CHAPTER IX. 

 LIVE BAIT FISHING FOR MAHSEER. 



" Thus have I cleared the field of my worst foe ! " 



THE SPANISH STUDENT. Act II., Scene V. 



ALL the previous chapters have treated of fishing for Mahseer in clear 

 water, for, in the matter of fishing for them in discoloured water, 

 anglers of any Indian experience have hitherto been agreed that it was 

 simply useless. Whether from melting snows, or from heavy rainfall, 

 or irrigation drainage, a flood or discoloration in the river was con- 

 sidered an insuperable bar to all fishing. There was nothing for it 

 but to pack up one's tackle, and give it up as a hopeless case. And 

 thus there was the great objection that Mahseer-fishing was confined 

 to clear water, that a change of weather might at any time make the 

 fishing trip a complete failure and disappointment. But anglers will 

 rejoice to hear that there is yet a way in which this worst difficulty may 

 be overcome, yet a way in which the mighty Mahseer may be taken 

 even in the dirtiest water. We are indebted, and that not a little, to 

 Colonel J. Parsons for the discovery ; so I shall, with his permission, 

 give it in his own words, as kindly communicated to me. He writes, 

 under date 8th July, 1878 : 



"A friend has lent me your book 'Rod in India.' I observed that you 

 invited hints on fishing. I am not aware whether you still seek them or 

 not ; however I think I may as well tell you of my way of fishing when the 

 river becomes thick. It is not original, but merely an improvement of a 

 native method I saw practised many years ago at the Jumna, in the hills 

 between Mussoorie and Simla. 



" I fish with live bait picketed, as it were, in the river ; the bait may be 

 any size up to \ Ib. in weight (as Mahseer don't doubt them 'sardines' if 

 they look large). A bullet is secured to the line about 2^- feet from the live 



