Fishing on an ironman does two jobs: it levels a skill and it stocks your bank with food. The OSRS Wiki's ironman Fishing page is honest about the second job. It says the time it takes to catch and cook fish makes Fishing a weaker food source for ironmen than buyable food, such as cooked karambwans, jugs of wine and potatoes with cheese, or Saradomin brews. The one exception it names is sharks from minnows at high level. So the question is not just "what is the fastest XP". It is "which method gives XP and banks something I will eat or use".
This guide follows the wiki's Fishing training page and Ironman Guide/Fishing, plus the Sailing fishing pages and the 2026 update pages, as of 22 October 2026.
The three rules of ironman Fishing
- Quest first. Sea Slug alone takes you from 1 to 24. Three easy quests reach 27 and five reach 33.
- Get the Tempoross unlocks early. The fish barrel, tackle box and spirit flakes make every later method better. Since August 2026 you can buy the barrel and box with spirit flakes if the drops never come.
- Train where XP and supplies overlap. Barbarian Fishing gives Strength, Agility and Herblore caviar. Karambwans, monkfish and minnow sharks fill the bank. Leechfin give blood sacs, infernal eels give onyx bolt tips and lava scale shards, and sacred eels give Zulrah's scales.
Levels 1-33: Quests
The wiki's training page says these quests are a better route than catching fish for the early levels. Sea Slug, Fishing Contest and Freeing Pirate Pete total 10,612 XP for level 27. Tai Bwo Wannai Trio and The Fremennik Trials add 7,812 for level 33.
| Quest | Fishing XP | Fishing requirement | Other requirements |
|---|
| Sea Slug | 7,175 | None | 30 Firemaking (boostable) |
| Fishing Contest | 2,437 | 10 (not boostable) | None |
| Recipe for Disaster: Freeing Pirate Pete | 1,000 | None | Cook's Assistant, 31 Cooking |
| Tai Bwo Wannai Trio | 5,000 | 5 | 15 Agility, 30 Cooking, Jungle Potion |
| The Fremennik Trials | 2,812.4 | None | No skill requirements, but it needs a raw shark, manta ray or sea turtle |
Tai Bwo Wannai Trio matters well beyond its XP. It unlocks karambwan fishing and cooking, Tiadeche's karambwan stall and the smithing part of Barbarian Training. Ironmen also need an agility potion(4) for it: make one at 34 Herblore, get one from Dr Jekyll for a clean irit leaf, or decant 2-dose drops from the skeletons in Tarn's Lair. The Fremennik Trials' raw shark is an early ironman snag: Rufus' Meat Emporium in Canifis sells one, and Frankie's Fishing Emporium in Port Piscarilius stocks 25. Don't burn the raw karambwan Tai Bwo Wannai Trio gives you. The Ironman Guide warns that if you do, you cannot finish the quest until you have 65 Fishing to catch and poison a replacement yourself.
Other quests that reward Fishing XP, from the wiki's quest experience table:
| Quest | Fishing XP | Requirements |
|---|
| Current Affairs | 1,000 | 10 Fishing, 22 Sailing, Pandemonium |
| Heroes' Quest | 2,725 | 53 Fishing, 55 quest points, 53 Cooking, 25 Herblore, 50 Mining |
| Crab Quest | 3,000 | 30 Fishing, 40 Sailing |
| Shadows of Custodia | 3,000 | 45 Fishing, 54 Slayer, 41 Construction, 36 Hunter (all unboostable), Children of the Sun |
| Perilous Moons | 5,000 | 20 Fishing, 10 Construction, 20 Hunter, 20 Runecraft, 48 Slayer |
| Rum Deal | 7,000 | 50 Fishing listed in-game, which the wiki says can be bypassed with 5 karamthulhus from zombie swabs or zombie pirates |
| Land of the Goblins | 8,000 | 40 Fishing, 38 Agility, 45 Thieving, 48 Herblore |
| Swan Song | 50,000 | 62 Fishing, 100 quest points, 66 Magic, 62 Cooking, 45 Smithing, 42 Firemaking, 40 Crafting |
Swan Song is worth planning around: 50,000 XP and the monkfish spots at Piscatoris. Our quest order places it.
Levels 20-35: Fly fishing
A fly fishing rod and feathers from any fishing shop. Trout start at 20, salmon at 30. The Ironman Guide treats fly fishing as the main method from 20 to 58. The general training page adds that, without tick manipulation, Tempoross is faster from 35. Rates from the training page, without the angler's outfit:
| Fishing level | XP/h (AFK, dropping) | XP/h (3-tick) |
|---|
| 20 | 13,000 | 23,000 |
| 30 | 25,000 | 45,000 |
| 40 | 30,000 | 53,000 |
| 50 | 34,000 | 61,000 |
| 60 | 37,000 | 68,000 |
3-ticking means using a herb on swamp tar (or another 3-tick action), then clicking the spot, so you roll for a fish every three ticks instead of five. Where to fish:
- Barbarian Village has a permanent fire beside the spots, so you can cook and drop, training Cooking at the same time.
