Unless you have x-ray vision, it’s hard to know exactly what’s inside wall and ceiling cavities. That’s why fishing a cable, like any fishing expedition, takes time, patience and a certain amount of trial and error. Keep in mind that studs and joists are typically spaced with 14½ or 22½ inches between them. Taking time up front to figure out how your house was put together can save lots of work later on.
With patience and luck, you can bring cable to the site of your new outlet without chopping a bunch of unnecessary holes in your walls and ceilings. But in some situations, surgery can’t be avoided. Any cable fishing calls for one or a combination of these techniques.

Run Cables From Above
If you have an unfinished attic, you can probably route cable from there to an outlet in the wall immediately below. Locate the wall’s top plate and bore a ¾-inch hole through it. Thread fish tapethrough the hole into the wall and have a helper yell when the hooked end of the tape reaches the wall opening. Your helper might need a coat hanger to grab the tape.
Connect cable to the fish tape, then reel in the tape and cable. Cut the cable so that 7-12 inches protrudes from the opening.
If the tape hits something about half-way down the wall, you’ve encountered blocking nailed horizontally between studs. To get cable through a stop, you’ll need to open up the wall there and notch the blocking.

Run Cables From Below
If your basement has an unfinished ceiling, you can run cable from there to a first-floor wall outlet. Drill a 1/8-inch locator hole at an angle through the floor next to the baseboard. Shove a coat hanger into the hole, then go to the basement and mark a point under the wall 2¼ inches from the locator hole. Drill a ¾-inch hole here straight up through the subfloor and wall plate.
You can probably just push cable up through the larger hole to the wall opening. If pushing doesn’t work, try fishing from above. Cut the cable so that at least 7 inches protrude from the opening.

Run cables Across Joists and Studs
Sorry about the mess and extra work, but the only way you’re going to get cable past studs and joists in finished walls and ceilings is by making strategically located holes in the surface, then notching or drilling the framing.
In plaster (top) open up the ceiling along the entire cable run, and remove parallel strips of lath. Bore ¾-inch holes through the joists. After running the cable, patch the opening with strips of drywall.
With drywall (bottom) make an opening at each framing member and cut a ¾-inch notch into its edge. After cutting the notches, run the cable and shield it at each notch with nail plates. Patch the holes.

Run Cables for a Ceiling Light
First, thread fish tape from the new ceiling outlet down a wall to an existing receptacle. Make an opening at the juncture of the wall and ceiling as shown. Notch the wall’s top plate to accommodate the cable. After you run the cable, protect it with nail plates.
In this example, cable from the receptacle to the switch and from the switch to the light was notched into wall studs behind the baseboard.
The Pros Say: If you have lots of corner notches to cut, consider renting a reciprocating saw. Its replaceable blades can get into spaces where nothing else will saw. Use your wood chisel only as a last resort, because you’re bound to hit a few nails.

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