OSRS Fishing Guide

Useful Quests
Fastest Exp Methods
Alternative / Money Making Methods

Useful Quests

Fishing Contest: 2437 Exp (Req. 10 Fishing)
Sea Slug: 7175 Exp (Req. 30 Firemaking)
Tai Bwo Wannai Trio: 5000 Exp (Req. 15 Agility, 30 Cooking)
RFD - Pirate Pete Subquest: 1000 Exp (Req. 31 Cooking)
Heroes' Quest: 2725 Exp (Req. 55 Quest Points, 53 Cooking, 25 Herblore, 50 Mining)
The Fremennik Trials: 2812 Exp (Req. 25 Fletching, 40 Woodcutting, 40 Crafting)
Rum Deal: 7000 Exp (Req. 50 Fishing, 42 Crafting, 40 Farming, 47 Prayer, 42 Slayer)
Swan Song: 10000 Exp (Req. 62 Fishing, 100 Quest Points, 66 Magic, 62 Cooking, 45 Smithing, 42 Firemaking, 40 Crafting)

Useful Items

Angler Outfit

Obtained from the Fishing Trawler Minigame or through Ariel Fishing, the Angler outfit is the only Exp boosting set for the Fishing skill. Although the minigame can be accessed starting at level 15, the pieces themselves require level 34 to equip. Each piece of the outfit grants the user a from .2% - .7% Exp boost, however there is a bonus when all pieces are worn as a set, granting a total of 2.5% Exp boost while fishing. While it is debatable if it is worth the time to obtain, if players wish to fish minnows for OSRS Gold at later levels it is required. Players can expect to spend approximately 6 hours via Fishing Trawler (at a drop rate of ⅛ per game) or 10 hours via Ariel fishing to obtain the full set.

Dragon Harpoon

The dragon harpoon is an alternative (unlocked at level 61 fishing) to using the regular harpoon to catch Tuna, Swordfish and Sharks. Giving a 20% increase in catch rate to harpoon caught fish. However, the harpoon is used mostly by players wanting to take advantage of its special attack. The special attack, Fishstabber, temporary boosts a players fishing level by 3.

Note: 60 attack is required to perform the special attack but not for the increased catch rate.

Rada’s Blessing 4

Obtained from completing the Elite Kourend and Kebos Diary, this blessing is equipped in the Ammo spot and gives players an 8% chance to catch two fish at once everywhere in Gielinor. However, the blessing does not give extra Exp for the extra fish obtained.

Fastest Exp Methods

Questing (1 - 24)

Completing the quest Sea Slug will help you skip the monotonous grind of low level fishing levels. Although requiring level 30 Firemaking, it is still much faster to do the quest and avoid starting at level 1 Fishing. The only alternative to this is fishing Shrimp and Anchovies with a small net. If fishing for Shrimp and Anchovies, it’s recommended to do so south of Lumbridge on the East coast of Lumbridge swamp.

Fly Fishing (24 - 47/58)

Starting at level 24, players unlock the ability to fly fish for Trout, Salmon and Pike. Fly fishing only requires a fly fishing rod and feathers to complete. The most common training area is on the Eastern banks of the river by Barbarian Village, just south of Edgeville. To achieve the best Exp per hour rates, instead of banking or cooking the fish, simply drop them as your inventory fills. Fly fishing can achieve upwards of 25k Exp per hour.

Drift Net Fishing (47 - 58*/70)

Players looking to maximize Exp and efficiency should consider Drift Net Fishing as a quicker alternative to Fly Fishing and even 5-Tick Barbarian Fishing at lower levels. Although initial requirements of 44 Hunter may put players off of this method, if you’re looking to stay away from tick manipulation while gaining high Exp rates in both Fishing and Hunter, Drift Net is the way to go. Located in Fossil Island’s underwater area.