- Shilo Village is the wiki's pick if you are banking the fish. It needs the Shilo Village quest.
- South-east of Prifddinas' southern gate the spots never move, for about 10% faster AFK rates. It needs partial Regicide.
- Nemus Retreat has a bank by the spots at 24 Agility. Lunch by the Lancalliums, after The Depths of Despair, has spots right next to the teleport.
Our walkthrough's Thieving, Fishing and Mining section runs this stretch at Shilo, banking the fish for Cooking.
Levels 35+: Tempoross
Tempoross is the Fishing boss in Tempoross Cove. It needs 35 Fishing, and the wiki confirms that ironmen get rewards when they fight it alongside other players. There is also a Solo-start option on the boat's rope ladder. You fish harpoonfish, load them into cannons (cooked fish drain more energy), then fish the spirit pool to break its essence. Fires, waves and torrents never damage you. They only cost you tools and fish.
Getting there. Ferryman Sathwood's ferry south of the Al Kharid bank goes straight to the boat. You can also use the pharaoh's sceptre (Jaldraocht), the camulet, the magic carpet to Menaphos, docking at the Ruins of Unkah at 48 Sailing, or the Minigame Teleport to the Sorceress's Garden and a walk west to the ferry. There is no Tempoross minigame teleport.
Rewards for an ironman
Each game gives one reward permit at 2,000 points and one more per 700 points after that. Each permit is one search of the reward pool, and Big-search takes five at a time. The uniques, per permit:
| Reward | Rate | Why an iron wants it |
|---|
| Spirit flakes (32-64) | 40/160 | 50% chance of a second fish per catch, no extra XP |
| Fish barrel | 1/400 | Holds 28 raw fish; or 6,000 spirit flakes |
| Tackle box | 1/400 | Holds rods, harpoons, bait and the angler's outfit; or 6,000 spirit flakes |
| Tome of water (empty) | 1/1,600 | Infinite water runes, +10% water spell damage, at 50 Magic |
| Big harpoonfish | 1/1,600 | Skill hall trophy |
| Dragon harpoon | 1/8,000 | Harpoon upgrade, and the base for the infernal and crystal harpoons |
| Tiny tempor | 1/8,000 | Pet |
About 45 in 80 searches roll the fish table instead, and the fish depend on your base Fishing level when you search, not when you earned the permit. At 50-75 you get salmon to swordfish. At 76-78 sharks join the table, at 79-80 sea turtles, and at 81+ the table is bass, swordfish, sharks, sea turtles and manta rays. The pool stores up to 8,000 permits. If you want food from it, save permits and search after 81.
Spirit flakes also buy things. Flakes 'n' Flotsam, opened by the reward pool on 19 August 2026, sells the fish barrel and the tackle box for 6,000 flakes each. Gita Prymes upgrades each angler's piece to the spirit angler's version for 1,200 flakes, and 3,000 flakes turn a heron into a great blue heron.
Cook or not
Not cooking gives more XP, and cooking gives more points and therefore more loot. The wiki recommends cooking for ironmen and pet hunters, and switching to the infernal harpoon when you have one, because harpoonfish cooked by it are not destroyed. Rates from the Tempoross page:
| Fishing level | No cooking: regular | No cooking: dragon | No cooking: crystal | Cooking: regular | Cooking: crystal |
|---|
| 35 | 30,000 | | | 22,000 | |
| 70 | 62,000 | 66,000 | 77,000 | 52,000 | 58,000 |
| 80 | 65,000 | 69,000 | 85,000 | 56,000 | 62,000 |
| 90 | 68,000 | 72,000 | 92,000 | 60,000 | 66,000 |
With a crystal harpoon at 99, not cooking is 95,000 XP per hour, and the wiki notes over 100,000 is possible solo. Barbarian Fishing's barehanded technique works on the Tempoross spots at the regular harpoon's rate.
Hardcore ironmen
Tempoross cannot damage you, but the wiki lists a death at Tempoross as unsafe. The only ways to die there are self-inflicted damage, poison or venom, so don't bring those in.
Levels 48-99: Barbarian Fishing
Talk to Otto Godblessed in Otto's Grotto on top of Baxtorian Falls and ask about fishing rods. He sends you to search under his bed for a barbarian rod. That heavy rod section is all you need to start. The rest of Barbarian Training (which needs Tai Bwo Wannai Trio and 55 Fishing to complete) is optional for fishing. Bait is fishing bait, feathers, fish offcuts, roe or caviar.
