Player Achieves Max Fishing Level in Old School RuneScape with Just a Starter Net: “Nothing Matters”

I have to admit, I’ve recently found myself diving back into Old School RuneScape. My journey with the game started way back in 2002 when it was simply RuneScape, and I picked it up again when Old School RuneScape launched on mobile in 2018. Now, I often have it running in a second window on my PC while tackling paperwork or other mundane tasks, usually to fish. Fishing in RuneScape is perfect for multitasking; you just click on a fishing spot and can zone out until your inventory fills up. Is this the best way to experience the game? Probably not, but it gives me a sense of achievement, and I genuinely enjoy video game fishing.

It turns out I’m not alone in this approach. A player named Bosby_ has taken it to the next level, maxing out their fishing skill using only the Small Net, the very first fishing tool you get. This impressive feat took them two full years.

Bosby shared that this wasn’t a waste of time for them. They played in a second monitor setup, allowing for minimal input while fishing in a convenient location near a bank (specifically in Al Kharid) to catch shrimp and anchovies. Once their inventory was full, they would quickly unload and repeat the process. “My average xp/hr was around 3000 given how AFK I was,” they mentioned. “I love having my screen space back, but I’ll miss catching those little water bugs.”

And it didn’t cost them a dime either, as they stuck with a free-to-play account throughout the journey.

For some context, shrimp and anchovies yield very little experience. They’re beginner-level fish, and most players quickly move on to more lucrative catches. This explains why it took Bosby two years and three months to hit level 99. According to their breakdown, they started on May 11, 2024, and wrapped up on August 7 of this year, catching a staggering 275,196 raw shrimp and 257,064 raw anchovies over a total of 4,304 hours.

Congrats on achieving 99 Fishing with just a small net, @Bosby_! ????

Our data team has confirmed your achievement. ????

“This account was a joke idea in my friend group for years before I finally made it,” Bosby shared in a Reddit post. “I initially thought it would just be a funny project, but I ended up having the dedication to see it through.”

In the comments, Bosby faced some skepticism. In response to one critic, they explained that their character would finish fishing “in 20 minutes and then I’d be AFK for 10-20 minutes playing another game before clicking the next fishing spot or bank.”

To another user who remarked, “congrats on something that does not matter,” Bosby simply replied, “Nothing matters.”