CHAP. vi. Mahseer Water. 107 



detail. It might have been called the Anglers' Bradshaw, and in every 

 angler's library in Northern India it should repose lovingly alongside of 

 " The Rod in India," and " Tank Angling in India," with an arm round 

 each of their necks; indeed, that is the kindly spirit of the editor, 

 Dr. Cretin, and of more than one of its contributors, to whom a brother 

 angler's cordial grip is given. 



But supposing we have arrived at the river's side at a good locality, 

 where in it are we to find our fish ? An old hand does not need to be 

 told, for he knows instinctively, though he has never seen the river 

 before in his life. You can tell well enough from the outside of a 

 house whether it is a poor man's cottage or a gentleman's mansion, and 

 if you have an eye for the water, you will be able to make a very shrewd 

 guess as to where the best fish lie. As a rule the swell is to be found 

 in the best house, except in Ireland, by the way, where the finest 

 structure in the villages is the poorhouse. But then everything goes 

 by contraries in "poor owld Ireland," even down to the cereals, for 

 there Paddy raises the riot, instead of the Ryot raising paddy, as he 

 does here. Still, out of Ireland, the rule holds good, and the swell 

 fish, as well as his brother biped, is to be found in the best quarters ; 

 and those are readily recognizable. 



Look for a Mahseer in just such water as- you would expect to find 

 a salmon, in the deep runs, especially where a fall enters a pool, and in 

 the eddies of those runs. 



The depth should not be less than up to the fork, and after that the 

 deeper the better; though Mahseer, like trout, visit the shallows in 

 search of small fish, etc., when the water is discoloured, and at night 

 when the water is bright, returning with light to the deeper water. 

 When the water is very slightly discoloured I have " found my 

 account " in fishing where the river shallows just above the head of a 

 run, in water so shallow that you would think a big fish could scarcely 

 lie in it, water scarcely up to the knees. The Mahseer seem to visit 

 it then for the better capture of small fish. If you attempted to fish 

 in such places in bright water you would be seen. 



For a Mahseer you may fish a run all its length. I have taken 

 them quite at the tail of a run, and I have taken them in the very 

 white water of the fall. They are not afraid of the water. But midway 

 in the run is about the place for the highest hopes. I have, however, 

 a special weakness for the eddies, though they are the most difficult to 



