4i 6 fishing Localities. CHAP. xxvi. 



left. The river is full of limestone rocks, and if you strike a fish, you cannot 

 afford to play it, as it is more than likely to get into a hollow rock, when 

 you have to cut him adrift. We commenced to fish on the I4th. O. with 

 a spoon only caught two fish, 1=3 Ibs., I = 2\ Ibs., and 14 small fish with 

 the fly ; I got one 3 Ibs. only. On i5th, Baurne caught 1-5 Ibs., I = 3 Ibs., 

 and 1 = 2 Ibs. Col. Hicks, I = 8 Ibs., and 1=3 Ibs. I had to cut one 

 adrift that got under a rock, but caught three weighing respectively 20 Ibs., 

 9 Ibs., and 2 Ibs., all on the same spoon. Ommanney, I 3 Ibs., I = 2 Ibs., 

 and a lot with the fly. 



" On Saturday we moved towards the Darrung river, and tried a cross 

 cut. Owing to the dams constructed by the Cossyahs we had great diffi- 

 culty in getting into a branch river, which was connected with the stream 

 we wished to get to. After an infinity of trouble to get to Lakat, we sent 

 for boats to take us on, and put up for the night on a sandbank During 

 the night we heard fish jumping about, but never thought for a moment that 

 there were Mahseer so far down in the plains. Early next morning, on 

 starting, I threw out my line, without thinking for a moment I should hook 

 anything, but in a second I had struck a very heavy fish. The others 

 crowded round my boat, some declaring I held the fish too taut, others that 

 I gave it too much line ; I paid no attention, but worked the fish my own 

 way. At last it kept turning over, belly uppermost, and a beauty it looked 

 too, with its large red fins and tail ; it was reduced to the last gasp, and was 

 almost within striking distance of my two-pronged spear, when it gave a 

 last convulsive struggle, and, in turning over, got its body across the line 

 one beastly hook snapped, and the other two straightened, and off went my 

 monster ! Ommanney and I were together, fishing with exactly the same 

 tackle, which was in fact mine. We all got our lines out at once ; I kept 

 having all the luck. It began to rain ; Baurne had gone on ahead, with 

 Colonel Hicks. As our boat approached a rapid, we saw Baurne coming 

 down it, fast to a very big fish, with all his line out. As he passed us I 

 struck a heavy fish which I bagged in half an hour ; no sooner was my 

 spoon in, than I had another fish, a 22-pounder, which I also landed. 

 Baurne passed us in a very despondent mood, having lost his monster. Our 

 hut this time, thanks to Major Stewart, also a good fisherman, was built on 

 the plains side of the gorge, near the weir. We arrived here at 10 A.M. with 

 the following bags : Colonel Hicks, 9 fish, weighing 43 Ibs., largest 13 Ibs. ; 

 Baurne, 6 fish, 27 Ibs., largest 1 1 Ibs. ; Ommanney, i fish, 6 Ibs. ; I, with 

 5 fish, weighing 66 Ibs., the largest 32 Ibs. The size of this fish was 

 3 feet 9 inches long, 2 feet in girth. In the afternoon Colonel Hicks 

 caught I = 1 6 Ibs., 2 = 4 Ibs. each. I caught 1 = 9, 1 = 2, I = , i = 5, 

 i = ii Ibs. B., i = 4, i = 10 Ibs. Ommanney, 7 fish = 47 Ibs., the largest 

 26 Ibs. 



"Monday morning Col. H., i = 4, i = | Ib. I, i = 12, i = 9!-, 2 = 4 

 each, I = 3 Ibs. Baurne, I = 8 Ibs. O., I = 8 Ibs. In the evening I 

 caught i = 41 (4 feet 3 inches long, 2 feet 3 inches girth), i =4 Ibs. 



