The Fishing skill is a staple to Old School RuneScape players, as it is often one of the most nostalgic forms of content in the game.
From casual fishing around Draynor Bank to fishing sharks bare-handed in the Fishing Guild, to fighting off Tempoross, there is never enough to catch all over Gielinor!
Recommended Read: How to Join or Make a Clan in Old School RuneScape
The journey to 99 Fishing can be a tricky one, as there are multiple routes to take that vary between decent profit to experience rates per hour. In this guide, I am going to talk about all the best ways to train Fishing from levels 1-99 in Old School RuneScape!
When it comes to training levels 1-99 Fishing in OSRS, the best methods include questing from levels 1-20, fly-fishing from 20-35, then moving onto higher-skilled methods like Tempoross at level 35, barbarian fishing at level 58, and catching karambwans at level 65. Other than this, there are countless other methods mentioned to train fishing in Old School RuneScape!
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Fishing Levels 1-99 Training Guide in OSRS
When it comes to Fishing in Old School RuneScape, the world is your oyster!
Most skills in the game either require a high amount of gp to start with or even intense clicking to max out, but Fishing gives you the chance to sit back and relax while working toward your skillcape.
Of course, high-intensity methods are still available for the Fishing skill that provide much higher experience rates than their counterparts, but it will be up to you to decide.
Similar to our Smithing guide, I will talk about the different methods that you can do at each level versus sharing a straightforward “1-99” guide, as it will change depending on a player’s mentality.
Levels 1-20: Fishing Shrimp & Anchovies
Fishing shrimp isn’t just the starting point. It has also been somewhat of a rite of passage for new players.
In fact, it’s technically the very first skill that you train in Old School RuneScape, as you do this very thing at the beginning of Tutorial Island.
Players with a Small fishing net in their inventory can fish for Raw Shrimp at any net spot.
The most common locations are the east side of Lumbridge Swamp (there’s a Fishing Tutor who will be able to provide a net), Draynor Village, and Catherby.
Each shrimp will give you 10exp, so you will need to catch a couple hundred before reaching 20 Fishing.
Once you reach 15 Fishing, you will also start to catch Anchovies (at the same net spot), which gives you 40exp per catch, greatly speeding up your early fishing training.
Levels 20+: Fly Fishing
At 20 Fishing, you will be able to do fly fishing for trout and salmon. You will also need a Fly fishing rod and feathers (not the striped ones).
Fly fishing is also one of the few fishing methods that can be tick manipulated, nearly doubling your experience rates.
Otherwise, most players will AFK fly fishing while dropping the trout and salmon for increased efficiency.
The best spot for players to fly fish is at the spot next to Barbarian Village.
For those that also want to train their Cooking level, there is also a fire nearby where you can cook them.
Without tick manipulation, you can realistically expect around 12k Fishing exp per hour at level 20, eventually reaching as high as 33k Fishing exp per hour at level 50, and around 44k Fishing exp per hour at 80 Fishing.
Levels 35+: Tempoross
Chances are, if you are training for your Fishing skillcape, Tempoross will be what you will be doing all the way to 99 Fishing.
Tempoross is the fishing-based skilling boss where you fight off Tempoross (a monstrous typhoon that’s alive) by catching harpoonfish and launching it at Tempoross while avoiding its attacks.
In the process, players are rewarded with decent rewards and great experience rates across all skill levels.
Although there are detailed guides everywhere, the general idea is to wear weight-reducing gear so you don’t run out of energy while running between the fishing spots and back.
You will also have the option to cook the harpoonfish before launching it to earn more points.
If you are only after the fishing experience, it is best to not cook the harpoonfish.
You should also upgrade your harpoon the best you can, as they will drastically increase your experience rates.
