The Underlight Angler Guide: How to Get WoW's Best Fishing Pole

The Underlight Angler is a Legion-era artifact fishing pole that remains the single best fishing rod in World of Warcraft, even multiple expansions after its introduction. Unlike most Legion artifacts that became cosmetic relics, the Underlight Angler retains its unique fishing traits and abilities, giving its wielder permanent advantages that no other fishing pole can match. If you are serious about fishing in WoW, getting this pole should be your top priority.

What Makes the Underlight Angler Special

The Underlight Angler is not just a fishing pole with better stats. It is a fully fledged artifact weapon with its own trait tree, multiple visual appearances, and unique on-use abilities. Here is what sets it apart from every other fishing rod in the game:

• Undercurrent — Transforms you into a fish, allowing you to swim at dramatically increased speed and breathe underwater indefinitely. This alone makes it worth the effort.
• Surface Tension — Grants water walking while the pole is equipped. No class ability or consumable needed.
• Better Luck Next Time — Chance on every catch to reel in a bonus item, including rare fish, crafting materials, and even artifact power (during Legion) or other valuable items.
• Empowered trait tree — Multiple upgradeable traits that increase fishing skill, catch rates, and the power of the above abilities.
• Multiple appearances — Including hidden and achievement-based skins that change the pole's visual appearance.

No fishing pole released since Legion has come close to matching this functionality. Blizzard has seemingly chosen not to power-creep past the Underlight Angler, making it a permanent best-in-slot item for fishermen.

How to Unlock the Underlight Angler

Getting the Underlight Angler requires completing a specific chain of tasks centered around the "Bigger Fish to Fry" achievement. Here is the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Level Fishing in Legion Zones

You need to have your Legion fishing skill at a reasonable level to catch the rare fish required for the achievement. You do not need to max it out first, but having at least 100 Legion fishing skill makes the rare fish much easier to catch. You can level Legion fishing in any Broken Isles zone.

Step 2: Complete "Bigger Fish to Fry"

This is the core requirement. The "Bigger Fish to Fry" achievement requires you to catch 18 different rare fish across the Broken Isles. Each rare fish is zone-specific and has specific conditions that increase its catch rate:

Step 3: Obtain the Luminous Pearl

After completing "Bigger Fish to Fry," you will notice a Luminous Pearl appearing as a rare catch when you fish in the Broken Isles. This pearl is a quest item that starts the final chain to obtain the Underlight Angler. Pick it up and follow the quest to Dalaran, where Nat Pagle will guide you through the final steps.

Step 4: Complete the Dalaran Quest Chain

Nat Pagle sends you on a short quest chain that involves fishing in a specific location beneath Dalaran. After completing these quests, the Underlight Angler is yours. The quest chain is straightforward and should take less than 30 minutes once you have the Luminous Pearl.

Empowering the Underlight Angler

Once you have the pole, it starts at a base level with limited traits unlocked. To fully empower it, you need to earn Artifact Power specifically for the pole. In the current game, this is done by catching rare fish — each rare fish you catch while using the Underlight Angler grants artifact power that goes directly into the pole's trait tree.

The trait tree includes the following upgrades:

Hidden Appearances

The Underlight Angler has several visual appearances that change how the pole looks when equipped:

• Base Appearance — The default look when you first obtain the pole. A glowing blue-green fishing rod with luminous accents.
• Fisherfriend of the Isles — Earned by reaching Best Friend reputation with all the Broken Isles fishing NPCs (Akule Riverhorn, Corbyn, Ilyssia of the Waters, Impus, Keeper Raynae, and Sha'leth). This is the most time-consuming appearance to unlock.
• Vengeful Anglerfish — Unlocked by catching 100 rare fish with the Underlight Angler equipped. This tracks across all rare fish types.
• The Bone Fishing Pole — An alternative bone-themed appearance. Unlocked through a specific rare drop while fishing in certain Broken Isles zones.

Is It Worth the Grind in 2026?

Absolutely. The Underlight Angler remains the best fishing pole in the game, and there is no indication that Blizzard plans to replace it. The water walking trait alone saves you from needing consumables or a specific class to walk on water while fishing. The fish transformation for fast swimming is invaluable for pool-fishing routes. And the bonus catch chance from Better Luck Next Time adds up to significant extra value over hundreds of hours of fishing.

The grind to obtain it is also much easier now than it was during Legion. Fish are easier to catch at higher fishing skill levels, the Broken Isles are not crowded with players competing for pools, and the artifact power requirements have been simplified. Most players can complete the entire process in one to two dedicated weekends of fishing.

If you use tools like FishBot for automated fishing, the Underlight Angler becomes even more valuable. Its passive bonuses — extra catches, water walking, and increased fishing skill — all work seamlessly during automated sessions, amplifying your gold per hour without any additional effort.

Quick Start Checklist

Here is a condensed checklist to get your Underlight Angler as efficiently as possible:

1. Travel to the Broken Isles (Dalaran - Legion version)
2. Learn Legion fishing from the fishing trainer in Dalaran
3. Level your Legion fishing skill to at least 100 by fishing anywhere in the Broken Isles
4. Begin catching rare fish in each zone for the "Bigger Fish to Fry" achievement
5. Use zone-specific baits when you catch them — they dramatically increase rare fish catch rates
6. Complete all 18 rare fish for the achievement
7. Continue fishing in the Broken Isles until the Luminous Pearl drops
8. Turn in the Luminous Pearl to Nat Pagle in Dalaran
9. Complete the short quest chain to receive the Underlight Angler
10. Fish with the pole equipped to earn artifact power and unlock traits
11. Prioritize Undercurrent and Surface Tension traits first

The Underlight Angler is one of those rare items in WoW that has stood the test of time. While most gear becomes obsolete within a patch or two, this fishing pole has remained the gold standard for over eight years. Whether you fish casually or run marathon sessions for gold, the Underlight Angler is the single most impactful upgrade you can make to your fishing setup. Get it, empower it, and you will never need another fishing pole.