There are a variety of secondary professions in World of Warcraft that offer you ample opportunities to build up gold and enjoy the numerous other aspects of the game. It acts as a supplement to your standard two primary professions and is considered a perfect compliment to hunting skills, allowing you to dig through the numerous aquatic realms of the game.
Of the many possible creatures you can catch while fishing some can be consumed raw while many others must be cooked first to fully appreciate their many characteristics. Not only can characters consume fishing spoils, but they can be fed to your pets as well. You can also find numerous alchemy reagents and treasure chests while fishing, making the profession one of the most rewarding secondary professions in the game.
Getting Started
You'll need to be at least level five to get started with fishing. The first step is to find a fishing trainer. Near the trainer, you'll find a beginner's fishing pond to help you get started. There are numerous trainers throughout the world corresponding to your race and the city you're in, listed below:
Humans-Goldshire
Taurens-Lake North of Bloodhoof Village
Dwarves and Gnomes-North of Brownall Village
Orcs and Trolls-Sea South of Sen'jin Village
Undead-Lake East of Brill
Night Elves-Waters around Darnassus, Lake South of Dolenaar, Sea close to the boat dock in Rut'Theran Village.
For those that are not starting out, but have been playing for many levels and have just decided to get started in fishing, you can go to any of the above listed areas and start learning. You can fish in any faction or area so long as your fellow players don't take umbrage with your presence.
Leveling Up
There are about 20 to 48 hours of leveling involved in fishing, a feat you can easily even out over the course of your character's career. It has often been joked that you can level out your fishing ability at 150 while still level 10 and then attack using your fishing pole.
Fishing is an easy, well rounded secondary profession to help you earn a little extra gold in the game. To be a complete master, you'll be putting in upwards of 48 hours of time but when you do you will have reached level 300 and can visit the waters of Azshara to find the Essence of Water. When you find this item, you can easily resell it for as much as 5-8 gold a piece. For those with the patience and skill, you can make a lot of money in the long run through fishing.