| Fish | Fishing | Strength | Agility | Fishing XP | Strength / Agility XP | Cooking XP (cutting) |
|---|
| Leaping trout | 48 | 15 | 15 | 50 | 5 | 10 |
| Leaping salmon | 58 | 30 | 30 | 70 | 6 | 10 |
| Leaping sturgeon | 70 | 45 | 45 | 80 | 7 | 15 |
The wiki says 3-tick fly fishing or drift nets are faster than Barbarian Fishing until 58, where leaping salmon arrive. From 58 the Ironman Guide calls it the fastest Fishing for most ironmen. Rates from the Barbarian Training page, without the angler's outfit:
| Fishing level | AFK: Fishing | AFK: Strength / Agility | 3-tick: Fishing | 3-tick: Strength / Agility | 3-tick: Cooking (cut-eat) |
|---|
| 48 | 23,000 | 2,300 | 41,000 | 4,100 | 5,400 |
| 58 | 37,000 | 3,400 | 68,000 | 6,300 | 9,300 |
| 70 | 48,000 | 4,400 | 90,000 | 8,200 | 13,800 |
| 80 | 52,000 | 4,700 | 97,000 | 8,800 | 14,800 |
| 90 | 54,000 | 4,900 | 103,000 | 9,300 | 15,800 |
| 99 | 57,000 | 5,200 | 108,000 | 9,800 | 16,800 |
Why this is the ironman method:
- Free Strength and Agility. The Ironman Guide puts it at about 9,000 of each for every 100,000 Fishing XP. Our walkthrough uses it to reach 50 Agility.
- Herblore caviar. Cutting leaping fish with a knife gives roe or caviar (at 80 Cooking, salmon and sturgeon never fail). Banked caviar and sturgeon feed Barbarian Herblore, which adds Herblore XP to most finished potions and cuts down the herbs and secondaries you need for 99. See the Herblore guide.
- Two spots. Drop at the pond next to Otto's Grotto, reached by games necklace or the Barbarian Assault minigame teleport. To bank, use the lake at Mount Quidamortem with the Chambers of Xeric bank chest and a fish barrel.
- 3-ticking. Use herb and tar or a knife on teak or mahogany logs. "Cut-eat" fishing, which cuts the fish and eats the roe to keep the cycle, skips dropping and gives passive Cooking XP. The wiki recommends 80 Cooking for it. As of 14 October 2026 roe's left-click option is Use instead of Eat.
Barehanded fishing is the second Barbarian Fishing section. It needs 55 Fishing and 35 Strength, and lets you harpoon without a harpoon at 20 extra levels: tuna at 55, swordfish at 70 (50 Strength) and sharks at 96 (76 Strength), with a little Strength XP per catch. The pearl barbarian rod from aerial fishing (150 Molch pearls) is an equippable version of the rod.
Fishing and Hunter together
Both methods give more Hunter XP than Fishing XP. The wiki calls drift nets the most efficient way to train the two skills together, and aerial fishing gives similar XP without needing nets, so pick one of these whenever Hunter also needs levels.
Drift net fishing (47 Fishing, 44 Hunter)
Fossil Island's underwater area, after Bone Voyage. Both levels are unboostable. Ceto charges 200 numulites for the day or 20,000 for permanent access. You string drift nets on the anchors and chase fish shoals into them, and each net holds 10 shoals.
| Hunter / Fishing | Hunter XP/h | Fishing XP/h |
|---|
| 44 / 47 | 60,145 | 53,130 |
| 50 / 50 | 71,875 | 57,500 |
| 60 / 60 | 93,150 | 72,450 |
| 70 / 70 | 116,725 | 88,550 |
The table assumes 115 nets an hour. XP per shoal stops scaling at 70 in both skills, and the angler's outfit does not boost it.
Drift net setup (wiki recommendation)
Fishbowl helmet
Diving apparatus
Digsite pendant
Ammo
Merfolk trident
Graceful top
Shield
Graceful legs
Graceful gloves
Flippers
Ring of endurance
The ironman cost is the nets. Each drift net is 2 jute fibres woven on a loom at 26 Crafting, and jute grows in hops patches from 13 Farming. You burn 80 to 110 nets an hour, and Annette inside the area stores up to 2,000 noted nets. The wiki's figure for 44 to 99 Hunter, starting at 47 Fishing, is 12,944 nets, so twice that many jute fibres, for 9,842,153 Fishing XP along the way. The diving apparatus and fishbowl helmet come from the Pirate Pete subquest, and the flippers drop from mogres after Skippy and the Mogres. A trident or a dragon harpoon improves your chance to scare shoals into the nets.
It does not bank much food. You can send each net's catch to the bank for 5 numulites, and lobsters start at 50 Fishing, but each catch also rolls fossils, numulites and a 1/600 medium clue bottle. The heron pet cannot drop here.
