The official Old School Runescape X account has responded after a player managed to get their Fishing skill up to level 99 catching only shrimp and anchovies.
Fishing is an integral part of the Old School Runescape experience. There are several different tools players can use to catch fish or other marine critters, such as various types of fishing rods, harpoons, lobster traps, and much more.
One of the first tools players get in the game is a small fishing net, which, you guessed it, can only be used to catch small prey like shrimp, minnows, monkfish and anchovies. It can’t catch anything larger than these species, and it can only be used at certain fishing spots throughout the world (not counting swamp lizards and salamanders when used with a rope).
As players progress, they’ll obviously want to upgrade their equipment to catch more fish and level up their Fishing skill faster… but one fan rejected these methods in favor of a far more difficult path.
A player named Bosby challenged himself with the task of maxing out his Fishing stat by catching only shrimp and anchovies, the lowest-level fish in the entire game. He started an account aptly named OnlyShrimp99 on May 11, 2024, and worked tirelessly over the next two years to achieve his goal, which necessitated the use of a Smal Fishing Net, given that shrimp can’t be caught any other way in the game.
He explained the process over on Reddit, revealing that he put a total of 4,304 hours into the project, which officially ended on August 7, 2026.
for the last 2 years and 3 months i have been leveling a runescape account by fishing only shrimp, the lowest level fish. tonight, i hit 99 pic.twitter.com/EfooGQuKqq
— Bosby!!! (@Bosby_) August 8, 2026
“This account was a joke idea in my friend group for years before I finally made it. I started out thinking it would just be something funny to do, and ended up having the dedication to see it through,” he wrote. “Across the span of this account I started a new job, got married, and made lots of friends.
“All in all, this was a fun second monitor project, and I met a lot of cool people at the Al Kharid fishing spot. My average experience per hour was something like 3,000, given how AFK I was. I relish having the screen real estate back, but I will miss catching those lil’ water bugs.”
Players must accrue 13,034,431 Fishing points to reach level 99. Shrimp reward players with 10 Fishing points each, while anchovies give them 40; Bosby caught 275,196 raw shrimp and 257,064 raw anchovies over the course of two years and three months to reach that number. What’s more, he banked them all, keeping them in storage to commemorate his journey.
— Bosby!!! (@Bosby_) August 9, 2026
Bosby’s unusual achievement quickly went viral on social media, even drawing the attention of the official Old School Runescape X account, who created a special image of a shrimp using the game’s signature polygonal style to reward him for his efforts.
“Congrats on the only small net 99 Fishing, Bosby! Our data team has verified your accomplishment,” they wrote.
“This artwork is incredible. Thank you!” he replied.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME https://t.co/eJqw8CZa6t
— Bosby!!! (@Bosby_) August 10, 2026
While Bosby isn’t sure what his next big AFK project will be, he did mention using bronze daggers to reach level 99 Smithing. We’ll have to see if he actually ends up going through with it, though.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
