These days, every MMORPG has a fishing minigame. The trend started back in the day with console games like Ocarina of Time and continues with one of the big open-world games of the present day. World of Warcraft is one of the most expansive MMOs of all time, and every character can take on the rewarding profession of Fishing.
One of three secondary professions in the game, Fishing has gone through some minor changes over the course of three expansions, but the fundamentals remain the same. One of those lasting features was the rare and wonderful items that players can find through Fishing. This doesn't refer to the unique prizes that come from completing the daily quests but the neat stuff that only comes from the end of a hook.
7 Mr. Pinchy's Magical Crawdad Box
This item's name is a reference to the classic The Simpson's episode in which Homer adopts a lobster that he bought from the supermarket as a pet. For those players that are trying to get the Salty Achievement, it's only required to fish up the box, not find the pet.
Find the magical crawdad box by fishing in schools anywhere in Terrokar Forest and make three wishes. Most wish for the Mr. Pinchy non-combat pet. Not every box that gets fished up has the crustacean within, but there's always something useful to be gained even if it's not Mr. Pinchy. It is possible to have more than one magical box in the inventory at a time.
6 Weather-beaten Journal
Players who have been trained in gathering professions like Mining and Herbalism can find those resources using the yellow dots on their minimap. There's a similar ability for fishers called the "Find Fish" ability but it's not learned from a trainer. The only thing that can teach a character this skill is the Weather-beaten Journal, and the only way to find this item is through fishing.
Fishing in a school often yeilds other things besides fish, such as crates, bags, or chests. The Weather-beaten Journal randomly appears as part of the loot from crates, and although it's bind-on-pickup the crate won't be, so it is possible to send this to another character before looting it.
5 The Northrend Turtle Mount
The motely collection of neat stuff that can only be found through fishing has to include a mount. The Sea Turtle is found in Northrend and its abilities are unconventional, but it's still one of the most sought-after mounts in the game, especially among maxed-out players who spend most of their time in this sprawling frozen continent.
The Sea Turtle mount can only be found by fishing in schools and never appears in open water. It doesn't fly, and only moves at normal speed on land, but it's a much better swimmer and is extra fast in water.
4 Gahz'ranka
Zul'Farrak was a raid unlike any other in the game. It was an open-concept dungeon with some impressive gear, fun quests, and creative boss fights. One of those bosses, Gahz'ranka, could only be summoned by a player with a maxed-out fishing skill using a Mudskunk Lure.
The Mudskunk Lure is made using 5 mudskunks, a type of fish that are only found in the swampy waters of Zul'Farrak. Before joining the raid, make sure Nat Pagel has already taught the character how to make these via a quest and ensure that everyone is ready before dropping a line.
3 The Lurker Below
Somebody liked the idea of a boss that responds to a bobbling lure so much that they decided to repeat the idea with a raid in Outland. The Lurker is one of the bosses in Serpentshrine Cavern, one of the raids in Outland, and unlike Gahz'ranka in ZF, this boss isn't optional and virtually always kills the character that summons him.
Fishing up the Lurker is one of the meta-Achievements called "The Lurker Above" and it's needed for the Salty title. It's possible to reach this location solo, but the player still has to be part of a raid to get in. This is easier to complete in the retail version of the game when being part of a raid group isn't required.
2 The 47-Pound Grouper
There are actually several of these groupers and they range in size from the twenties and up. All of them are items of common quality that can be fished up vritually anywhere in Old Azeroth. Other than being a running joke about how fishers are always comparing the weight of their biggest catches, it has a few situational uses.
Hunters can feed them to pets, which is always handy, but there aren't any grouper recipes that the players can use for themselves. It can be equipped as an offhand weapon, so characters could use it for an RP or fishing outfit. The biggest variety, the 68-pound grouper, is one of the possible catches that qualifies for a meta-Achievement required for the Salty title, "The One That Didn't Get Away."
1 The Rare Stranglethorn Contest Fish
For those that enjoy the weekly fun and violence that is the Stranglethorn Fishing Contest, there are certain rare fish that also award the participant with prizes even if they don't fill the tasyfish quota before anyone else.
There are three rare fish that only appear during the contest; Brownell's Blue Striped Racer, Keefer's Angelfish, and the Dezian Queenfish. Turn them in and get either a hat, boots, or high-quality fishing line.
World of Warcraft is available on PC