The gear recommended and required for this activity are as followed, Fishbowl Helmet (Req.), Diving apparatus (Req.), Flippers, Weight reducing armor such as Graceful, Merfolk or Trident of the Seas (Req.), Noted Drift nets (Req.), Stamina Potions, Nummulites (Req.), and a Rune Pouch with teleports to a bank. Once inside the hunter area, players have the choice to passively or actively train their skills in the activity. For passive training, the Drift Nets simply need to be placed and will slowly be filled with fish while game time passes. Once a net is full the player will receive a message in their chat box to notify when they need to be replaced. Active training will be far superior and include Hunter Exp along with Fishing Exp, however will require much more attention. Players will need to set up the nets as before, then begin to chase the Fish Shoals (by clicking on them) to corral them into the nets.

Without a trident the shoals may require being chased multiple times for them to be corralled into the nets, so it is strongly recommended that players bring one along. At level 47 Fishing and 66 Hunter players can expect around 44k Fishing and 80k Hunter Exp per hour if actively training. Once reaching 65 Fishing and 76 Hunter players can reach upwards of 60k Fishing and 100k Hunter Exp per hour with this method. Players will also receive fish depending on Fishing levels, helping recoup the OSRS Gold you will lose on buying and using the Drift Nets.

Barbarian Fishing (58*/70 - 99)

Barbarian Fishing requires the use of a Heavy Rod, obtained from Otto Godblessed located in Otto’s Grotto South-West of the Barbarian Outpost. Players will need to talk to Otto to begin Barbarian Training then search under his bed to receive the rod. This method also requires having level 15 Agility and Strength to begin. Starting Barbarian Fishing at level 58 is only recommended if players are using tick manipulation to speed the catch rate up from 5-tick to 3-tick fishing. 3-tick fishing involves using one of multiple items and actions to interrupt the normal 5-tick catch rate. I recommend players who are interested in learning tick manipulation to watch an in-depth video on the subject as it is very click intensive and challenging to learn and master. For those those who are not interested in 3-tick fishing, Barbarian Fishing will still offer faster Exp rates starting at level 70 Fishing.

Similar to Fly Fishing, players will simply need to have Feathers and the Heavy Rod in their inventories to catch fish. Players should refrain from banking and instead “Power Fish” by dropping them as their inventory fills or while running between the fishing spots. This is also the only fishing method that will also give players the opportunity to gain Agility and Strength Exp while Fishing. If players are using tick manipulation the Exp rates per hour that can be achieved are as follows: 65k Fishing Exp at level 58, 87k Fishing Exp at level 70, 95k Fishing Exp at level 80 and will top out at 102k Fishing Exp at level 90. Without tick manipulation, playing AFK, players can expect a solid 60k Fishing Exp per hour at level 70 onwards.

Alternative / Money Making Methods

Monkfish (62+)

After the completion of the quest Swan Song, players have the option to fish Monkfish at Piscatoris Fishing Colony. Fishing Monkfish only requires a small fishing net. The Fishing spots close proximity to a bank provides players with an AFK monkey maker that is faster than standard Sharks even at higher levels. Players can expect around 30k Fishing Exp at level 70 and 40k Fishing Exp per hour at higher levels. Although the hourly OSRS Gold per hour is relatively low at 87k, if fished from level 62 to 99 players can net a hefty 40 Million OSRS Gold.

Karambwan (65+)

After the completion of the quest Tia Bwo Wannai Trio, players can start fishing for Karambwan. Catching these odd looking fish requires the use of a Karambwan Vessel and Raw Karambwanji for bait. The Karambwanji cannot be bought and instead need to be caught using a small fishing net at the lake south of Tai Bwo Wannai Village. The catch rate for the Karambwanji is extremely fast, it is even possible at level 95 Fishing to catch 20 in a single action. Once the bait is acquired, players need to make there way to the North shore of the Village located next to Fairy ring D-K-P.

While catching Karambwan, it’s recommended to bring a teleport such as an Amulet of Glory, Ring of Dueling or Crafting cape for banking. Fishing Karambwan can net the player up to 30k Fishing Exp per hour and up to 400k OSRS Gold per hour. If Fishing from levels 65 to 99 you can expect to make approximently 120 Million OSRS Gold.

