AFK Fishing Guide (OSRS)

Last Updated: April 6, 2026

Overview

There are several great AFK fishing methods in Old School RuneScape, each with different requirements, XP rates, and GP potential. This guide covers the best AFK fishing spots, how they work, and which ones are best for both being AFK and making GP.

Quick Summary

Most AFK: Dark Crabs (~10 min AFK) → Karambwans (~4 min) → Eels (~4-5 min)

Best XP: Barbarian Fishing (up to 80k+/hr)

Best GP: Anglerfish (~300k/hr) → Dark Crabs → Karambwans (175-250k/hr)

Having a Fish Barrel will effectively double your AFK time, so it is highly recommended. The barrel is a 1/400 drop from Tempoross. An Angler’s Outfit will increase your Fishing XP by 2.5%. If you don’t have it already, it isn’t worth going out of your way for, but it’s an easy collection log slot and semi-AFK to obtain. If you are on RuneLite, turn on the Idle Notifier so you get a notification when you are no longer fishing.

Barbarian Fishing at Chambers of Xeric

If you are looking for fantastic XP while AFK fishing, a great place to start is at the Barbarian Fishing spots south of the Chambers of Xeric. The minimum requirements are 48 Fishing, 15 Agility, and 15 Strength along with completion of the Barbarian Fishing training. I would recommend starting at 58 Fishing or higher so you can catch leaping salmon which greatly increases your XP rates.

If you are looking to bank the fish, bring your quickest teleport to a bank and use the Xeric’s Talisman to teleport to Xeric’s Honour. If not, you can just drop the fish. The fishing spots don’t move for about 2 to 3 minutes, but dropping or banking takes away from the AFK time. This method is more of a relaxed high Fishing XP method — the upcoming methods are even more AFK.

AFK Time: ~2-3 minutes
XP/hr: 50-80k+
GP/hr: Minimal (most players drop the fish)

Dark Crabs

Dark Crab fishing spots never move and are the most AFK fishing method to get a full inventory. However, they are located in the Wilderness which brings along some risks. The only requirement is 85 Fishing, but this method is only really worthwhile if you have the Wilderness Elite Diary completed — it more than doubles your catch rate and allows free access to the Wilderness Resource Area.

You should take a Wilderness Sword (which allows you to successfully cut through webs every time), a lobster pot, 54 dark fishing bait, and a Fish Barrel. Since the spots don’t move, you’ll have roughly 10 straight minutes of AFK time to fill your barrel and inventory. You can then run back to Edgeville and bank the crabs or pay the NPC Piles 50gp each to note them, although this puts you at greater risk to PKers. The Fish Barrel and its contents are saved on death and the Wilderness Sword can be reclaimed for free, so there is little to no risk if you bank after each inventory.

AFK Time: ~10 minutes
XP/hr: 30-50k
GP/hr: 200-350k

Karambwans

Fishing Karambwans is also fantastic because the fishing spot never moves. The only reason it has a lower AFK score compared to Dark Crabs is because you’ll need to bank more frequently and your banking method can vary greatly. You should have access to Fairy Rings because that is the only viable way to quickly get to the fishing spot.

AFK Time: ~4 minutes
XP/hr: 20-40k
GP/hr: 175-250k (with Fish Barrel)

Eels in Lumbridge Swamp Caves

The final fishing spot that doesn’t move is the eel fishing spot located in the Dorgesh-Kaan Dungeon, right next to Fairy Ring AJQ. Only requires level 28 Fishing, making it the most accessible method on this list. If you feel like banking them, you can use Fairy Ring DJR which is closest to a bank, but dropping them is recommended.

AFK Time: ~4-5 minutes
XP/hr: 20-60k (depending on Fishing level)
GP/hr: Minimal

Monkfish

Monkfish are the classic mid-level AFK fishing method. You need 62 Fishing and the Swan Song quest completed to access the Piscatoris Fishing Colony. All you need is a small fishing net. The bank deposit box is right next to the fishing spots, so trips are super quick. The spots do move here — roughly every 2.5 to 5 minutes — so it isn’t fully AFK like Karambwans or cave eels, but banking trips are much quicker.

AFK Time: ~2.5-5 minutes
XP/hr: 30-45k
GP/hr: 50-100k

Anglerfish

Anglerfish are worth a mention even though the AFK time is wildly inconsistent. They require 82 Fishing and sandworms to catch. Spots can move in as little as 5 seconds or stay in one spot for over 8 minutes. If you can deal with the variance, they could be a solid option — the XP isn’t great but the GP is the best on this list.