In June, I wrote about a World of Warcraft player who'd spent years buying up, and occasionally catching, 10 million of a specific fish, assembling one of the smelliest collections in the entire MMO. A few days after that article was published, another World of Warcraft player emailed me. "If you ever want to see an actually insane Warcraft FISHING (not [Auction House]) collection, let me know," he said.
"I would love nothing more than to see this fishing collection," I immediately replied.
Folks, I was not prepared for the rabbit hole that followed. Screenshots. Spreadsheets. Dead websites. YouTube videos from 2009. And now it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the legend of Salty Neuport, who might be the best fisherman in World of Warcraft, if not the entire storied history of MMORPGs.
I didn't have the skills to be the best at PvP, and didn't have the time to be the best at PvE; but I could become the greatest fisherman of all time.
Neuport
Neuport, formerly Marlboru, wears the Salty title, which is unlocked by completing WoW fishing achievements, with both pride and a rare sense of authenticity. I don't know if you could find a saltier dog in all of Azeroth. In screenshots shared with GamesRadar+ – our hero said he "got a fishing itch" while on vacation and logged into WoW to send them – Neuport reveals a staggering 14,354 hours played. He estimates that 80% of his playtime – that's over 11,000 hours – has been spent fishing, and his skill log shows 944,143 fish "and other things" caught to back it up.
"Probably the only non-bot on my way to 1 million," Neuport tells me.
Neuport's introduction to fishing will feel relatable to any current or former broke PC gamers. "I wasn't a 'day 1' player, but when I started in Vanilla (original WoW), I was a broke college kid. I could BARELY afford the subscription, so I certainly couldn't afford to upgrade my computer. Back then, if I tried to go into the biggest cities (like Orgrimmar) the game basically became unplayable. That's when/why I started fishing pretty heavily, it didn't tax my computer to the point I couldn't play/talk with my friends back home. I just stayed in one place and listened for the sound.
"I continued fishing because I learned rather quickly that I didn't have the skills to be the best at PvP, and didn't have the time to be the best at PvE; but I could become the greatest fisherman of all time. Now that's all well and good, but I'd be remiss if the greatest NPC fisherman in the game (Nat Pagle) didn't boil down my love for fishing in one simple quote. 'If you ask me, the best part about fishing is its slow pace. It gives one time to think, to reflect on past events and to plan for future ones. Oh, and it's also a great excuse to drink. Heavily.'"
Neuport says he doesn't fish much in real life, and "Stardew Valley is the only [other] game I've gone insane in fishing." (He's not the only one.) I asked about the sheer amount of time he's put into WoW, and into fishing, and he was quick to respond: "Well as I always say, there's a VERY fine line between fishing and standing on the shore!"
In 2009, Neuport, or Neuport211 on YouTube, uploaded a video titled "Warcraft Fishing Museum." It's exactly what it sounds like: a walkthrough of, even then, a massive and impressive collection of catches. In 2012, the "Ultimate Fishing Museum" followed. He is still working on the latest installment.
The real fishing is tucked away in a spreadsheet that Neuport has updated like the saltiest scholar to ever scrawl. Around 500 fish and by-catch are logged with reference numbers mapped to a screenshot archive. Images of Neuport's bank and build gank reveal an ever-growing treasure trove of sea creatures. He has outfits, mounts, pets, and toys just for fishing. It's a time capsule of tackle, with multiple nods (and archived links) to now-defunct WoW fishing site El's Extreme Anglin'.
Anyone who knows me asks, 'Have you caught that fish yet?' It's literally been an almost 10-year battle.
Neuport
"I have every fishing achievement done except two from War Within (I don't have an alt army that can help me do it faster)," Neuport explains.
Two stories stand out in Neuport's memory. On November 13, 2008, the day Wrath of the Lich King was released, he finished the Accomplished Angler achievements to claim his Salty title. "You literally can't get an earlier date," he says. "The Coin Master required you to get to Dalaran/flying mount which was nearly impossible day 1. A good IRL friend was a Mage and he was one of these people that raced to max level - he ported me into the city. I would have NEVER done it myself - I just cared about fishing (rogues can sneak around to any fishing spot), and leveled at my own pace.
Then we get to the true White Whale: "One That Didn't Get Away," a fishing achievement that challenges players to "catch one of the rare fish in the list below." All of them are extraordinarily hard to find, some easier than others. Neuport, you've probably guessed, wants to catch all of them. He has one left: the 52 pound Redgill – which he actually needs to catch again.
"This fish/final checkmark is a HUGE reason I still play this game," Neuport says. "Anyone who knows me asks, 'Have you caught that fish yet?' It's literally been an almost 10-year battle.
"I caught the 52 pound Redgill on [November 8, 2010] (wasn't even that hard). Back then, you could only get one checkmark on the achievement. Before the achievement tracked it, I got in my head to catch ALL pound fish (not just the biggest ones) for a fishing 'museum.' The 2012 Fishing Museum video shows the completed collection (which is why I recorded it). The 2009 video was missing a few pound fish, including four of the ones in this achievement. Even that was insane for the time!
I would consider her my only fishing equal.
Neuport
"With the achievement tracker I HAD to catch nearly all of them again. Which I did - except this one!
"I have put out over 50k casts in a couple locations in the last seven years - even opened multiple GM Tickets over the years. I think it's bugged, they assure me it is not. I cannot, and will not, release a new Fishing Museum video until this is completed. I'm almost done with War Within; once I am, I'm going back to fishing for this. The day I catch this thing will be the end of an era in more ways than one."
Neuport says "There are VERY few people with all the check marks" for One That Didn't Get Away. "I don't know if anyone who still plays does," he adds. He tips his hat to another player, Enarka, seen saying "she 'hates' me" in one screenshot because "I was well on my way to catching them all in 2010 and was WAY ahead of everyone. I don't know if she still plays (I don't remember her in-game name), but I would consider her my only fishing equal. Enarka created one of the best Wow Fishing guides on WOWHead. An Angler's Journey: The Extreme Angling Collection Guide."
Despite his Redgill battle, Neuport says the most challenging fish in World of Warcraft are the "103 Pound Mightfish/22 Pound Lobster because it's the only two fish in the 'One That Didn't Get Away' achievement that are caught in the same place."
As for Neuport's own tip for fishing? "Stand closer to pools," he says. "Everyone stands too far away. The second tip is just be patient, the best fish take at least 5k casts.
"Every place I've ever fished in requires patience, that's a skill in itself. In games we're all just pressing buttons... I just choose to press mine to fish."
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