Expected Experience Rates at Different Fishing Levels:
- Level 35 – 30k exp per hour
- Level 61 – 50k exp per hour (Harpoon) / 60k exp per hour (Dragon Harpoon)
- Level 80 – 60k exp per hour (Harpoon) / 68k exp per hour (Dragon Harpoon) / 77k exp per hour (Crystal Harpoon)
- Level 90 – 68k exp per hour (Harpoon) / 72k exp per hour (Dragon Harpoon) / 80k exp per hour (Crystal Harpoon)
Levels 40+: Fishing Lobsters
Every veteran remembers the days of walking from Draynor Village to Karamja, fishing a whole inventory of lobsters, walking back, and doing it all over again for hours as that was the peak Old School RuneScape experience.
Thankfully, it is nowhere near as tedious to fish lobsters nowadays, but I had to set the scene for this method.
At 40 Fishing, you will be able to catch lobsters with a Lobster pot in your inventory. The best places to fish for them are Karamja (F2P), Catherby, and the Fishing Guild.
Lobsters will give you 90exp per catch, so you can expect somewhere around 15k exp per hour at early levels.
Low-level players fishing lobsters at Catherby will commonly take the time to cook them on the nearby range for Cooking experience.
Fishing lobsters is a relaxing training method, and, despite the low experience rates, you can make a decent profit while doing this method.
If you plan on cooking them, you should look into obtaining the Cooking gauntlets from the “Family Crest” quest, as that will greatly decrease their burn rate.
Levels 58+: Barbarian Fishing
At 58 Fishing, barbarian fishing is a drastic step up from fly fishing, as you can either casually fish and drop the leaping fish or do tick manipulation for incredible experience rates.
Barbarian fishing first needs to be unlocked by talking to Otto Godblessed, who is by the whirlpool south of the Barbarian Outpost.
Once you have 48 Fishing, 15 Agility, and 15 Strength, you can talk to him regarding heavy rod fishing and complete a short tutorial to learn the method permanently.
Barbarian fishing can only be done at the lake right next to Otto Godblessed. You will also gain low Agility and Strength experience in the process.
Barbarian Fishing Expected Experience Rates (AFK):
- Level 58 – 36k exp per hour
- Level 70 – 46k exp per hour
- Level 80 – 50k exp per hour
- Level 90 – 52k exp per hour
Barbarian Fishing Expected Experience Rates (3-Tick):
- Level 58 – 66k exp per hour
- Level 70 – 88k exp per hour
- Level 80 – 96k exp per hour
- Level 90 – 102k exp per hour
Levels 62+: Fishing Monkfish
After completion of the “Swan Song” quest and 62 Fishing, players will be able to catch monkfish in the Piscatoris Fishing Colony.
Monkfish serve as a higher-level casual method for those looking to make decent profit and experience without paying much attention.
With a Small fishing net in your inventory, you can catch them at your heart’s content at the north end of the colony.
Monkfish Expected Experience Rates:
- Level 62 – 35k exp per hour
- Level 70 – 37k exp per hour
- Level 80 – 38k exp per hour
- Level 90 – 40k exp per hour
At the time of writing this article, Raw monkfish are going for 169 gp each, so you can somewhat expect around 150k gp per hour while fishing.
Levels 65+: Fishing Karambwans
After completion of the “Tai Bwo Wannai Trio” quest and 65 Fishing, players will be able to fish Karambwans, which provides an okay experience per hour but great profit.
Since we have already provided an in-depth guide all about fishing Karambwans and their requirements, I am only going to discuss experience rates and potential profit per hour here.
At 65 Fishing, you can expect around 30k Fishing exp per hour while simultaneously getting around 250k-270k gp per hour.
Karambwans are an incredibly valuable food source for PKers, so they are always needed on the Grand Exchange.
Catching karambwans also does not require much attention, given how much money they can make you, so this is a great method for those in the mid-game training Fishing.
Levels 76+ Fishing Sharks
Although a slow method of experience, players with 76 Fishing and a harpoon in their inventory will be able to fish for sharks.
