The top spots for members can be narrowed down to these:
Catching Anglerfish at Piscarilius (Highest profit per hour) Catching Monkfish at Piscatoris (Highest exp per hour) Catching Karambwans in Karamja (A mix of good exp and profit) Catching Sacred Eels at Zul-Andra (Most afk, least walking)
On the other hand, the options are far narrower as a free player, but they exist nonetheless. So the better F2P spots for AFK fishing are:
Fishing at the Corsair Cove Resource Area Fishing at Musa Point in Karamja
Both areas are perfectly fine, but it’s suggested that anyone who’s completed both “Dragon Slayer” and “The Corsair’s Curse” to use the Resource Area. Before we start talking about each spot, I’d like to take a moment to say that I don’t consider fly/barbarian fishing to be afk activities due to the amount of “effort” they require (compared to everything else here), but I’m also not going to stop you from doing them if that’s what you truly want.
Best AFK Fishing Spots (Members)
Catching Anglerfish at Piscarilius
The first place we’re visiting today are the sandy shores of Port Piscarilius. Just a few steps south-east of the bank, you can whip out your fishing rod and start catching some anglerfish. If money’s what you’re after, then anglerfish are the right place for you, since they’re the best afk-fishing money maker in the game right now. Unfortunately as far as experience goes, they’re not all that great, sitting around at only 17-18K exp per hour. To start catching anglerfish you’ll require 90 fishing, along with a normal fishing rod, some sandworms to use as bait (sold from the nearby shop), and 100% favour with house Piscarilius.
Catching Monkfish at Piscatoris
On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got netting for monkfish at the Piscatoris fishing colony. This activity is the best afk fishing experience per hour that you can get, but you’re going to make less money than from doing anything else listed here. You can start catching monkfish using a small fishing net after completing the master quest “Swan Song”.
Catching Karambwans in Karamja
Serving as a “middle point” between the top end of possible experience and profit, we’ve got the good ol’ karambwans. The great thing about these friendly octopi, is that unlike (almost) every other fishing spot in the game, theirs never moves! That means you can click once, forget about it, go do something else for a couple of minutes, and come back to an inventory full of karambwans. In order to catch karambwans, you’re going to need the following things:
A Karambwan Vessel Some (or a lot of) karambwanji to use as bait Completion of the quest “Tai Bwo Wannai Trio”. Partial completion of “Fairytale 2” for optimal banking by using fairy rings.
Catching Sacred Eels at Zul-Andra
The last afk-fishing method worthy of note, is fishing up some sacred eels at Zul-Andra (fun fact, it’s also my personal favourite spot). What makes catching these slimy little noodles the absolute perfect afk activity for me, is the minimal amount of walking that it requires. The usual pattern when fishing anything can be essentially boiled down to “fill inventory with fish, run to bank, store fish, repeat”. Unlike other fish, the end goal with these eels isn’t to cook them, but to dissect them through the use of a knife, and getting all the precious Zulrah Scales that they’re hiding inside. Since the scales themselves are stackable, there’s no need to run to a bank, so you can continue fishing until you run out of bait, or you get bored (whichever comes first). Another unique thing about them is that doing this method will not only earn you about 20k experience per hour in Fishing, but Cooking as well (from dissecting the eels). Catching these water snakes requires completion of “Regicide”, as well as a fishing rod and some bait. Do note that if you don’t meet the requirements, the infernal eels at Mol-Ul-Rek are a decent substitute.
Best AFK Fishing Spots (F2P)
Fishing at the Corsair Cove Resource Area
As we mentioned earlier, afk fishing in free to play isn’t all that great or varied as it is for P2P. Your options are between two areas (Musa Point in Karamja, and the Corsair Resource area) that share the exact same unremarkable types of fish – those being lobsters and tuna/swordfish. The locations themselves aren’t all that different when it comes down to “banking efficiency”. But I’d advise anyone that wants to do less clicking to choose the Resource area. You’re going to want to catch lobsters until you’re around 70 Fishing, where at that point tuna and swordfish become slightly better (and continue to do so with each level up).
Extra Tips for Optimal AFK-ing
Here are a few bonus things that you should definitely know before starting your fishing adventures:
The Dragon harpoon’s special attack can be used to temporarily boost your fishing level by 3. Wearing the full Angler Outfit will boost all fishing experience earned by 2.5%. Having a Rada’s Blessing equipped provides a 2 to 8% chance of doubling your catch (depends on the tier). This can be acquired from the Kebos and Kourend achievement diary. Spirit flakes are items from Tempoross that have a chance to provide an additional fish upon consumption. Consider using these when catching the more profitable fish like anglerfish. Lastly, a Fish Barrel can be used to store an additional 28 raw fish while in your inventory, essentially doubling the time before having to bank.
