Immortalized
in the stories of Jim Corbett and Rudyard Kipling, huge dark shadows of
a great fighter have lurked, in the deep waters
of
the mighty rivers of the Indian subcontinents. The Mahseer, found
only in India, is the toughest fresh water fighting fish in the world.
Weighing over a hundred pounds, four varieties inhabit the Indian river
waters: the Golden Mahseer, the Silver Mahseer, the Silver Grey Mahseer
and the Black Mahseer. Today, in India, the sport of angling is combined
with conservation. As per the existing Indian protection laws, the fish
is allowed to be caught, but must be released within a stipulated time
period. The average time taken to land a Mahseer is
in
ratio to its weight -5 minutes to 5 lbs. With just enough time to record
its weight, and preserve your moment of glory with the prize catch
on
film, before the fish is revived - you have to be really quick or
else it could just end up as one of those fishy stories of, "the great
one that got away." Trout fishing in the rivers and ice-fed mountain
streams is a great sport. You may put your wits against the wily trout--both
brown and rainbow--and catch the excitement of hooking a rainbow. Solitude
seekers can spend hours in quiet contemplation, of the beauty around. The
fast flowing clear water streams and high altitude lakes of the upper Himalayas
are excellent for trout fishing. The challenge and thrill of
an
encounter with the Mahseer attracts anglers from all over the world. It
offers a holiday with a fish, which not only rules the Indian waters
like
the tiger does the jungle, but also fights the way, no one can.
Angling
Destinations in India
Freshwater
Angling > Ideal
destination for freshwater fishing are in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir & Arunachal Pradesh & Karnataka
Himachal
Pradesh : Fishing in Himachal
can be done at Larji, Gadsa and Tirthan in Kullu and at Hatkoti, which
is
nearly 100
km from Shimla. There are beautiful Campsites on all these Places and Camps
can be pitched as per the requirements.
The streams
of Himachal Pradesh fall under two categories; General waters and Trout
waters, with estimated length of 600 and
2400 Kms respectively.
The major States streams include-Beas, Sutlej, Ravi, Tirthan, Sainj, Uhl,
Baspa, Pabar, Lambadug, Giri,
Rana, Nugal
Gai, Baner, Bata, etc. The major fishes available in these streams are
Trout, Mahaseer, Nemacheilus sap, Barilus sap, Schizothoracids, Crossocheilus
sap. Glyptothorax sap. etc. Fishing in these streams is regularized under
the state fisheries Act.
For fresh water
trout fishing, licenses only for rod and line are permitted while in general
water both rod and line as well as
cast netting
is allowed. The fisheries department has identified Larji, in the Kullu
valley, a potential fishing spot for trout and
Mahaseer Streams
feeding the Beas River in the Kullu Manali region are also well known for
Brown Trout.
The cold mountain
streams are well suited for trout, and are home to some of the biggest
varieties of Trout. The best beats
are at Larji
valley, situated on the confluence of the river Larji and Tirthan. Sainj,
which is also a trout stream, flows on the
other side.
If you choose to rough it, tented accommodation along the riverbanks is
an option to consider. Travelers need
to carry all
the necessary equipment. License can be obtained from the fisheries office
in Patikhul (situated between
Kullu and Manali)
from Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Marketing Office
, Manali
Uttar
Pradesh : Dodital
Lake nestled among the snow-clad peaks in the Uttarkashi Himalayas is a
fresh water lake
& a tempting
trout pool, where you can get a good catch, during all seasons.The forest
rest house at Dodital and Barkot are
ideal for the
night stay. Other options for fishing Mahseer in Uttar Pradesh are in the
Ramganga and the Sharda rivers in
the range of
Jim Corbett National Park. You can also go to Rishikesh that offers good
fishing sites.
Kashmir
:
with
its network of rivers, streams and high altitude lakes, all abounding in
trout, both brown and rainbow,
has been rightly
defined as an 'angler's paradise'. Trout fishing in Kashmir is far
cheaper than it is in other parts of the world.
Major points
of angling in the state are the Indus and Lidder rivers, their tributaries
and a network of smaller rivers and streams.
The best time
for fishing here are early mornings and late evenings. There is an 'ideal'
fishing permit that allows you to fish exclusively,in a beat of 2 km. One
permit allows you to catch six fish. Six days a week permits are issued
only to tourists. If you
are more adventurous,
you can fish in one of many high altitude lakes (14,000 ft. above sea level),
which can be reached
by trekking.
