FISHING 



was about 20 yards in diameter, was so full of fish that 

 they simply could not swim about. The reason was obvious 

 the small flood had come down, raised and spread the 

 waters, and the fish had followed the water in search of 

 plenty of fresh insect food from the newly covered ground, 

 and " got left " by the subsidence. 



The sight was amazing I saw fish of all sizes, from 6 

 inches to 3 feet in length, just simply flopping about and 

 squirming over each other. I walked in with my boots on 

 and literally kicked them out on to the dry ground. My 

 men waded in and hauled them out in arms-full, but find- 

 ing that too slow, they took oflF their cloths, and, two by 

 two, holding the four corners, ladled them out by barrow- 

 loads. Some of the very big ones I shot, especially the 

 slimy eel-like waleya, which is one of the biggest of our 

 fresh-water fish. I never saw such a sight before or since, 

 and my camp stunk aloud of drying fish for days after, 

 whilst the whole local population seemed to gather for the 

 harvest at the tank. 



So much for tank fishing and its methods, which 

 equally apply to fishing the great swamps or wilas. I be- 

 lieve there are good fish to be caught in the Mahaweliganga, 

 for the late Mr. levers, in his very interesting " Manual of 

 the North Central Province," says that the lela is found 

 only in the Mahaweliganga, and grows to an enormous size, 

 and has, moreover, been identified with the mahseer of India 

 so there is a chance for sportsmen yet. I have in my 

 possession the saw of a saw-fish which was caught on a line 

 in the Mahaweliganga not far below Magamtota (the main 

 ferry in Tamankaduwa). 



Altogether, in both river and tank there is ample 

 scope for any man who likes to give his attention to 

 them the fish are there in vast numbers, and it only 



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