408 Fishing Localities. CHAP. xxvi. 



Bijnore?) " and Meerut, another kind of sport may be had very exciting in 

 its way, and hard work too. 



" When the bridge is ' up,' in the cold weather under the oldest boats, the 

 ' gonch ' may be seen clinging on by feelers to the bottom. It struck me 

 they could be speared, so a friend and myself sent down our canoes, armed 

 ourselves with barbed spears, made so that the heads should slip off the 

 handles, and drove down to the Ghat. The spear heads had about 20 yards 

 of stout cotton string attached, and to the end of the rope an inflated 

 (bullock's) bladder. When we saw the gonch, the spear was sent ' home,' 

 and the shaft withdrawn. The fish at once went off, and the bladder keeping 

 on the surface showed his course. We followed in canoes, and taking extra 

 spears, gained the bladder and pulled up our prey, finishing him as best we 

 could. One morning my friend and myself killed three gonch thus, all about 

 80 Ibs. If this sport can be got at one bridge, I see no reason why not at 

 every one on the Ganges and Jumna, and other streams too, for gonch 

 abound down country, but I must say I have never tried it anywhere else 

 but at that one bridge. 



" Mahseer are to be got down the canal too. The falls towards Roorkee 

 are good places, and especially to Puthri Bridge. Here, trolling with 

 1 Chilwas,' I have caught 18 Ib. fish, never anything larger. But Mahseer 

 are to be had lower still. In the Meerut district under the falls, I have 

 taken them with ihefiy. 



" Mahseer have been taken, too, with bait at Fatigarh and Cawnpore, 

 and lower, I believe ; but at the two places named, I have seen them 

 caught. 



" At Bijpore, and at all the bridges lower down, the butchwa take the 

 fly freely, and are to be taken up to 2 Ibs. in weight. A dark fly seems 

 the best. 



" DOON." 



Extract from the "Asian" of December 2$rd, 1879. 

 "Fishing in Laour. 



" I have just got back from Laour, where I went on a fishing trip, and 

 had very fair sport. 



" Extract from my diary : 



November I9th, got nil, lost 4 fish. 



20th, i, Ibs. 19, lost 3. 

 2ist, 2, 30, 36. 

 ,, 22nd, 6, ,, 46, 31, 41, 25, 13, 12. 

 23rd, 2, 44, 30. 

 24th, 2, 24, 32. 

 ,, 25th, ,, nil, gave the good pools a rest, 



and tried some new water. 

 26th, got 3, Ibs. 18, 58, 55. 



