Aerial Fishing OSRS: Molch Pearls, Shark Lures and ~1M GP/hr

The Short Answer

Aerial fishing is a Fishing and Hunter activity on Molch Island, in the middle of Lake Molch just west of Great Kourend. You need 43 Fishing and 35 Hunter, no quests, and empty weapon, shield and hand slots so Alry the Angler can give you a cormorant. Every catch gives Fishing and Hunter XP and rolls for a Molch pearl, and one pearl buys a pack of 100 shark lures from Alry's shop.

That pearl-to-lure trade is where the money comes from. The wiki's money making guide assumes about 2,200 catches an hour at 99 Fishing and 99 Hunter, which works out to roughly 44 pearls, or 4,400 shark lures. With lures at around 240 gp each on 12 October 2026, that is about 1M gp an hour after tax. At the minimum levels pearls drop at 1 in 66.6 instead of 1 in 50, so the same number of catches gives closer to 33 pearls.

• Requirements: 43 Fishing and 35 Hunter. No quests.
• Location: Molch Island, reached by boat from the north, west or east dock of Lake Molch.
• Start: talk to Alry the Angler with your weapon, shield and hand slots empty.
• Profit item: Molch pearl, spent on a shark lure pack (100 lures) at 1 pearl each.
• Bait: king worms or fish offcuts, about one every 3 to 4 catches, until you pay 20 pearls so the cormorant eats whole fish.

Why Aerial Fishing Is Worth Knowing

Most skilling money methods are either decent XP with a few alchables or decent GP with poor XP. Aerial fishing gives you both: two skills on one click loop, plus a tradeable product you can sell in bulk. At 99/99 the wiki puts it at about 86,000 Fishing and 113,000 Hunter XP an hour on top of the lure money.

It also fits into a wider skilling GP plan. If you are comparing passive and active options, pair this page with our OSRS Skilling Money Making Guide and the level-sorted OSRS Money Making Guide 2026.

• Dual XP: Fishing and Hunter on the same click loop.
• Clear cash path: Molch pearls into shark lure packs.
• Higher Fishing and Hunter both raise your pearl chance.
• Upgrade path: spend 20 pearls once so the cormorant eats fish instead of bait.

Aerial Fishing XP Rates

Which fish you catch depends on your Fishing and Hunter levels, boosts included. The wiki's XP table below assumes 2,200 catches an hour and leaves out Cooking XP from cutting fish, which lowers your catch rate anyway.

Rada's blessing and spirit flakes work at aerial fishing, golden tench included, but they do nothing for Molch pearls. If you only care about GP, they are not worth bringing.

How the Money Loop Works

Three numbers decide your profit: catches per hour, pearl chance and the shark lure price.

1. Catch creatures at Lake Molch with the cormorant (baited until you buy the whole-fish upgrade).
2. Each catch has a 1 in 66.6 to 1 in 50 chance of a Molch pearl, scaling with your Fishing and Hunter levels.
3. Spend each pearl at Alry the Angler's Angling Accessories on a shark lure pack of 100 lures, then sell the lures on the Grand Exchange.

Molch Pearls: Drop Rate and What to Buy

Molch pearls come from aerial fishing catches and from trading a golden tench (a 1 in 20,000 catch) to Alry for 100 pearls. They are untradeable, so you cannot buy or sell them. The 19 August 2026 update raised the rate by roughly 50%, which is why older guides still quote 1 in 100 to 1 in 75.

Your chance uses X = (Fishing × 2 + Hunter) ÷ 3, boosts counted. At 43 Fishing and 35 Hunter it is about 1 in 66.6, and at 99 in both it is 1 in 50. Rada's blessing and spirit flakes do not change it.

Every pearl spent on the outfit or a rod is 100 lures you did not sell. On a money account, buy the 20-pearl upgrade first and put everything after that into lure packs.

Getting to Lake Molch

Lake Molch sits in the Kebos Lowlands just west of Great Kourend, with Molch and the Farming Guild to the north-west, the Lizardman Settlement to the south and Mount Quidamortem (Chambers of Xeric) to the south-west. Molch Island is the island in the middle, and you reach it by boat from the docks on the northern, western or eastern shore.

Fastest routes to a dock

• Fairy ring DJR (Chasm of Fire): run west for the northern dock, or south-west for the eastern dock.
• Kharedst's memoirs or the Book of the Dead to Shayzien: run west to the eastern dock.
• Skills necklace to the Farming Guild: run south-east through Molch to the western dock.
• Any Rada's blessing to Kourend Woodland, then the Lovakengj Minecart Network to C: Shayzien West for the eastern dock.

If you are still unlocking Kourend teleports, fairy ring DJR or the Farming Guild run are the simplest. Arrive with your weapon, shield and hand slots already empty so you can take the cormorant straight away.

Setup: Cormorant, Bait, and Inventory

Starting the activity

Speak to Alry the Angler to get a cormorant and a cormorant's glove for free. Your weapon, shield and hand slots must be empty. Once you have the bird, send it at the fishing spots around the island. Unlike falconry, every catch succeeds.