Around this level, most players will resort to something like Tempoross or Barbarian Fishing for efficient training, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t sit back and attempt harpooning for sharks at least once.
Sharks will be caught at 110exp per catch, so you can expect around 20k fishing exp per hour while catching them.
The best place to do so is at the Fishing Guild, which can be entered at 68 Fishing, which also gives players an invisible +7 fishing boost while inside.
Levels 82+: Fishing Minnows
Continuing on from the previous method, minnows can be caught in the Fishing Guild at 82 Fishing for low experiences but decent profit.
However, you are required to have completed the “Fishing Contest” quest and have the full Angler’s outfit to access the platform.
On the platform, you can use a Small fishing net to fish at the two minnow spots.
Not only do the spots rotate around the platform just a spot over from the previous, but minnows are stackable, so you can remain here without needing to bank for hours.
Between levels 82-95, you can expect around 40k-48k Fishing exp per hour. Said minnows are to be turned in to Kylie Minnow to get one Raw shark per 40 minnows, thus giving you around 120k gp per hour in Raw sharks.
While fishing for minnows, watch out for “flying fish” from the spot you are fishing as they will take minnows from your inventory if you are not quick enough to pull away from them.
Other Things to Consider
During your journey to 99 Fishing, there are other shortcuts and items that you can take into account for your training.
Some of them include getting multiple levels at once through questing or catching nearly double the amount of fish with no extra effort!
Quests that Give Fishing Experience
From level 1, there are quests that you can do that will allow you to skip much of the tedious early-level Fishing training.
Quest (Fishing Level Required if Needed) – Fishing Experience Rewarded:
- Recipe for Disaster – Freeing Pirate Pete (None) – 1k
- The Fremennik Trials (None) – 2,812
- Sea Slug (None) – 7,175
- Tai Bwo Wannai Trio (Lvl 5) – 5k
- Fishing Contest (Lvl 10) – 2,437
- Rum Deal (Lvl 50) – 7k
- Heroes’ Quest (Lvl 53) – 2,725
- Swan Song (Lvl 62) – 50k
Items that Improve Fishing Training
Angler’s Outfit
- The Angler’s Outfit can be obtained from either the Fishing Trawler minigame (1/12 chance of getting a piece per run) or through Aerial Fishing (100 Molch pearls per piece).
- Wearing the completed set gives the player a 2.5x multiplier to Fishing experience earned.
- You can also turn each piece into Gita Prymes at Tempoross along with 1,200 Spirit flakes each to get a piece of the Spirit Angler’s outfit.
Dragon/Infernal/Crystal Harpoon
- The Dragon harpoon can be used at 61 Fishing and gives the player a 20% increase in their catch rate. It also has a special attack that gives a temporary +3 Fishing boost.
- The Infernal harpoon has the same effects as the Dragon harpoon but has a ? chance of cooking and destroying a fish. This allows a player to gain fishing and cooking experience simultaneously.
- The Crystal harpoon has the same effects as the Dragon harpoon but requires 71 Fishing, 70 Attack, and 50 Agility to use. While it is charged, it will give a 35% increased catch rate.
Rada’s Blessing
- The Rada’s blessing is obtained from the different tiers of the Kourend & Kebos Achievement Diary. While it is worn depending on the tier, you will have a 2%/4%/6%/8% chance of catching an extra fish.
Fishing Barrel
- The Fishing barrel can be earned as a reward from the Tempoross reward pool. With it, you will be able to store up to 28 fish in the barrel, lengthening your fishing trips.
Obtaining the Fishing Skillcape
Once you reach 99 Fishing, congratulations! You can buy your Fishing skillcape from the Master Fisher just outside of the Fishing Guild for 99k.
This skillcape gives you unlimited teleports to the Fishing Guild or Otto’s Grotto.
This has been an in-depth guide for Fishing levels 1-99 in Old School RuneScape!
Do you have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
