Fishing Bait?

[Deleted]

Is there any need or benefit from having bait equiped when Fishing if you are max level?

[Trucidor]

Yes. According to El's Extreme Angling:

http://www.elsanglin.com/zone_base_fishing_skill.html

Being max level (525) permits you to fish with 0% chance of junk in Dalarn, Sholazar, and Wintergrasp. If you want a 0% chance in other sites, you'll need the following levels (listing only Cata locations):

550 - Deepholm
575 - Mount Hyjal, Vashj'ir
650 - Twilight Highlands, Uldum
675 - Tol Barad

Granted, I'm only 618 (508 base + 30 from epic pole + 80 from fishing hat), and I haven't seen any junk yet when fishing in Tol Barard, Twilight Highlands, or Uldum. So it's not like you'll catch tons of grey trash if you're not at 675...but if you want to be sure, you should use the bait.