332 rishimj Lonili/iis. ClIAPT. XXIV. 



" Below Hurdwar is Kunkhal, but unless the escape is open, few 

 " fish will be risen, though lower down, the pools deepen, and just 

 "above the bridge of boats at Jheesumwalla Ghat, in one morning 

 " before breakfast, I happily landed two fish over 20 lbs. each, and 

 " three others, none under 10 lbs. ; a good morning's work ! 



" Lower still, down towards Asufgurh, one day's bag readied 

 "146 lbs., the best fish weighing 27i lbs. This water is splendid 

 " fishing, and once again may I tread its banks. Further down yet 

 "Mahseer are to be got, but only one ever rewarded my efforts with 

 " fly. Bait fishing must be resorted to. The places to fish are the 

 " 'Kooties.' Fakirs build themselves small habitations on the Gansres, 

 "and they generally wash their grain in the river, even if they do 

 " not throw the remnants of their dinner into it ; but often they feed 

 " the fish, and a hook baited with atta is sure to give sport. 



" But at the Ghat, over the Ganges between Bijpore and Meerut, 

 " another kind of sport may be had— very exciting in its way, and 

 " hard work too. 



" When the bridge is ' up,' in the cold weather under the oldest 

 "boats, the ' gonch ' may be seen clinging on by feelers to the bottom. 

 " It struck me they could be speared, so a friend and myself sent down 

 " our canoes, armed ourselves with barbed spears, made so that the 

 " heads should slip off the handles, and drove down to the Ghat. The 

 "spear heads had about 20 yards of stout cotton string attached, and 

 " to the end of the rope an inflated (bullock's) bladder. When we 

 " saw the gonch, the spear was sent ' home,' and the shaft withdrawn. 

 " The fish at once went off, and the bladder keeping on the surface 

 "showed his course. We followed in canoes, and taking extra spears, 

 " gained the bladder and pulled up our prey, finishing him as best we 

 " could. One morning my friend and myself killed three gonch thus, 

 " all about 80 lbs. If this sport can be got at one bridge, I see no 

 " reason why not at every one on the Ganges and Jumna, and other 

 "streams too, for gonch abound down country, but I must say I have 

 "never tried it anywhere else but at that one bridge. 



"Mahseer are to be got down the canal too. The falls toward 

 " Koorkee are good places, and especially to Puthri Bridge. Here, 

 "trolling with ' Chnlwas,' I have caught 18 lb. fish, never anything 

 " larger. But Mahseer are to be had lower still. In the Meerul 



" district, uinler t lie falls, I have taken t hem w ii li I hey///. 



" Mahseer have been taken, too, with bait at Katigarh and Cawn- 

 " pore, and lower, I believe; but at the two places named, 1 have 

 I hem caught. 



■• At Bijpore, and at all the bridges lower down, the bntchwa take 



