Deep sea trawling/Strategies

Due to an update, the information in this article may be out-of-date. Reason: Some parts are likely out of date with the various sailing changes (ex: experience rates, reordering boat interface options no longer needs a plugin You can help improve it by updating the information.

Deep sea trawling is a Fishing and Sailing activity which is more intensive than traditional fishing, by chasing fish shoals out at sea with a boat to catch deep sea fish. Fishing and Sailing experience per hour are very poor for an intensive activity, but the quantity of deep sea fish obtained per hour is much higher to compensate for the amount of effort required, especially with better boat facilities.

As such, deep sea trawling is chiefly used to acquire high-value fish in bulk that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Players will need a minimum of level 69 Fishing to trawl fish shoals, but 83 (the level needed to catch raw halibut) is recommended instead as the limited utility of the low level deep sea fish makes them largely impractical for the effort required.

Players are also recommended to have at least level 65 Sailing, as that is the level required to operate a linen trawling net, the lowest tier of net with adjustable depth. It is possible to use a fishing rod to catch deep sea fish from shoals, requiring fish offcuts or fine fish offcuts as bait, but is never recommended due to the rod's lower catch rates in comparison to trawling nets.

Players can expect approximately 15,000 Sailing experience per hour and 25,000 Fishing experience per hour operating their own boat. Less Sailing experience will be received using another player's boat, but crews of players will operate more efficiently. Higher experience rates can be achieved if the player uses the active trawling method (2 tick).

The best type of boat to use for deep sea trawling is the sloop, due to its dual hotspots for trawling nets (the skiff only offers a single slot) and more hotspots to build additional facilities on. Higher-tier core boat parts are also advantageous to consistently stay within range of fish shoals, as well as for taking damage from aggressive sea creatures that reside in certain stops within a shoal's route, but have a lower priority to build than trawling-centric facilities.

Trawling sloop example setup

• Trawling nets - The main facility for deep sea trawling. The linen trawling net is the lowest level net recommended, but higher tiers are recommended as they increase the base max amount for fish caught per successful catch.
• Chum stations - An optional facility that can cut fish into regular fish offcuts or fine fish offcuts as well as spread them, though spreading fine offcuts - which are used to bait higher-tier shoals - require an advanced chum station or better. Chum stations can also cut multiple fish per action, making obtaining offcuts (and herblore secondaries) much quicker than cutting them normally.
  • Baiting fish shoals multiply the fish caught by 20% per successful catch. One offcut is used per stop.
• Kegs - A keg filled with trawler's trust will provide a 5% chance to obtain an extra fish per successful catch. This chance is rolled independently from spreading offcuts, allowing a maximum of two extra fish per successful roll on top of the base max amount provided by trawling nets. With a cotton trawling net, players can obtain up to 7 fish per catch.
  • Players may also build a keg of kraken ink stout if space is available for increased chances of ocean encounters.
• Wind catcher - Though not strictly necessary, they are convenient to use for certain shoal routes where they move at higher speeds. For bluefin and marlin shoals, they are mandatory in order to always stay in range of them.
• Crystal extractor - Optional to increase Sailing experience per hour.
• Fathom stone/pearl - Because the movements of each shoal are cyclical in nature, fathom stones/pearls are completely optional, though they can be convenient when starting a trip or resuming one after having taken a break.

The angler's outfit does not work for trawling, and as such there is no recommended outfit. Fishing enhancers such as Rada's blessings and spirit flakes also have no effect.

Aside from regular fish offcuts or fine fish offcuts (which can be acquired on the go anyway with the appropriate chum station), players are highly recommended to bring empty fish crates as these will drastically lengthen a trawling trip, as a stack of crates only take one one space in the cargo hold and can store 10 fish per crate, effectively allowing the player to store up to 10 times their cargo hold's capacity in fish. When emptying a trawling net into the cargo hold with empty fish crates stored inside, the crates will automatically be filled, with any remainders stored as normal.

Players trawling shoals whose routes pass through aggressive sea creatures should also bring as many repair kits as they deem necessary. Valuable items may also be brought to be used when a giant clam is encountered.

Players looking to trawl efficiently will need three crewmates:

• Net operator - Crewmates operating a trawling net will always attempt a catch every 5 ticks (3s) compared to 3 (1.8s) by the player, then rolling a 4% chance to determine whether the catch is a success. Deckhandiness levels do not play a part in catch rates, only whether they can operate the trawling net or not.
• Spreading offcuts - A crewmate with at least level 2 Deckhandiness should be utilised as this is required for them to operate the advanced chum station.
• Navigator - A crewmate to move the boat around is advised as the player should always be operating the trawling net.

The most convenient halibut shoal is located near Port Roberts due to the proximity of the sailors' amulet teleport, a shipwright to transport and repair your boat, and a shoal route passing directly by the dock.

Bluefin shoal routes go past Sunbleak Island and Buccaneers' Haven; the former has fewer aggressive NPCs along its route while the latter is more readily accessed from Port Piscarilius or Lunar Isle. Both benefit from constructing the bank chest space on the island.

Marlin shoals can only be found in the Northern Ocean, and as such requires an eternal brazier to be built. The Weissmere moves at a slower pace than the Brittle Isle shoal, but has one stop in which armoured kraken are found.

The following plugins are available for RuneLite which must be installed from the Plugin Hub, which can be accessed from the Configuration button (wrench icon on sidebar), then clicking the Plugin Hub button (right-most plug icon).

This plugin will do the following:

• Highlight the 6x6 space the shoal occupies, allowing players to better estimate whether they are in range of the shoal
• Marks the entirety of the shoal's route
• Displays a timer (in ticks or seconds) on top of the shoal indicating when the net's depth must be adjusted, and when they will resume moving.
• Shows the current depth of the shoal
• Highlight the trawling net if they're at the wrong depth or are full
• Display the amount of fish in the trawling net
• Highlight the relevant buttons in the Sailing Options interface to adjust net depth

Runelite players can reorder the Sailing Options for the boat they are currently on after installing the plugin "Sailing Reorderer" and right-clicking the Sailing Options icon, then selecting "Enable Sailing Panel Reorder". This allows players to have the navigation controls, both nets, and the wind boost prioritised so that players do not have to scroll down the interface for those activities.