Aerial fishing (43 Fishing, 35 Hunter)
Lake Molch: take fairy ring DJR, run south-west and take the boat to the island. Alry the Angler gives you a cormorant's glove for free, and both hands must be empty. Send the bird at a spot with king worms, fish offcuts or fine offcuts in your inventory and it always returns with a catch. Rates from the aerial fishing page at 2,300 catches an hour:
| Fishing / Hunter | Fishing XP/h | Hunter XP/h |
|---|
| 43 / 35 | 26,500 | 38,000 |
| 56 / 51 | 28,900 | 40,400 |
| 73 / 68 | 47,200 | 61,300 |
| 91 / 87 | 74,200 | 98,000 |
| 99 / 99 | 90,000 | 118,300 |
The point for an ironman is Molch pearls. They buy the angler's outfit at 50 pearls a piece, the pearl fishing, fly fishing and barbarian rods (100, 120 and 150), the fish sack (500, which combines with the fish barrel into an equippable fish sack barrel) and shark lure packs. The Summer Sweep-Up on 19 August 2026 raised the pearl drop chance by about 50% and halved the outfit and fish sack prices. It also added frenzied spots, and for 20 pearls Alry will let your cormorant eat fish from your inventory instead of bait. Rada's blessing and spirit flakes double catches here, including the 1/20,000 golden tench, which Alry buys back for 100 pearls. Pearls are not doubled.
Levels 62-99: Methods that fill the bank
Monkfish (62, Swan Song)
Small fishing net at the Piscatoris Fishing Colony (fairy ring AKQ), 120 XP each. Monkfish heal 16, and the wiki says they are caught much faster than sharks for more XP each.
| Fishing level | 62 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 99 |
|---|
| XP/h | 35,800 | 37,000 | 38,500 | 40,000 | 42,000 |
Since 5 August 2026 there is also a boat fishing spot just north of Piscatoris that you fish from a raft. It never moves or depletes and stores the catch in your cargo hold, at 3 to 4 minutes per inventory and similar XP. The training page pairs it with 75 Sailing and the port in the north-west of Piscatoris.
Karambwans (65, Tai Bwo Wannai Trio)
Use a karambwan vessel baited with raw karambwanji, caught with a small net at the Holy Lake (fairy ring CKR), or buy 50 karambwanji from Tiadeche's stall. The spots by fairy ring DKP never move.
Karambwan trip (wiki inventory)
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Karambwan vessel (baited)
100kRaw karambwanji × 100k
Open fish barrel
Rune pouch
A fish barrel makes a full inventory take about 3 to 5 minutes.
| Fishing level | XP/h (with fish barrel) | Karambwans/h (Ironman Guide, no barrel) |
|---|
| 65 | 29,000 | 450 |
| 70 | 31,000 | 484 |
| 80 | 34,900 | 551 |
| 90 | 38,700 | 618 |
| 99 | 42,000 | 677 |
The training page's XP figures assume a fish barrel and say to expect about 10% less without one. The Ironman Guide's catch figures are its pessimistic case, with no barrel, quest cape or outfit. With everything, it says up to 875 karambwans an hour, and a Rada's blessing adds 2% more karambwans per diary tier (but no XP). For banking, the wiki lists the Crafting cape, Karamja gloves 3 or 4, the sailors' amulet to Deepfin Point (67 Sailing) or a ring of dueling, and a quest point cape or POH fairy ring to return. After the elite Lumbridge & Draynor Diary you can wield a dragon harpoon instead of a dramen staff and use its special attack for slightly better catch rates. Since August 2026 a raft spot south of Musa Point also has karambwans, banked at The Pandemonium.
To cook them properly, speak to Tinsay in Tai Bwo Wannai after the quest. Cooking needs 30 Cooking and stops burning at 99, or at 93 in the Hosidius Kitchen (86 with the elite Kourend & Kebos Diary). Tiadeche's Karambwan Stall stocks 10 raw karambwans and has kept a separate stock for ironmen since 2016, so you can top up whenever you pass through.
Minnows and sharks (82, Fishing Contest, angler's outfit)
Kylie Minnow's platform in the Fishing Guild. The guild needs 68 Fishing (boostable), and the platform needs Fishing Contest and the full angler's outfit, or the spirit version, shown to Kylie. Small net, 26.1 XP per catch of 10 to 14 minnows, and 40 minnows trade for one noted raw shark. The spots rotate clockwise every 15 seconds. A flying fish sometimes spawns at a spot after it moves and eats your minnows while you keep fishing there, so check the first tick or two after each rotation. The guild's invisible +7 boost does not apply here.
| Fishing level | XP/h | Sharks/h (no blessing) | Sharks/h (Rada's blessing 4) |
|---|
| 82 | 40,000 | 375 | 405 |
| 85 | 43,000 | 425 | 459 |
| 90 | 45,000 | 487 | 526 |
| 95 | 48,000 | 550 | 594 |
| 99 | 56,000 | 625 | 675 |
Spirit flakes double a whole catch, so a 13-minnow catch becomes 26. This is the method the Ironman Guide names as a solid food source.
Anglerfish (82)
Port Piscarilius, fishing rod and sandworms. Kourend Favour was removed on 10 January 2024, so there is no favour requirement any more. Ironmen buy sandworms at Tynan's Fishing Supplies, or dig them from sandworm castings on the Piscarilius shore at 15 Hunter. Diabolic worms, dropped by Yama, raise the catch chance at 99 from 14% to 40% but cut the XP per fish from 120 to 79.2.
| Bait | XP/h at 82 | XP/h at 90 / 99 |
|---|
| Sandworms | 15,000 | 23,000 at 90 |
| Diabolic worms | 30,000 | 39,000 at 99 |
The land spots move at random intervals, from a few seconds to several minutes, which the wiki calls unreliable for AFK. The boat spot off the Piscarilius foodhall (any boat, docking at 15 Sailing) never moves and gives 6 to 7 minutes per inventory. A crewmate with deckhandiness level 2 in your first crew slot can bank your whole cargo hold at the dock. Anglerfish need 84 Cooking and heal up to 22 at 93 Hitpoints, and they can heal above your maximum.
