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A GREAT DESTINATION
ETERNAL
INDIA
encyclopedia
ANGLING
Fishing in the sub-continenet offers the angier a Variety of
sport not available in many parts of the world. The settings vary
'from the majestic Himalayan valleys with snow-fed streams and
the high altitude lakes to the coastal regions of the Arabian Sea and
the Bay of Bengal.
Angling in India can be classified into Mahseer (Barbus Tor)
fishing, Trout fishing and Sea fishing.
The Barbus Tor, popularly called the Mahseer or the Tiger of
the Indian rivers, is one of the largest freshwater fish and one of
the greatest fighting fish in the world. It is natural to Indian lakes
and streams and can attain sizes upto 5 V
2
ft and weight over 50
kgs.
Mahseer is genrally found in the rivers of the Terai regions of
the Himalayas, the Shivalik hills in the north and the river Kaveri in
the south. The Mahseer is found where the river speeds through
narrow gorges and spills over into a rocky bed. the larger fish are to
be found above large rapids and in the pools below the falls.
The areas where the Mahseer can be found are : River Jhelum
(Jammu & Kashmir) below the Wular lake on the Sopore-Rampur
stretch 80 kms from Srinagar. Permits can be had from the Jammu
& Kashmir Fisheries Department in Srinagar. Best period May-
June and September - October. River Beas (Himachal Pradesh and
Punjab). From Dehra Gopiur upto Pong Dam Reservoir. Below
the Pong Dam at Talwara (Punjab). Harike barrage on the
Ferozpur Road. Permits can be had from Fisheries Officer at
Dehra or Director of Fisheries, Palampur. Best period February -
May and September-October. River Ganges. Stretch above Tehri
(10 kms). Beasghat — approached by an 8 km trek from Kuriala on
the Rishikesh-Devprayag Road. Gangalehri — stretch of the river
where the river Son meets the Ganges. Permits for all these
regions can be obtained from the Uttar Pradesh Fisheries
Department at Dehra Dun. Best period September-November and
February-May. River Bhoroli (Arunachal Pradesh). The river is
fished between Tipee and Bhalukpong as it flows through the
Balipara reserved forest. Permits can be had from the Fisheries
Department at Tezpur. Best period October-April. River Manas
(Assam). Permits can be had from the Fisheries Officer at
Gawahati. Best period October-April. River Kaveri (Karnataka).
Located 2 V
2
hours by road from Bangalore. The Kabini River
Lodge provides lodgings. Permits can be had from the Karnataka
Fisheries Department at Bangalore.
Unlike the Mahseer, the Trout is not indigenous to Indian
Waters. It was introduced into various predetermined lakes and
rivers in various parts of the country. The Trout is found in all high
altitude streams and lakes. The major Trout waters in Kashmir are
River Sindh, River Lidder, River Bringhi, Kokernag, Verinag, and
the high altitude lakes, the average altitude of which is around 3000
metres and approachable by one to three-day treks. The Tarsar
and Marsar lakes are approached from Pahalgam while the Kish-
engar, Vishensar, Gadsar and Gangabal lakes are approachable
from Sonmarg, Gund or Nichnai. The Trout season in Kashmir falls
between March and October; In the Nilgiri Hills in South India the
Rainbow Trout can be fished in numerous streams 30 to 70 kms
from Ooty which are specially reserved for Trout fishing. Permits
can be had from the Assistant Director of Fisheries at Udhaga-
mandalam (Ooty). Unlike in Kashmir both fly (wet and dry) and
spinning is permitted in these streams. Other Trout waters in India
are in Kulu (Himachal Pradesh). Sea fishing as a sport has not yet
been fully developed in India, but there is a good variety of game
fish off the coasts of India like Baracuda, Mullet, Perch, Tuna,
Marlin, Blue Marlin, Sail Fish and Sear. On the west coast, at Goa,
Mangalore, Cochin and Trivandrum, it is possible to charter a sea
going mechanised boat. The Lakshadweep islands off the Kerala
coast in the Arabian Sea is rich in game fish like Sharks, Baracuda,
Blue Marlin, Sear, Kulvel etc. In the state of Orissa on the east
coast the Chilka lake which is connected by a narrow opening to the
Bay of Bengal, offers facilities for fishing Tuna and several other
fish.