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If you are one of those who’ve never experienced the pleasures of a fishing holiday, here’s your chance. The
fishing season ? primarly for mahseer and trout ? is on in different parts of the country and all you need to do is decide
where to go. For beginners, the thumb rule is to head towards river banks with veteran anglers who’ll guide you to the right
location for a perfect catch.
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Angling ? a form of fishing with an angle or hook ? may have its roots in the Raj, but it is
today’s hot new sport. Its popularity can be gauged by the fact that each year, competitions are held in Himachal
Pradesh. Angling competitions for mahseer are organised between April to June while those for trout happen at the end of September or
early October.But do you have it in you to make a good angler?
According to Gaurav Kataria, Director of India Angling, a
company that organises several fishing tours in India, “The basic signs of a good angler are patience, the ability to sit
still for hours and above all, the skill to fight it out with a mahseer, a very heavy fish.” A word of caution from
Kataria: not only is the fish capable of putting up a stiff fight, it can also quite easily pull the angler into the water. So being
strong is an added bonus.So where can you go to experience the thrill of angling? Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttaranchal and Karnataka offer anglers good locations with their many fresh water streams and lakes. |
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Rivers including Kali
Sarda, Beas, Ganga, Ramganga (near Corbett National Park) and the Cauvery in South India are famous for mahseer. Large
mahseer and goonch are found in the Kosi and Ramganga rivers. Fishing for trout is possible in the north of the country on
the Tirthan, Tons and Sainj rivers. Closer home ? in the east ? the Kameng, Teesta and Brahmaputra also provide excellent
angling spots.
Palampur, known more for its tea estates, is also growing to be an anglers’ paradise. Navin Sarin who runs
Country Cottage Resorts on his tea estate in Palampur offers weekend packages for anglers. At Country Cottage, a two-day
fishing trip will cost Rs 8,000 inclusive of food, traveling to different fishing spots and accommodation. Equipment can
also be arranged on request.
Another angling expert, Sandhya Tyagi of Adventure Hills takes anglers to numerous fishing
destinations in Himachal. She explains that the trout fishing season is from March 31 to October 31 and that for mahseer is
from January to April and September to December.
Adventure Hills provides camping facilities in the locations that it operates
in and for Rs 1,800 per person (twin sharing), anglers can avail of tents set up near the angling area. A three-day package
costs Rs 2,500.
Now is also the best time to go trout-fishing in the South ? the season opened last month and will continue
till September. Accommodation for vacationers is available at forest bungalows while the more adventurous can try camping.
For instance, Cauvery Fishing Camp, a Jungle Lodges Enterprise, is located on the Cauvery’s banks in Bheemeshwari (100km from
Bangalore) and charges Rs 1,500 per person for tented accommodation per night. The tariff includes meals, coracle (circular
boats used in some southern states) and elephant rides. In Kerala, the streams around Munnar are ideal for fishing.
But if you want to head elsewhere, India Angling organises several angling trips to Himachal, Uttaranchal and the North-East. A trip to
river Ramganga around Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal will cost you Rs 3,000 per day, but hiring a fishing guide will
cost you an extra Rs 1,800. The arrangements of your stay are made at River Lodge Resort. Kataria also conducts angling trips
to river Beas in Himachal and Kali Pancheshwar at the India-Nepal border that is a veritable goldmine for mahseer fishing.
Besides lodging at a resort, you can also go for tented accommodation near the river. The trips can also be
customized according to the number of days you want to spend at the angling
destination.
Having decided where to head, it’s time for the
paperwork. No angling trip can be undertaken minus the requisite fishing permit for the area. All state governments have
their tourism and fisheries department offices in the capital cities from where fishing permits are issued for certain
stretches of water. Usually fishing licences are not issued during the monsoon because it’s the breeding season.
Once you get the permit, the next step is to get yourself a rod, line and hook. Sarin explains, “The fun is to catch the heaviest fish
with the lightest of lines.” There are different lines for different fish and the weight of the rods can vary.
Appropriate attire is another aspect that cannot be ignored. Carry light, waterproof clothes, sunscreen, a hat and dark glasses.
Angling is not just a sport that can be enjoyed solo and be adopted by any age group, but it is good from the conservation point of
view. According to Indian laws, the fish can be caught but in specified numbers. Any excess of this number must be released
within a certain time period. Anglers are restricted to a specified number of fish per day after which they need to stop.
“The number of trout is restricted to six per day and in case of mahseer there is no specification. But as the fish is
considered endangered, anglers can generally claim only a catch or two,” says Sarin.
At the end of the day, for an angler there’s no better way of summing up the fishing experience than in Scottish writer John Buchan’s words: “The charm of fishing
is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.” |