Infernal eels (80, fire cape)
Inside Mor Ul Rek: show a TzHaar-Ket guard your fire cape. You need an oily fishing rod (blamish oil on a fishing rod, which you can make without starting Heroes' Quest), fishing bait and ice gloves or smiths gloves (i). Smash the eels with a hammer: 29/35 give 14 to 20 Tokkul, 2/35 an onyx bolt tip and 4/35 one to five lava scale shards. The wiki notes this gives hardcore and ultimate ironmen lava scale shards without fighting lava dragons, and clue bottles come at roughly 1/917 to 1/829. XP is 29,700 an hour at 80 and 34,000 at 99, and nothing needs banking.
Dark crabs (85) and sacred eels (87)
Dark crabs are in the Wilderness Resource Area, using a lobster pot and dark fishing bait, which drops from Wilderness monsters. The wiki rates them viable after the elite Wilderness Diary, which more than doubles the catch rate (16% to 34% at 99) and gives free entry. They give around 40,000 XP an hour, and a dark crab heals 22 and needs 90 Cooking. Expect player killers. The fish barrel is always kept on a death to another player in the Wilderness, and an imbued ring of wealth doubles clue bottles there. For a hardcore ironman this is deep Wilderness food, and the minnow sharks heal 2 less without the risk of PKers.
Sacred eels at Zul-Andra need partial Regicide, a fishing rod and bait. Dissect them with a knife at 72 Cooking for Zulrah's scales. Both the scales per eel and the Cooking XP rise with your Cooking level. XP is 20,000 an hour at 87 and 23,000 at 99.
Fast XP at high levels
2-tick harpooning (71+)
Lure two rats west of the Port Piscarilius bank so they hit you two ticks apart. Equip a shortbow with no ammo, turn on Auto Retaliate and click the tuna and swordfish spot on every hitsplat. The wiki calls it the fastest Fishing XP in the game, but adds that getting a crystal harpoon and training this way ends up slower overall than Barbarian Fishing, and that low Agility or Strength accounts should barb fish instead.
| Fishing level | Regular harpoon | Dragon harpoon | Crystal harpoon |
|---|
| 61 | 69,600 | 79,900 | |
| 71 | 78,400 | 91,000 | 101,800 |
| 85 | 90,200 | 104,900 | 116,900 |
| 99 | 103,400 | 120,000 | 132,800 |
With an infernal harpoon, expect 20,000 to 26,000 passive Cooking XP an hour.
Leechfin (78+, The Blood Moon Rises)
Released on 30 June 2026. Enter Vampyrium through the blood portal at Castle Drakan and use a big fishing net at one of the two spots below the Ruined Village. Leechfin swim down the river in the left, centre or right lane, and you angle the net by clicking the tile in front of you. It is a click-every-tick method. Rates assume the angler's outfit and maximum efficiency:
| Fishing level | 78 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 99 |
|---|
| XP/h | 109,000 | 116,000 | 122,000 | 127,000 | 130,000 |
A super fishing potion lets you start at 72 for over 92,000 XP an hour, because the level is only checked when you start fishing. Fishing enhancers such as spirit flakes do nothing here and the fish barrel can't hold leechfin, but the angler's outfit works. Each leechfin cut with a knife has a 1/3 chance of a blood sac, and 50 blood sacs make a vial of blood. Vials of blood are the base for bastion and battlemage potions, charge the Scythe of Vitur and pay the Maggot King grave fee. If you drop mid-wave and cut between waves, the wiki says you keep the full XP rate and also get upwards of 25,000 Cooking XP and 400+ blood sacs an hour.
Sailing and Fishing
Sailing added three ways to fish. See the Sailing guide for boats and levels.
Boat fishing spots (since 5 August 2026)
These spots never move or despawn, the catch goes into your boat's cargo hold, and they have had map icons since 19 August.
| Spot | Fish | Boat | Unload |
|---|
| North of Piscatoris | Monkfish (Swan Song), tuna, swordfish | Raft | Piscatoris port |
| South of Catherby | Lobster, tuna, swordfish | Raft | Not listed |
| North of Musa Point | Mackerel, cod, bass (big net); sharks (harpoon) | Raft | Ardougne port deposit box or crewmate |
| South of Musa Point | Karambwans | Raft | The Pandemonium deposit box or crewmate |
| Off Port Piscarilius | Anglerfish | Any boat | Port Piscarilius dock |
Lantern harpooning (52 Fishing, 47 Sailing)
Any harpoon plus any lit lantern, at spots on The Onyx Crest (47 Sailing), Laguna Aurorae (58), Wintumber Island and Buccaneers' Haven. Swordtip squid (52 Fishing, 55 XP) cook into food healing 15. Jumbo squid (69, 75 XP) heal 17. Crush them into squid paste for haemostatic dressings, or cut them for offcuts with a chance at a squid beak (1/1,024 from swordtip, 1/512 from jumbo) for a self-made wooden blowpipe. The wiki's estimates, banking on The Onyx Crest with the angler's outfit, a crystal harpoon and a fish barrel, are about 20,000 XP an hour at 78 and 30,000 at 86.
