SOME GAME FISHES OP INDIA 



giants of the carp family, whose mere weight, whether taken with 

 paste, fly or spoon, would make work for an angler and repay 

 him for reading a little book called TanTc FisJiing in India, in which 

 he win learn all about its delights. That the sport is becoming 

 universal and popular is seen from the fact that the Calcutta 

 Angling Club propagates the Eohu and others, and has, accord- 

 ing to Thompson, placed twenty-five thousand Rohu, Catla and 

 others in their preserves, from which younglings they have 

 taken ten and twenty pounders. 



There are in Indian waters a number of fierce fishes, which 

 are known as fresh water sharks. If you are in Hindustan you 

 will hear of the Bow^li. In angling in the Tamil country, it is 

 the Wallago, GwaU in the Punjab, the MuUey of Tirhoot, and 

 the Baralie in Assam. But it is always the Wallago attu, a good 

 fighter with a sixteen-ounce salmon rod and a one and a half 

 inch spoon. With such tackle, eight, nine and twelve pounders 

 can be taken. The WaUago is a curious-looking fish, reminding 

 one of the deep sea fishes which have long feelers and pseudo- 

 electric lights on the end of them. In a word, the Wallago looks 

 like a fish upside down, as it has a long pseudo-dorsal on 

 the under side, with merely a wisp of a fin above, and its barbels 

 come from the upper jaw ia front of the eyes, and are a fourth of 

 the length of its long slender body. It looks better tipped 

 upside down. Many of these fishes are taken in tanks or 

 reservoirs ; others again only in rivers. 



Among the latter is a gigantic catfish, called Bagarius for 

 lack of a better name. It tips the scales at one hundred and 

 forty pounds at its best, and rejoices in a mouth large enough 

 to swallow any bait. In fact, one taken of this size, swallowed 

 a fourteen-pound rohu that was being played by an angler. 

 Day shows a picture of this big fish in his notable work ; and let 

 me say, if the story, which is absolutely true, had been told in 

 America a thirty-foot crocodile would have taken the Bagarius 

 in due turn and then been landed complacently with rod and 

 reel. Mr. Ardwell took in four days with one rod fourteen fish, 



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