Analysis, Discussion and Tips for Success

General Discussion

Rocktail are one of the two new high-level fish added to the game as part of the Living Rock Caverns update. They are caught in that dungeon using a fishing rod and special bait: living minerals.

…Rocktail are the single best food in the game: they heal 230 LP in one bite, and can also temporarily raise your LP total to as much as 100 points above its nominal level.

…Rocktail also provide the most Fishing XP of any option in the game. These two attributes make rocktail both the most in demand food in the game, and one of the most popular training choices.

The Living Rock Caverns are a dangerous place, patrolled by level 120 and level 140 rock guardians. These monsters are aggressive, but only if you get within one square of them; thus, they can usually be avoided, but you must be prepared to deal with them. For this reason, unlike normal fishing activities, you need at least decent combat skills here; the cavern is not recommended for level 3 "skill pures" (I've seen them try and they die often.)

Location and Access

The Living Rock Caverns are the only place in RuneScape to catch rocktail. There is no bank there, only a deposit box, so be sure you have everything you need before setting out.

…I recommend taking with several granite lobster pouches if you plan to stay for a long time.

For easiest access, bank in Edgeville. Run northwest, then west and south, past the Prayer Guild and towards Ice Mountain. Go south, cross the bridge into the area where the dwarves are, and continue until you see a ladder heading down to enter the Dwarven Mine.

Once in the cavern, head south, past the bank deposit area, and continue until you see a lot of players fishing; the rocktail shoals are large circles in the water and are easy to spot.

Required and Recommended Equipment

You need a regular fishing rod to catch cavefish. As mentioned above, there are aggressive monsters near the fishing spots here, so you also need decent combat gear;

…dragon or granite is fine, no need for Barrows. I also recommend a pickaxe, so you can mine living minerals from any monsters you kill (or others, since

…players often don't mine their kills). You can then use the minerals for your fishing.

…Also keep your eyes peeled for noted ores and other goodies that players leave on the ground.

Required and Recommended Supplies

You need living minerals as bait, one per catch. You can get these from the living rock creatures, as described above, or you can buy them on the Grand Exchange.

Familiar Suggestions

Use the granite lobster to increase your effective Fishing level and forage some nice extra sharks and some swordfish, also getting you a little bonus XP.

Technique and Tips

First of all, there is a distinct advantage to being on a full world in this dungeon, because the more people there are, the less the chance of you personally being attacked. I recommend logging in to World 2, especially if you plan to fish for a while. During busy times this can take a few minutes, but it is worth doing.

The large number of players in busy worlds who are catching rocktails usually means there's little chance of getting attacked. If you do, decide if you want to fight or not; if you don't just run to a different fishing spot and usually you can get out of range of the rock-tossing guardians.

Note that it is possible to start fishing rocktail at level 85 using admiral pies, or level 87 using fish pies or fishing potions. I recommend at least level 87 with admiral pies or level 89 with fish pies / potions, because

..if you just barely boost up to 90, you'll spend most of your time eating or drinking and will waste a lot of money.