Deep sea trawling (69+ Fishing)
Sail over a moving trawling shoal and lower your boat's trawling net to the right depth. Nets need Sailing and Construction: rope at 56 and 45 (shallow), linen at 65 and 61 (moderate), hemp at 76 and 65 (deep) and cotton at 84 and 73.
| Fishing | Shoal | Cooked fish | Heals | Cooking | By-product |
|---|
| 69 | Giant krill | Giant krill | 17 | 69 | |
| 73 | Haddock | Haddock | 18, overheals up to 10 | 73 | Haddock eye for super fishing potions (62 Herblore) |
| 79 | Yellowfin | Yellowfin | 19 and 20% run energy | 79 | Yellow fin for extreme energy potions (66 Herblore) |
| 83 | Halibut | Halibut | 20, combo food like karambwans | 83 | |
| 87 | Bluefin | Bluefin | 22 and 5 Prayer points | 87 | |
| 91 | Marlin | Marlin | 24, the most of any single bite | 91 | Marlin scales for extended stamina potions (85 Herblore) |
Marlin shoals are only in the Northern Ocean, which needs an eternal brazier. The wiki marks its trawling XP figures as incomplete. Its recorded numbers on a sloop with two nets run from 15,000 to 25,000 Fishing XP an hour on giant krill with rope nets up to 37,000 to 43,000 on bluefin with cotton nets. Treat trawling as a food and secondaries method, not an XP method. The angler's outfit does not boost it. Trawled fish also burn far more easily than shore fish: at 80 Cooking, sharks burn 10% of the time and yellowfin 60%. Fish crates, 10 fish each, stretch a cargo hold.
What changed in 2026
- 30 June: Leechfin fishing arrived with The Blood Moon Rises.
- 5 August (Wyrmscraig & Sailing Changes): the five boat fishing spots above.
- 19 August (Summer Sweep-Up: Hunter & Skilling): Flakes 'n' Flotsam started selling the fish barrel and tackle box for 6,000 spirit flakes. Aerial fishing got about 50% more Molch pearls, halved outfit and fish sack prices, frenzied spots and the eat-fish toggle.
- 23 September (Further Gathering Efficiencies): nothing for Fishing training. The Sailing fish now appear in the Hitpoints skill guide's Healing tab, and you can light a fire at the Nex bank to cook.
- 14 October (More Gathering Efficiencies): infernal tools can be recharged before they are empty, and a toggle turns off the infernal harpoon's auto-cooking. That matters to ironmen who want to bank raw fish without carrying a second harpoon. The tackle box now holds a knife and hammer, and roe left-clicks to Use. A same-day hotfix lets you fish with bait stored in the tackle box, covering normal fishing, aerial fishing, crab traps and rod fishing at trawling shoals. Spirit flakes can be stored there but still don't work from inside it.
| Item | What it does | Ironman source |
|---|
| Angler's outfit | +2.5% Fishing XP as a full set (34 Fishing). Not for drift nets or trawling. Required for minnows. | Fishing Trawler (1/12 per missing piece if your contribution reaches 50) or Alry for 50 Molch pearls a piece |
| Spirit angler's outfit | Same XP bonus, and the full set doubles as a rope at Tempoross | 1,200 spirit flakes per piece, plus the angler piece, from Gita Prymes |
| Fish barrel | Stores 28 raw fish until you reach a bank or deposit box. Not harpoonfish, stackable fish or leechfin | Tempoross 1/400, or 6,000 spirit flakes |
| Tackle box | Stores up to 35 kinds of fishing gear and bait | Tempoross 1/400, or 6,000 spirit flakes |
| Spirit flakes | 50% chance of a second fish, one flake per fish, no extra XP. Stacks with Rada's blessing | Tempoross, about 12 per permit on average |
| Rada's blessing | 2%, 4%, 6% or 8% chance of a second fish, no extra XP | Easy to elite Kourend & Kebos Diary, from Elise |
| Dragon harpoon | 20% better catch rate than a regular harpoon (5% at Tempoross). Special attack gives +3 Fishing. 61 Fishing, 60 Attack | Wyrms at 62 Slayer (1/2,000 on task, 1/10,000 off), shadow wyrms (1/2,000), Tempoross (1/8,000) |
| Infernal harpoon | 1/3 chance to cook and destroy each fish for half the Cooking XP. 5,000 charges, toggleable since October 2026 | A smouldering stone (Cerberus, rarely hellhounds) on a dragon harpoon, at 75 Fishing and 85 Cooking, both unboosted |
| Crystal harpoon | 35% better catch rate than a regular harpoon (10% at Tempoross, where 1/3 of fish become crystallised harpoonfish worth 20% more XP). 71 Fishing, 70 Attack, 50 Agility | A dragon harpoon, a crystal tool seed (Zalcano, 39/8,000) and 120 crystal shards at a singing bowl after Song of the Elves, at 76 Smithing and Crafting (boostable), or 180 shards to have Conwenna or Reese sing it |
Is the angler's outfit worth farming? The wiki works it out at 48 Trawler games, about 4 hours 48 minutes, for the full set. It is only worth the time if your main method gives 66,129 XP an hour or less, which rules it out for 3-tick barb fishing, 2-tick tuna or drift nets from 65. You need it for minnows anyway, plus a master clue step and a hard Combat Achievement. If you aerial fish for Hunter anyway, the outfit comes out of pearls you were earning regardless.
