54 Circumventing the Mahseer. CHAP. iv. 



earlier editions of this little work, been only confirmed by the further 

 experience of myself and other anglers, and stand no longer on com- 

 paratively few instances however striking. But it would be tedious if 

 I were continually pointing my readers to confirmations, and I shall 

 indulge the hope that they will be kindly content to take my word as 

 they did at the first. 



These three main points, then, being borne in mind, the necessity 

 for fishing in clear water, the Mahseer's love of small fish, and its power 

 of smashing by compression, we shall be in a better position for 

 arranging to circumvent it. 



There is yet another point which may as well be reverted to before 

 proceeding further, and that is the bottom-feeding habits of the Mahseer. 

 This was deduced in the last chapter from the evidence of the contents 

 of the stomach, an organ not given to telling fibs, and from the formation 

 of the outside of the mouth. I lay stress on this habit from a fishing 

 point of view, because I am convinced that a due appreciation of and 

 allowance for it will lead to better sport. I lay stress on it also because 

 I know it is commonly disregarded. It stands to reason that you are 

 more likely to catch a fish by seeking it on its feeding grounds, and 

 there offering it its natural food, than by requesting its attention in a 

 somewhat unusual direction, the surface, and there too to a novel object, 

 not much like anything in creation, a gaudy salmon fly. I lay stress 

 on this point because so many fish for the Mahseer with an artificial fly 

 at the surface of the water, and the salmon fisher is for more reasons 

 than one very loth to give up his fly. The fly is cleaner and much 

 less troublesome than any other lure. It is much easier to throw 

 a salmon fly than to spin a fish, and Mahseer doubtless are caught 

 with a fly. 



The Brahmin, who is as punctilious about his food as a much-fished 

 trout, describes a pariah as " one who eats without asking," and if the 

 Mahseer were not in respect of food as omnivorous as a pariah, it would 

 never take down such an unearthly thing as a salmon fly in the pro- 

 miscuous manner it sometimes does. Though it does take it, and there 

 is some sport to be had with the fly, still in my opinion it is not a 

 natural bait, and therefore not the best lure that can be offered, and 

 the sport thereby obtained is decidedly inferior to that to be had by 

 spinning. Trout are doubtless to be caught in England by very poor 

 fishermen, with very incorrect fancy flies, still if the correct fly be used, 



