hunters did not use venonstrike pre-BC, infact it wasn't buffed and turned into a blue until end of 2007, it was a weak green bow prior to that
many used engineering guns, timmy's peashooter or WSG bow . horde had a killer green bow
Bow of Plunder - Item - World of Warcraft from questline in hillsbrad area where you got deadskull shield, the bow had highest damage of any ranged in the bracket. your XP had to be extremely managed to get it, you had to be run thru the area for all the discovery XP at about 16 or prior also.
horde only: screecher belt, trailblazer boots, seal of sylvannas,
Bow of Plunder - Item - World of Warcraft
bothsides: feet of lynx, talbar mantle (shoulders), devaite scale belt, leggings of the fang w/libram +8int or, +8 agi, or +8stam, or +100hp applied by higher level thru trade. most had eng goggles with libram enchant, because fishinng hat was hard to get. with the level of STV mobs, along with fishing requirement of the area, 19's cap on fishing skill at the time, a +100 lure, +5 pole and +2 glove enchant you were very bordeline at catching fish. fishing in schools required same skill as catching stuff in the area not in schools
alliance only tunic of westfall, seal of wrynn, ammo quiver with higher haste/ranged speed from duskwood questline
AGM was really hard to get and many rolled without one. and used minor recombulator
XP was also a issue that kept players from being able to fish in STV due to discovery or getting a AGM.