Catching Four Tiny Carps

First off, I just want to make it clear that the spots that I managed to fish up the four Tiny Carps are not "magical" locations. These pets have a chance to drop from multiple areas and in different ways. These just happened to work for me. Try what feels best for you. :)


I finally managed to fish up all four carp companions! Of course the image above was edited, and you can't have four pets out at once. :P

For those interested in the spots that I fished each one up and how many fish were caught, here are the details (in the order that they were caught):

Tiny Green Carp

- Valley of the Four Winds, on the dock where Fish Fellreed stands.
- 203 fish caught, not including missed casts or crates, all in one sitting
- open water fishing, no pools
- Bonus fishing items: +30 fishing pole, Weather-Beaten Fishing Hat and the +75 lure attached to it

Tiny Blue Carp

- Vale of Eternal Blossoms, the lake directly west of the Alliance hub (Shrine of Seven Stars).
- 144 fish caught, not including missed casts or crates, all in one sitting
- open water fishing, no pools
- Bonus fishing items: +30 fishing pole, Weather-Beaten Fishing Hat and the +75 lure attached to it

Tiny Red Carp

- Townlong Steppes, the lake northwest of Niuzao Temple.
- total of 1255 fish caught, not including missed casts or crates, spread out across 2 days and multiple sessions
- open water fishing, no pools
- Bonus fishing items: +30 fishing pole, Weather-Beaten Fishing Hat, Captain Rumsey's Lager, +100 lure, Sharpened Tuskarr Spear
- See notes below

Tiny White Carp

- Kun-Lai Summit, the water south of the Temple of the White Tiger.
- total of 2475 fish caught, not including missed casts or crates, spread out across 2 days and multiple sessions
- open water fishing, no pools
- Bonus fishing items: +30 fishing pole, Weather-Beaten Fishing Hat, Captain Rumsey's Lager, +100 lure, Sharpened Tuskarr Spear
- See notes below

Notes on fishing up the Tiny Red Carp
This pet seems to give many collectors (but not all) quite a bit of challenge. According to El, it can be fished up in multiple locations, as well as from both open water and pool fishing. However, after reading a couple success stories with finding this pet near the Niuzao Temple, I decided to stick with that area.

If many settled on that area as well, but still have had no luck, there are a few factors that might be affecting the catch rate. El lists these in-land waters near the temple require a minimum of skill of 725 fishing for a "no-junk" catch rate (see El's chart for fishing skill required for Townlong Steppes). Recently, junk items fished up were replaced with Golden Carp, so it's hard to actually tell if having 725 skill or above is actually working. You'll find that Golden Carp will still be the majority of the fish you're pulling in.

I have great faith in El's findings, however, and believe that by having 725+, excessive Golden Carp was left out of my catches. In El's guide to catching these fish pets, it should be noted:

"If you catch excess Golden Carp, a proportion of your casts cannot possibly catch a Tiny Carp, so your overall chance of catching a Tiny Carp is lower."

During my first few hours fishing in the waters near the temple, I overlooked this fact, and my fishing skill was just under 725. My first 500 fish or so caught was without using any buffs to increase my skill above the minimum needed for no-junk catches. Once I discovered this new piece of information, though, I quickly added in more items to boost my skill high enough so I could avoid excess Golden Carp catches.

After that my next session with 725 skill yielded no pet after 421 fish caught. The next day, I went back to the same spot, used the same bonuses to boost my fishing skill, and 317 catches later I had my pet!

So I guess if you discount my experience without the proper skill level, the total number of fish caught before I found the Tiny Red Carp was about 738, give or take a few.

Notes on fishing up the Tiny White Carp
Perhaps I was just one of the unlucky ones, or maybe the location I chose was especially tough, but this pet gave me the most trouble out of all of these new fishies.

This pet can also be fished up in various locations, both from pools or open water. I went with the water near the Temple of the White Tiger. Perhaps I have a thing for temples? lol

Anyway, much like fishing in the waters near Niuzao Temple, the area around the White Tiger temple also has a minimum fishing skill "requirement" for no-junk catches. This skill is 750 (see El's chart for fishing skill required for Kun-Lai Summit), and at that point and over, excess Golden Carp shouldn't find their way into your bags. Keep in mind that the majority of fish will still be Golden Carp. That's just the nature of the waters.

It took 2 days and a few sessions each day to finally fish up the White Carp. I switched to various other spots, such as Jade Forest locations, in hopes that I would have better luck. In the end, I stuck with my guns and kept at it near the temple. It may not have been the best choice since I constantly had to maintain 750+ fishing while there, so that meant keeping an eye on my fishing buffs and reapplying them constantly. Other locations for the White Carp require a lower minimum skill for no-junk catches, and are probably "easier" for that reason.

Things to Keep In Mind
- Although there is a minimum skill for no-junk catches, it's entirely possible to fish up these pets without meeting those skill points. It's up to each person to determine how they want to go about it. If you feel a higher skill level will help, by all means, go for it! It couldn't hurt. :)

- These pets can be fished up from open water fishing AND pools of fish.

- Using the Ancient Pandaren Fishing Charm might increase your chances, but only if you fish from pools. This item doesn't help when fishing from open water.

- The pets will appear as secondary catches in the loot window (even if you aren't using the fishing charm).

- As El mentioned, if you're looking to catch just the pets, open water fishing might be more effective than hopping from pool to pool. The travel time combined with having to aim your cast perfectly to land into the pool eats away at time spent actually fishing up things.

- For those with limited inventory space, fishing from pools will yield quite a few Sealed Crates while open water fishing will yield less. These crates don't stack. When opened, can fill up your bags pretty quickly and eat up time if you choose to go mail/vendor the items from the crates.

Advice For Fishing Up the Tiny Carps
Honestly, the best advice is to just stay persistent, be patient, and keep trying. Also being aware of any details associated with the location you're fishing helps too! Find out about the skill level that's best for that area, or if the zone you're in is considered part of another zone and isn't the right spot. Research goes along way in prepping you for the long haul. :) Don't make the same mistake I did and wait 500+ fishes later before realizing I was catching too many junk-fishes!

Other than that, just enjoy the experience. I know it's not the most fun thing to do, and some hate fishing completely, but think of how amazing it will feel to finally fish up these BoP, untradeable pets! Whenever you summon it out to fly alongside you, you'll be making a statement. You underwent hours of fishing to obtain the pet (or got very lucky!), and it's an accomplishment you should be proud of. :)