FISHING IN THE EAST 



being largely a bottom feeder, you want to fish deep, for which pur- 

 pose the spoon should sink quickly, and you must not think to compass 

 the quick sinking by adding a sinker further up the line; you are fishing 

 mainly in clear water, and the sinker would both scare fish and prevent 

 the clean casting of the spoon, for it is only when all the weight is centred 

 in one place that you can cast clean, and the spoon should not fall on 

 the water with a scaring splashing flop, but drop lightly, with no more 

 disturbance than a jumping fish would make. To achieve this light 

 drop at any distance is an art, and it is simply impossible unless all 

 the necessary weight is centred in the spoon itself. And the spoon 

 should not be heavily armed with hooks, for many hooks are not at all 

 needed, as the mahseer has a tough leathery mouth that presents a ready 

 and good hookhold, without a single tooth in the way of getting a hold. 

 And the mahseer, for good reasons of his own, which will be disclosed 

 below, closes his mouth very hard and fast on any fish he takes, so that 

 he is pretty sure to come home on your treble hook. One treble, sized 

 according to the size of the spoon, is not only enough, but is best in 

 small spoons of one and a half inches; for, when placed at the tail or 

 broad end of the spoon, and revolving fast, it makes no more show than 

 the tail of a swimming fish. But revolving fast it must be, as you are 

 fishing in clear water, and a spoon cannot drive many hooks fast unless 

 the stream is fast, or it is pulled fast, and fast pulling is a great mistake, 

 for a feeding fish depends, more on surprising a dawdling or sickly or 

 wounded fish, than on chasing down a healthy, vigorous and alert one 



EYED 



TAPERED 



SCALE OF MAHSEER TREBLES. 



{Eyid and lafered arc both madt these sizes.) 



267 