One trek, in particular, starts from Sonmarg and goes on to Vishansar,
Kishansar, Satsar, Gadsar and Gangabal
all alpine
lakes. During winters when the lake surface is frozen, the fish (mainly
brown trout) keeps close to the bottom of the
lake, rising
nearer the surface, as the ice melts. In these lakes, unlike other places,
the use of spoons and spinners is allowed.
The trekking
season is from July to October while the fishing season extends from March
to October
Arunachal
Pradesh : Main
sites for fishing in Arunachal Pradesh are Bhalukpong and Tipi
on the river
Kameng, Pashighat on the river Siang, and Tezu on the river Lohit
South
India : The best season
to go trout-fishing in the south of India is from April to September. Accommodation
is available
at the forests bungalows. One can even go camping, if the idea is to have
some fun and adventure. Cauvery
Fishing Lodge
near Mysore is a great place to catch Mahseer. In Kerala streams around
the hill stations of Munnar
are ideal for
fishing. Moreover Kerla is also called "Gods Own Country"Major
Fishing
Camps & Lodges Cauvery
Fishing and Nature Camp The river Cauvery
is home for the great fish Mahseer, which is
an attraction
for the visitors for angling. The surrounding natural beauty adds to the
thrill of fishing.
Kali Wilderness
Camp, Dandeli:
Kali camp is on the site of the river Kali and is a major attraction for
fishing lovers.
The camp is
also an attraction for those who aspire to go trekking Kabini
River Lodge, Karpur Kabini river lodge
is
on the banks
of the river Kabini. There is no other place as fresh and as clean as this
river which makes
it a paradise
for
the visitors who go fishing.
Open
Sea Fishing in India
There are four
principle coasts where sea fishing may be undertaken:
Goa and the
Kerala coast, Lakshadweep Islands, Orissa and Andaman Islands.
Goa
& Kerala : The
sea fishing region of Goa and the Kerala coast extends from the beach resort
of Goa to
Thiruvananthapuram
along the long southwest coast. The local boatmen and the local travel
agents can give empirical
information
on the best fishing areas. The main ports in the area are Goa, Mangalore,
Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram.
Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea are rich in game
fish including sharks, barracuda, blue marlin,
kulvel and
groupers. Hotel, and other accommodation is available at Bangaram Island.
Orissa : On India's east
coast, Orissa offers unique game fishing in its largest brackish water
lake called Chilka.
It is rich
in Tiger Prawn, Tuna and other varieties of fish. Chilka Lake is also known
for migratory bird life, which can
be of much
interest to ornithologists.
Andaman Islands : some 293
in number, stretch across 25 km from the north to the south of the Bay
of Bengal.
The Islands
open to tourists are Port Blair, Jolly Buoy, Red Skin, Cinque, Neil and
Havelock Islands
Best
Time for Angling in India October to
November is the best season to venture out for fishing in India. For the
Himalayan region, April to June is the
best season.
Angling can be enjoyed throughout the year in India, the only exception
being the Himalayan region, where
tough weather
conditions, make it impossible to do so during winter months.
Permits
and Government Agencies All the state
governments have their tourism and fisheries department offices in the
capital cities where you can
ask for fishing
permits. For angling in the restricted areas, restricted area permits are
required. These permits
can be had
from the Indian embassies/ consulates/ high commissions, Ministry of Home
Affairs of the government
of India, Foreign
Residents Registration Offices (FRRO), state government officials of the
respective states
OR C'MORE
traval and tours (P) Ltd will arrange one for you.
Guidance
& Precautions All
necessary permits and other government paperwork should be done well in
advance to avoid any last minute problems
Chose your destination according to the time and money that you can afford.
Get yourself medically checked and
avoid high
altitude destinations in case, you are suffering from any serious ailment
or heart problems
Before going out for angling don't forget to check the weather conditions
Dress accordingly to the needs of the place and climate. Rubberized shoes,
felt cap, sun protection
cream and goggles
can make you safe in so many ways. Dont forget to Carry them with you
Try not to destroy the environment for your personal gains. Don't leave
anything back; try using disposable goods
C'
MORE Fishing Trips On any of our fishing
trips we take care of the entire logistics involved in organizing the trip.
Right from
the design of the program to providing facilities like transport, kitchen,
accommodation in resorts, camping,
local fishermen
for assistance, permits etc. Also we design the programs in such a way
that you not only spend quality
fishing time
but also get to explore the region and try your hand at other activities
too