136 The Carnatic Carp. Chapt. X. 



simply impossible even in the most accomplished hands to 

 strike as lightly. As I have insisted elsewhere, under Mahseer 

 fishing, that you must accommodate the strength of your tackle 

 to the pliability of your rod, so here also the converse holds in 

 striking your fish, which is again the converse of your fish 

 striking you, that you must accommodate your rod to the strength 

 of your tackle, accommodate it both in pliability and in lightness, 

 in pliability to allow of the hue running readily, in lightness 

 to allow of the wrist having a complete mastery. Of course 

 there is a mean. If the trout rod is too pliable you cannot 

 strike quickly enough. Therefore I prefer in a trout rod that 

 it should be rather too stiff than too limp, trusting to its 

 lightness to allow of my wrist giving rapidity. In the salmon rod 



I prefer greater pliability short of being top-heavy for reasons 

 set forth under Mahseer fishing, in short, because the Mahseer 

 does not lay a light hand on you but a heavy and a sudden one. 

 For our present friend the Carnatic Carp I prefer a light 16 ft. 

 pliable salmon roil. With that you may use single salmon gut 

 on your flies, but not finer with prudence. I have never used a 

 14 ft. rod for them. 1 daresay I should like it best of all, 

 provided I had on an ample supply of stout trout Manchester 

 <ut ton Twine Spinning Company's 16 plait Egyptian line. An 



II ft. rod is, I think, a mistake for this fishing, for reasons given 

 above. You see thus that your wise selection of a well-made 

 rod has much to do with your success. 



1 have not had opportunities for fishing for the Carnatic Carp 

 on other rivers than the Bawanny, an affluent of the Cavery, 

 and I have only fished some 16 or 20 miles of the river, half 

 above half below Metapolliam, particulars of which will be found 

 in tbe chapter mi fishing localities. But I have recognised the 

 same fish caught in nets 10(1 miles or more down the same 

 river in the Tanjore District 1 have, therefore, grounds for 

 thinking it is mure widespread than Dr. Jerdon was aware of 

 at that time. It is thus clearlj not confined to the base of the 

 bills, and it is probably as widely distributed as the Mahseer, 

 which was once thought not to exist south of the NTerbudda. 



H , who is a good fisherman, writes me that he came 



across very heavy Carnatic Carp at Eoginkal, on the Caver] 

 They would look at, but would not take a fly there. They took 