Bait choices

The cormorant eats one bait every 3 to 4 catches. King worms can be picked up around the island, but a stack of fish offcuts is the usual choice. Cutting your own fish with a knife makes bait and gives a little Cooking XP, yet the extra clicks cut your catch rate, and catch rate is what drives pearls.

20-pearl quality-of-life unlock

A one-off payment of 20 Molch pearls lets the cormorant eat fish from your inventory, so you never need bait again. On an account that will spend many hours here it pays for itself quickly. If you only plan a short session for lures, bank the pearls instead.

• Empty weapon, shield and hands before claiming the cormorant.
• Bring a stack of fish offcuts unless you own the whole-fish unlock.
• Skip cutting fish on the island if you want maximum catches.
• With a full inventory, normal fish are discarded, but golden tench, pearls and clue bottles drop to the floor. Keep a free slot.

Catch Strategy: Ticks, Distance, and Frenzied Spots

Profit tracks catch volume. The cormorant's flight time is the main delay, so the closest spot is almost always the right click.

Frenzied spots

Sometimes a spot turns frenzied. Sending the cormorant there repeatedly catches a fish every 3 ticks until it runs out. Take frenzied spots first unless a normal spot is within 4 tiles of you.

Practical click order

1. Stand where several spots can spawn close to your tile.
2. Clear spots within 2 tiles first.
3. Take frenzied spots unless a normal spot is 4 tiles or closer.
4. Fill gaps with 5-tile spots and ignore anything further while closer spots exist.
5. Keep movement and inventory clicks to a minimum so you stay near the 2,200 catches an hour benchmark.

Turning Pearls into Profit

At Alry the Angler's Angling Accessories each pearl buys one shark lure pack of 100 lures. At about 44 pearls an hour that is around 4,400 lures per hour of catching, before banking and shop trips.

Shark lures are bait for raw sharks. They raise the catch chance and shorten each catch, but heavily reduce the Fishing XP per shark, so they suit people fishing sharks for cash rather than XP. They also drop from some bosses and chests, so aerial fishing is not the only supply.

• Check the shark lure price before a long grind.
• Buy the 20-pearl whole-fish unlock first if you plan more than a few hours here.
• Bank pearls in bulk, then convert them in one shop visit.
• Compare your lure GP per hour with other methods in our high-level money making guide when prices dip.

If you want a Hunter method with a different loop, see the Hunter Rumours money making guide. Aerial fishing is the better pick when you want Fishing and Hunter XP together with a sellable product.

Practical Checklist Before You Start

1. Check you have 43 Fishing and 35 Hunter.
2. Unlock a route to a Lake Molch dock (DJR, Shayzien memoirs or book, Farming Guild, or Rada's blessing plus minecart).
3. Empty your weapon, shield and hand slots and get the cormorant from Alry.
4. Bring fish offcuts unless you already own the whole-fish unlock.
5. Practise close-spot and frenzied-spot priority for 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Time an hour and count pearls; compare with 33–44 per hour.
7. Convert pearls to shark lure packs and price-check lures on the GE.

FAQ

What level do you need for aerial fishing?

43 Fishing and 35 Hunter, with no quest requirements. Higher levels unlock common tench (56/51), mottled eel (73/68) and greater siren (91/87), and raise your Molch pearl chance.

What do you actually sell from aerial fishing?

Shark lures. Molch pearls are untradeable, so you spend each one on a shark lure pack (100 lures) at Alry the Angler's shop and sell the lures. The catches themselves give Fishing and Hunter XP.

How often do Molch pearls drop?

Between 1 in 66.6 and 1 in 50 per catch, depending on Fishing and Hunter levels. At about 2,200 catches an hour that is roughly 33 to 44 pearls. A golden tench (1 in 20,000) trades for another 100.

Is cutting fish for bait worth it?

Usually no if you care about GP. Cutting adds Cooking XP and free bait but lowers catches per hour. Buy fish offcuts, or pay the 20 pearls so the cormorant eats whole fish.

Do I need empty hands every trip?

You need weapon, shield and hand slots empty to get the cormorant from Alry. Keep that in mind when you teleport in wearing a weapon.

Where should I go after this method?

Compare it with other non-boss options in the skilling money making guide. If you would rather have the Fishing levels done for you, see our Fishing training service.

Related Guides

• OSRS Fishing Guide 1–99: AFK, Fast XP and Profit
• OSRS Hunter 1–99 Guide
• OSRS Skilling Money Making Guide
• OSRS Hunter Rumours Money Making Guide
• OSRS High-Level Money Making Guide
• OSRS Money Making Guide 2026: Best Methods by Level
• Skills hub · Gold · Reviews

Bottom Line

Aerial fishing is a simple Lake Molch loop: cormorant catches, Molch pearls, shark lure packs. Your rate comes down to Fishing and Hunter levels for pearl chance, bait discipline and always clicking the closest or frenzied spot. Use 2,200 catches and 33 to 44 pearls an hour as your targets, then let the lure price decide whether it beats your other skilling options.

Play it for the double XP and steady lure output, and re-check the lure price on the wiki before you plan a multi-hour session.