Food stockpile for PvM
What matters for bossing is how much a fish heals, whether it combo-eats, and how fast you can stock it. Every fish below is on the wiki's food pages. The sources are the ironman ones.
| Food | Heals | Fishing | Cooking | Where ironmen get it |
|---|
| Cooked karambwan | 18; combo food | 65 | 30 | Karambwan spots after Tai Bwo Wannai Trio, Tiadeche's stall (10 in stock, separate ironman stock) |
| Monkfish | 16 | 62 | 62 | Piscatoris after Swan Song |
| Shark | 20 | 76 (82 for minnows) | 80 | Minnows, Frankie's Fishing Emporium (25 in stock), Tempoross and Trawler from 76 |
| Sea turtle | 21 | 79 | 82 | Fishing Trawler, Tempoross pool from 79 |
| Manta ray | 22 | 81 | 91 | Fishing Trawler, Tempoross pool from 81 |
| Anglerfish | Up to 22 at 93 Hitpoints; overheals | 82 | 84 | Port Piscarilius |
| Dark crab | 22 | 85 | 90 | Wilderness Resource Area |
| Halibut | 20; combo food | 83 | 83 | Trawling |
| Bluefin | 22 and 5 Prayer | 87 | 87 | Trawling |
| Marlin | 24 | 91 | 91 | Trawling in the Northern Ocean |
How to use the table:
- Karambwans are the first PvM food to stockpile. They combo-eat after another food, and the wiki's full combo order is food, then a Saradomin brew dose, then the karambwan. Fish them whenever you want an AFK hour, and buy Tiadeche's ironman stock when you pass through.
- Sharks are the bulk food, and minnows are where they come from. At 82 the wiki's table gives 375 to 625 sharks an hour, more with Rada's blessing and spirit flakes. Top up from Frankie's Fishing Emporium in Port Piscarilius, which also stocks 50 swordfish, 50 lobsters and 50 bass, and from the raw fish rolls in a saved-up Tempoross pool searched at 81+.
- Anglerfish for long fights. At 93 Hitpoints they heal as much as any non-Sailing fish, and they can heal above your maximum.
- Sailing food for late game. Halibut gives karambwan-style combo eating at 20 Hitpoints, and bluefin's 5 Prayer points stretch your prayer potions.
For where the stockpile goes, see the boss order and the Zulrah, Barrows and fire cape guides. The wiki's ironman advice still applies: if you are short on Fishing time, buyable food and Saradomin brews from your own Herblore are real alternatives.
Rare drops for ironmen
Heron
Your chance per catch is 1 in (base chance minus 25 times your Fishing level). For example, anglerfish have a base of 78,649, so at 99 the chance is 1 in 76,174. Some base chances: anglerfish 78,649, sharks 82,243, sacred eels 99,000, lobsters 116,129, rainbow fish 137,739, monkfish 138,583, infernal eels 165,000, karambwans 170,874, tuna and swordfish 257,770, aerial fishing 636,833, leaping fish 1,280,862 and leechfin 1,847,827.
- The wiki names anglerfish with diabolic worms as the fastest heron on average, 2-ticked or not.
- Fishing Trawler ignores your level: 1/5,000 per successful game, up to 1/2,500 with a full contribution bar.
- Spirit flakes do not give an extra pet roll, and shark lures make the heron 4 to 6 times rarer. Drift nets and Tempoross harpoonfish cannot give a heron.
Big fish
Big fish are skill hall trophies. Big bass drop at 1/1,000 per bass, big swordfish at 1/2,500 and big sharks at 1/5,000. The big harpoonfish is 1/1,600 from the Tempoross pool, and the golden tench is 1/20,000 from aerial fishing. Trawling adds the giant blue krill and golden haddock (1/2,000), the orangefin and huge halibut (1/4,000), and the purplefin and swift marlin (1/6,000). Trawling rolls these per successful catch, not per fish. The infernal harpoon will not burn a big fish.
