HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



is the olive carp, or Barbus chrysopoma. He corresponds 

 as nearly as possible with Thomas's picture and description 

 of this fish. 



Of lagoon fish in this district the most common is the 

 " koduva " (Tamil). His classical name is Lates calcarifer. 

 A right handsome fish he is, with his deep shoulder, pro- 

 minent back fin, sheeny body, and brilliant eye. But he 

 is not so good as he looks. I have heard his flesh described 

 as a mixture of cotton-wool, mud, and needles not exactly 

 a " table " fish ! but the natives dry him and eat him. 

 He runs to a huge size how large I am afraid to say. 

 I have seen him caught with a live bait on hand-line well 

 over 30 Ibs., and I have caught them myself with spoon 

 and spinning bait over 20 Ibs., and hooked one monster 

 that but that is another story. 



He cannot be said to be lively in his play. He is a 

 sulky, dogged brute, but very strong. He takes out line 

 slowly but surely, and woe betide your tackle if you try to 

 stop a big one too quickly ! I hooked a good one once on 

 a brand-new line that was absolutely sound. He " towed " 

 away about 100 yards, when I thought he had gone far 

 enough, and put the pressure on. The fish thought dif- 

 ferently, and we parted company, the running-line breaking. 

 I tested the line when I got home, and found it would 

 stand a dead strain of 14^ Ibs. This will give you some 

 notion of their power. 



The koduva takes the bait very quietly. Often you 

 feel nothing at all, and find your line being slowly taken 

 out as you try to reel in. In my experience, the only way 

 is to let the fish go and follow him as best you can in a 

 boat, if one is available. Disaster has always been the 

 result of my trying to check them. How far they will go 

 with their slow " towing " pull, I don't know. A writer in 



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