140 Live Bait Fishing for Mahseer. CHAP. ix. 



of time and the not over susceptibility of the Mahseer in rough or thick 

 water, induced me to these inventions. In slack clear water of deep pools 

 the Mahseer is a very wary wight, and I advocate care, and as neat tackle 

 as is consistent with the great strength of a large Mahseer, to effect his 

 capture. How very seldom one gets two large Mahseer in one day out of 

 a clear slack pool ? No. I may succumb to a minnow skilfully worked by 

 a knowing hand well out of sight, . . . but No. 2 betakes himself to cover 

 for the rest of the day, at any rate whenever he sees anything in the form 

 of a line or cast." 



In a subsequent letter, Colonel Parsons writes : 



" I have paid a short visit to Tangrot (the proper name is Dhangrot). 

 I found both Jhelum and Poonch flooded with snow-water and thoroughly 

 discoloured, instead of the crystal streams of the early year. The bungalow 

 book informed me that the locality had lately been visited by a good fisher- 

 man, who, the boatmen informed me, had worked hard at spinning with 

 spoon for Mahseer with blank results, being helpless in such a state of 

 affairs. I anticipated the same at this time of year (i/th March, 1880), as 

 both rivers are fed by the Himalayan snows, now melting daily, and had 

 brought a casting net for live bait. The result of my mode of fishing with 

 live bait in troubled stream is this : 



"First morning (i2th March), a 12-pounder. 



" Evening, lost a heavy fish by the snapping under the barb of one of 

 Bowness and Bowness' best salmon hooks. 



"Next morning (i3th), a Q-pounder. 



" Evening, a I9~pounder. 



" Next morning (iSth), a 32-pounder, length 45", girth 23". 



"Evening. Lost an enormous fish (fully 5 feet long, and I estimate 

 fully 70 Ibs. weight), after playing him for two hours, and until he was 

 fully exposed to view in a semi-exhausted state by the bank, at which 

 critical period the line fouled. I immediately saw the danger and felt 

 uncomfortable, but thought the fish was ready for landing ; he, however, 

 suddenly rallied, and by his vast weight parted a new treble salmon gut 

 trace, and through a huge self-created wave dived into the Jhelum, not 

 to be seen again for some time I should say. Disconsolate I embarked 

 in my skiff to my dinner on the opposite side of the river, the fish having 

 worked me from 5 to 7 P.M., at last in a faint glimmer of moonlight, which, 

 by-the-bye, was not very favourable for the landing process of such a fish 

 under a straight bank. I have no doubt he felt very weary, poor fellow, 

 but it might have consoled him had he known how he made my biceps 

 ache holding him up pretty tight, through runs and sulks for two hours, 

 with a ig-feet salmon rod. 



"Next morning (i6th, yesterday). A i5-pounder, and in the evening 