Infernal Eels (80+)

At level 80 Fishing, players can begin to catch Infernal Eels located within the TzHaar city of Mol Ul Rek. To enter the inner city players must first prove their worthiness by displaying a Fire Cape to the guard at the entrance. Although not as popular, Infernal Eels are incredibly AFK and do not require banking. Once an inventory of eels has been caught players only need to use a hammer on them and they will be smashed open, granting the player ten to twenty Tokkul, one Onyx bolt tip and one to five Lava Scale Shards. Due to the low amount of attention needed to fish the eels, the Exp and OSRS Gold rates do suffer. Players can expect 28k Fishing Exp and 223k OSRS Gold per hour fishing Infernal Eels. If training with Infernal Eels from level 80 to 99 players can net upwards of 86 Million OSRS Gold.

Minnows (82+)

One of the best money makers the Fishing skill has to offer, minnows also offer a modest Exp rate. Located inside of the Fishing Guild on Kylie's Fishing Platform, they require the completion of the quest Fishing Contest as well as the full Angler’s Outfit. The minnows are caught with a small fishing net from fishing spots that move on a set rate of every 15 seconds. When players are catching minnows they must be cautious as during the change of fishing spot spawns there is a chance the spot will contain a Flying Fish that will consume 20 minnows from the players inventory per jump for as long as the player continues to fish the spot. With each cast of the net on the fishing spots, players will obtain between 10 and 14 minnows depending on their Fishing levels.

Equipping the Rada's Blessing gives players up to an 8% chance to catch two times the amount of minnows without the extra Exp gained. Thanks to the minnows stacking ability, players do not ever have to bank while doing this method. At any point, when players would like to cash in their untradable minnows for raw sharks, they can do so by trading Kylie for a rate of 40 minnows per raw shark. The Exp and OSRS Gold per hour of fishing here are as follows: 40k Exp and 230k OSRS Gold at level 82, 43k Exp and 260k OSRS Gold at level 85, 45k Exp and 298k OSRS Gold at level 90, 48k Exp and 336k OSRS Gold at level 95, and maxes out with 56k Exp and 382k OSRS Gold at level 99.

Anglerfish (95+)

Anglerfish only require level 85 Fishing, however level 95+ is recommended as the Exp rates and OSRS Gold per hour does not make this method worth it at lower levels. To fish Anglerfish players need to first obtain 100% Piscarilius favor in Kourend which may take a few hours. After obtaining the needed favor, players need to take Sandworms for bait and a fishing rod to the beach shore North of the main docks in the Piscarilius area of Kourend. Players should also expect to catch roughly 75 to 150 Anglerfish due to the close proximity of a bank and depending on Fishing levels. This method is extremely AFK and can net players up to 18k Fishing Exp and 200k OSRS Gold per hour with the Rada’s blessing equipped.

Dark Crabs (85+)

Although Dark Crabs can be fished beginning at level 85 Fishing, it’s recommended that players complete the Elite Wilderness Diary before doing this method due to the increased catch rate and free access to the Wilderness Resource Area. Players should bring both a Lobster pot and Dark fishing bait to catch the crabs as well as OSRS Gold to note the Dark Crabs (50 OSRS Gold each) inside the area with Piles. Since the Resource Area is in the deep Wilderness, those who dare to travel out there should take three high-defensive pieces of gear to help combat possible player killers. Players can expect to catch roughly 300 Dark Crabs per hour equating to 40k Fishing Exp and 350k OSRS Gold.

Sacred Eels (87+)

After completing the quest Regicide, the Sacred Eels are unlocked. Located in Zul-Andra, the eels are a far less common method for those wanting to make OSRS Gold while also training the Fishing skill. The eels also require level 72 Cooking to dissect them, this gives the player between 3-9 Zulrah’s Scales and between 109 to 127 Cooking Exp per eel. The number of scales received is dependent on the players cooking level. With 90 Fishing and Cooking players can gain up to 21k Fishing Exp, 23k Cooking Exp and roughly 1200 Zulrah’s Scales per hour. At level 97 Fishing, Exp rates can reach up to 26k Exp and 1500 Zulrah’s Scales per hour. This equates to roughly 300k OSRS Gold per hour with level 97 Fishing and Level 99 Cooking.

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