Eternal India Encyclopedia

ETERNAL INDIA encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

ANGLING

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.

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