Until very recently, with patches 2.3 and 2.4, fishing was a skill mainly taken up by those players aching to relax. Casual questers who couldn't play for hours and be all business, or raiders looking to escape the pressure, took to their favorite remote and beautiful areas with a rod, some music, and a <DND> tag.

In my small and tight-knit guild, fishing often meant story time. While I was feeling Zen fishing from the Forgotten Coast, another guildmate was storming the shores along Stranglethorn Vale, and we would exchange anecdotes and gossip. We took pleasure in our secret source for cloth, leather, ore and greens, as well as fish for alchemy, and helped finance our level 40 mounts through fishing.
Still, many players, if not most players, seemed to find fishing boring, slow and annoying. Fortunately, fishing has never been necessary for any character if it does not provide pleasure. Even cooks, who stood to benefit the most from fishing, could work around it, and push through any rough patches by buying small stashes of certain fish from other players.

Of course, now that fishing is more lucrative, its secrets more widely known, more people have shown an interest. As cooking became more important, so did fishing, not because you couldn't maximize cooking without it, but because some of the best buff foods are made with fish. Those who need a constant supply can't rely on the auction house.

Recently, Robin Torres wrote up some tips to leveling fishing at level 70, and this week, Insider Trader is taking an in-depth look at maximizing your fishing skill. For the inside scoop on reaching 375 as quickly as possible, or as profitably as possible, head on through the break.

There are two types of methods of reaching a skill of 375 that we'll be exploring this week; that of the fastest, and that of the most lucrative. If you are intending to speed through this at level 70, the fastest method is going to be incredibly boring for you, but it will get you to the finish line sooner.

Equipment and preparation:
The right equipment will help you level faster, earn more money from fishing, and generally have a less frustrating angling experience. Let's take a look at some of the easily obtained bonuses, and will not include items gained from winning the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza, or from the new fishing daily quests:

Fishing poles:
The [Big Iron Fishing Pole] can be acquired quite easily from shellfish traps in the ocean next to Shadowprey Village, a Horde outpost, in the Desolace. It may take you quite a few tries, and you will want underwater breathing potions or buffs. This is bind on equip, so you can snag it at auction if you feel you must. If you're Horde, you can actually get the quest Clam Bait, which sends you out to open the shellfish traps.

The next comparable pole that can be acquired by either faction is [Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole]. You'll need at least 200 fishing skill and a level of 62 or higher, as this bad boy is the reward of a quest in Lower City called Rather Be Fishin'.

If you are Horde, there is a Horde-only quest in the Hinterlands called Snapjaws, Mon! Obtained at Revantusk Village from a troll on the docks, successful completion will grant you the bind on pick-up, [Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000]. The Alliance cannot obtain this fishing rod.

Enchants:
You may want to have an enchanter grant you [Enchant Gloves: Fishing] for the duration of your leveling. If you don't want to replace your existing enchants, purchase a green from the auction house and get that enchanted.

Lures:
The two best lures are [Aquadynamic Fish Attractor] and [Sharpened Fish Hook]. The attractors can be purchased from fishing supply vendors, although they are of limited quantity. Many engineers can also make them, so you may find them on the auction house, or over trade channel. Be prepared to supply your own [Bronze Bars] x2, [Coarse Blasting Powder], and especially [Nightcrawlers] if need be.

[View Remaining 18 Paragraphs]