86 Hoir, When, and Where to Fish for Mahseer. Cii.ut. vi. 



the deeper water. When the water is very slightly discoloured 

 I have "found my account" in fishing where the river shallows 

 just above the head of a run, in water so shallow that you would 

 think a big fish coidd scarcely lie in it, water scarcely up to the 

 knees. The Mahseer seem to visit it then for the better capture 

 of small fish. If you attempted to fish in such places in bright 

 water you would be seen. 



For a Mahseer you may fish a run all its length. I have taken 

 them quite at the tail of a run, and I have taken them in the 

 very white water of the fall. They are not afraid of the water. 

 But midway in the run is about the place for the highest hopes. 

 I have, however, a special weakness for the eddies, though they 

 are the most difficult to fish, because I think the best fish are 

 generally found in them, and I prefer one good big fellow to two 

 or three smaller ones. But in fishing the eddies, try and bear in 

 mind that there is generally one on your own side of the river, 

 just as good as the one under the opposite bank. Why should 

 you be seized with that " vlterioris ripcc amore" which seems to 

 be almost universal ? Why ? Probably because you had not 

 prospected the place before you came to it, as I recommended, and 

 are standing right over it, before you were aware of its existence, 

 and have consequently spoilt it for all fishing purposes. "Whereas 

 had you prospected, and stalked the place, as I recommended, you 

 would have shown nothing but the tip of your rod over the bank, 

 and with a short line would have dropped your bait in close under 

 it. It is time enough to try the run, and the opposite bank, after 

 you have tried your own. The opposite bank or eddy is, in nine 

 cases out of ten, more difficult to reach than the one under your 

 nose, and, from the breadth of the river or run, frequently quite 

 unapproachable. Do not, therefore, neglect the eddy on your own 

 si lore. 



The still deeji pools also are not to be neglected. From a boat 

 they are the easiest fishing of all, and yield the biggest fish. On 

 this account some prefer to tisli the pools only. 1 have done very 

 little in this direction myself, but the plan is simply to let out 

 plenty of line so that your bait may be spinning far away from the 

 boat, which might otherwise frighten the fish, and deep, because 

 big fish ordinarily lie near the bottom, and the deeper the pool the 

 better the fish as a rule. Having let out the line the bait is 



