CHAPT. vm. Bottom-Fishing. Night4ines. 109 



there was any fishing in the neighbourhood, but invariably was 

 answered "No," tliat there wore lots of fish, but no one could oatch 

 them. The river at Poona is a good size and I thought I would 

 try and get some of the fish which I made smv were in it. The first 

 two days I tried everything I could think of as bait, but failed to 

 toooh a single fish. The third day, a happy thought, I determined to 

 try the old Jubbulpore plan of parched gram, and very successful 

 I was, that day getting several lish, one 11 lbs. in weight. They 

 were not Mahseer, but some kind of carp, very deep in the belly 

 compared with the length. I did not keep the secret to myself, and 

 many good bags were afterwards made. The fish did not give much 

 spurt like Mahseer, but after being hooked, used to sulk in the bottom 

 of the river, and I was three hours landing the above 11-pounder. 



W. T. F. 

 • * • # # 



1 have read with much interest the letter from " W. T. F." about 

 fishing near Jabalpur. I, too, have fished in the Nerbada, and adopted 

 the plan mentioned by your correspondent : indeed it is about the only 

 way in which you can catch fish in this river. " W. T. F." mentions 

 that he found some difficulty in getting parched gram to stay on the 

 hook : what we used to do was to soak some raw gram in water, till it 

 was soft enough to pass a stout darning needle through. We would 

 then thread as much bait as was required on to the common country 

 thread sold in every bazaar. The bait was wrapped up in damp cloth, 

 and all we had to do was to take off a grain or two when required for 

 the hook. Let " W. T .F." try this plan and see how it succeeds. 



T.A.B. 



If you like to bottom fish for Mahseer you can. I never tried 

 it. however, and do not mean to ; and seeing how few the natives 

 catch this way, even though they ground-bait beforehand, I would 

 no! recommend you to do so either, although the Mahseer is, as 

 already explained, a 1miU.hu feeder. The natives use a lump of 

 dough, a large worm, a water snail, a bit of plantain fruit, the 

 entrails of a chicken, or almost anything. Read up the inventory 

 ■ if this gentleman's Btomacb (page 30), and you will have an idea 

 of the variety of things he swallows, and can make your own 

 selection of what dish to offer him. 



If you are a Barbel fisher, and think to do as well with the 

 Mahseer as with Barbel, bottom fishing, I warn you that I am 

 afraid you will be disappointed; for though the Mahseer is a 



