Nobody brags about fishing gold, which is exactly why it stays good. In TBC Classic, Highland Mixed Schools in Terokkar Forest quietly feed two evergreen markets at once — and the competition is a fraction of any elemental farming spot.
What the schools actually drop
Highland Mixed Schools around the Skettis lakes yield Golden Darter and Furious Crawdad — the fish behind Golden Fish Sticks and Spicy Crawdad, the healer and physical DPS food buffs that every raid consumes weekly. On top of that, pure water pools in Nagrand and Zangarmarsh drop Motes of Water, feeding the Primal Water market without fighting the Elemental Plateau crowd.
The realistic hourly rate
- Focused school-hopping in Terokkar: 60-100g per hour depending on realm food prices.
- Mote pools: slower but stack with herb routes since you fly past them anyway.
- Raid-night listings routinely add 20-30% to fish prices — sell Tuesday, not Sunday.
Why it beats its reputation
Fishing needs no gear, no spec and no attention span: a laptop evening in front of a series pays for the week's flasks. The skill cap is knowing school spawn cycles around the Skettis lakes and having the patience to relocate instead of waiting. Level fishing on the way with the Outland dailies and the profession costs you nothing but line.
The ceiling is real
To be honest about it: fishing will never match a sweaty primal farmer's hourly, and it cannot sprint toward a 5,000g goal. It is background income for people who like calm — the players funding epic flying on a deadline either combine it with dailies or simply buy the shortfall and keep fishing for the pleasure of it. Both are correct.