Clue bottles
Clue bottles use the same base chances as the heron, adjusted for your Fishing level and the clue tier. Completing Combat Achievement tiers improves the matching tier by 5%. Rada's blessing and spirit flakes do not give a second clue roll. Infernal eels are the standout at roughly 1/917 to 1/829, drift nets give a 1/600 medium bottle roll per fish, and an imbued ring of wealth doubles bottles while fishing in the Wilderness.
Every method at a glance
| Method | Level | XP/h (wiki) | Banks food? | Key requirements |
|---|
| Fly fishing | 20 | 13,000 to 37,000 AFK (20-60) | Trout, salmon | Fly fishing rod, feathers |
| Tempoross | 35 | 30,000 to 95,000 | Raw fish from permits | 35 Fishing |
| Aerial fishing | 43 | 26,500 to 90,000 | No | 35 Hunter |
| Drift nets | 47 | 53,130 to 88,550 | Optional | Bone Voyage, 44 Hunter, drift nets |
| Barbarian Fishing | 48 | 23,000 to 57,000 AFK; 41,000 to 108,000 3-tick | Caviar for Herblore | Barbarian Training heavy rod section |
| Lantern harpooning | 52 | About 20,000 to 30,000 | Squid | 47 Sailing, a lantern |
| Monkfish | 62 | 35,800 to 42,000 | Yes | Swan Song |
| Karambwans | 65 | 29,000 to 42,000 | Yes, combo food | Tai Bwo Wannai Trio |
| Deep sea trawling | 69 | 15,000 to 43,000 (incomplete) | Yes, plus potion secondaries | 56 Sailing and a trawling net |
| 2-tick harpooning | 71 | 101,800 to 132,800 with crystal | No | Tick manipulation, crystal harpoon |
| Leechfin | 78 | 109,000 to 130,000 | Blood sacs | The Blood Moon Rises, big net |
| Infernal eels | 80 | 29,700 to 34,000 | Tokkul, onyx bolt tips, lava scale shards | Fire cape, oily rod, ice gloves |
| Minnows | 82 | 40,000 to 56,000 | Yes, 375 to 625 sharks/h | Fishing Contest, full angler's outfit |
| Anglerfish | 82 | 15,000 to 39,000 | Yes | Sandworms or diabolic worms |
| Dark crabs | 85 | About 40,000 | Yes | Wilderness; elite Wilderness Diary advised |
| Sacred eels | 87 | 20,000 to 23,000 | Zulrah's scales | Partial Regicide, 72 Cooking to dissect |
- 35 FishingTempoross: fish barrel, tackle box, spirit flakes
- 48 FishingBarbarian Fishing (15 Agility, 15 Strength)
- 58 FishingLeaping salmon (30 Agility, 30 Strength)
- 62 FishingMonkfish after Swan Song
- 65 FishingKarambwans after Tai Bwo Wannai Trio
- 69 FishingDeep sea trawling with Sailing
- 78 FishingLeechfin after The Blood Moon Rises
- 82 FishingMinnows for sharks, and anglerfish
Connect your account in the header to auto-check these requirements.
Suggested path
| Levels | Method | Why |
|---|
| 1-24 (to 33) | Sea Slug, then Fishing Contest and Pirate Pete, then Tai Bwo Wannai Trio and The Fremennik Trials | Skips the slowest levels; Trio unlocks karambwans |
| 24-35 | Fly fishing at Shilo (bank) or Barbarian Village (cook and drop) | Trains Cooking at the same time |
| 35-58 | Tempoross until you have the fish barrel and tackle box (or 6,000 flakes each), saving permits for later. Drift nets or aerial fishing from 43-47 if Hunter needs levels | The barrel and box improve every later method |
| 58-99 | Barbarian Fishing as the backbone, AFK or 3-tick | Strength, Agility and Herblore caviar for free |
| 62+ | Monkfish after Swan Song when you want food | Bankable XP |
| 65+ | Karambwans for AFK sessions and a combo-food stockpile; buy Tiadeche's stock as you pass | The first PvM food to bank |
| 78+ | Leechfin when you want fast XP and blood sacs | Up to 130,000 XP/h |
| 82+ | Minnows for sharks; search the saved Tempoross pool for sharks, sea turtles and manta rays | Food at volume |
| 69-91 (with Sailing) | Trawling for halibut, bluefin and marlin once your Cooking can handle the burn rate | Late-game food and potion secondaries |
The whole path rests on one idea: every Fishing hour should leave something in the bank, whether that is food, caviar, Agility levels, blood sacs or a heron roll.
- The full ironman walkthrough and its Thieving, Fishing and Mining section.
- Herblore guide for Barbarian Herblore and the potions trawled fish feed.
- Sailing guide for boats, trawling nets and mooring levels.
- Boss order for where your food stockpile goes.
- Quest order for Sea Slug, Tai Bwo Wannai Trio and Swan Song.
- AFK training methods for the karambwan and monkfish hours.
- Magic guide for the other half of most ironmen's skilling time.
