you click on the sea fishing spot.

Hopefully this guide will help you! Good luck, let’s see that fishing cape soon!

Related Fishing Store Articles