FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 



Ganges, but otherwise the rule may be accepted generally. In Northern 

 India, in the Poonch, for instance, and in other rivers there which 

 run from snow -clad mountains, the melting of the snows will send 

 down snow-water, discolouring and chilling the water, and putting 

 the fish quite off the feed. That is after the middle of April. In rivers not 

 affected by snow-water, and in those very slightly affected, as in the stream 

 near Rawalpindi, fishing may be continued till the rains commence in 

 July. Speaking generally for Northern India December, January and 

 February are blank months, and the two best months are March and 

 October. In all places thunder puts fish off the feed, and so does impending 

 heavy rain. In Burmah commence fishing on October 1, or even the last 

 week in September. 



The running line should be strong, and thoroughly good, and 120 yards 

 of it, as the first rush is very violent, and, as soon as ever you can get on 

 terms with your fish, will need to take all the toll your rod will bear. I 

 have had a fish quite uncontrollably run me, from a well-strained rod, 

 within a very few yards of my 120, when he was out of breath from my 

 heavily bearing on him, the line was recovered, and the ball continued. 



The gut must be the best salmon gut to stand the strain, and should be 

 single gut near the bait, because of the clearness of the water. Specially 

 annealed wire may be used. 



THE SEETUL 



The seetul (Notopterus chitala) is a sporting fish with peculiarities that 

 have to be studied. It attains four feet in length, and is deep, but flat- 

 sided, not thick, and is silvery all over. When I had my first introduction 

 to him he was rolling over on the surface of the river, displaying his 

 silvery sides, and making the water astir with his movements, which 

 seemed to say that he was a surface feeder. Seven others present, 

 good anglers, were all fishing for him accordingly, and with a large 

 spoon, because of his size; but to little purpose, till at last one seetul was 

 taken by one of them, and there was a chance to study the fish's formation. 

 What we should call the chin in a human was as flat as a board, indicating 

 bottom feeding; the mouth, as may be seen in the plate, was placed level 

 with the bottom, confirming the indication, though there were no feelers, 

 the absence of which seemed to say that it was not wholly at the bottom 

 that he sought his food. The mouth was also very small in comparison 

 with the size of its owner, which was suggestive of the prey taken being 

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