228 The Murral. CHAP. xvi. 



has not the power of a Mahseer, and that if you use a Mahseer rod 

 or an English pike rod, you will make an end of him in no time by 

 mere brute force. For sport you can have no better rod than the 

 light little Labeo rod recommended for Labeo fishing in " Tank 

 Angling," and for Wallago attu on p. 207, supra. I have tried it and 

 had capital sport with it, and consequently thought more highly of 

 the Murral than I did when penning " Tank Angling," for I killed 

 Murral as well as Wallago attu on the occasion mentioned above, 

 page 208. 



But if you use such a light rod you will strain it in casting if you do 

 not also lighten your bait. For repeatedly casting a dead bait out as 

 far as you can throw it is a very different thing from gently lifting and 

 dropping in a live bait at long intervals and within easy reach of the 

 shore. The light rod cannot vigorously cast a dead spinning bait of 

 the same size as it can gently lift a live bait. So while a 4~mch bait 

 is recommended in " Tank Angling " for live baiting, a 3 or 3 1-inch 

 dead bait, tail included, which is the length of your fore-finger or 

 middle finger respectively, is as much as you ought to put on such 

 a light rod, the tackle being Geen's Richmond spinner or the Coxon 

 spinner, salmon size, as mounted for Mahseer on pp. 69, 70. 



If you prefer a still lighter bait these two tackles, the Richmond 

 and the Coxon spinner, are made trout size, for which please see 

 illustration and remarks on p. 218, and the trout hooks will hold a 

 Murral if you are light handed, and with so light a rod you can trust 

 yourself with finer, rust-proof wire gimp (say No. 4/0) than I have 

 suggested for Mahseer and Wallago attu, on pp. 70, 208, and the 

 hooks may be No. 1 2 Mahseer trebles. But this is rather multiplying 

 tackle for the fanciful. Still some take a great pleasure in being 

 fanciful about their tackle, and my object is giving pleasure, is it not, 

 so it is just mentioned, but my recommendation is the salmon-sized 

 figure at p. 69. 



You can also use a small spoon of i| inch length. 



Fish close to the surface, as Murral feed largely on frogs, for 

 which you may frequently see them roaming about near the surface. 

 A good reason for fishing near the surface, in preference to fishing 

 deep, is to be found in the position of the Murral's eye, which is placed 

 very high in the head, and is calculated for looking upwards rather 

 than downwards ; so that a Murral, even when concealing himself, by 



