Chapt. v. A lip hook and one treble enough. 53 



authors then I refer him, but with the request that he will 

 bear constantly in mind the one marked and very import- 

 ant difference between English fishing and Indian fishing, 

 that whereas you seldom spin or troll at home in water 

 that is not more or less colored or tinged, and not un- 

 frequently under a cloudy sky, you never ought to spin 

 out here for Mahseer except in water as clear as crystal, 

 and if you get any thing but a bright sky above, you are 

 in luck's way indeed. The consequence is that it is neces- 

 sary to be doubly particular about having as fine tackle 

 with as few hooks as possible; and flights of numerous 

 hooks that are considered quite "according to Cocker" at 

 home, look in our bright waters so truly terrible that no 

 Indian fish would be fool enough to come within a yard 

 of them. 



Furthermore such a multitude of hooks, even if they 

 were not repellant, as they obviously must be in bright 

 water, are not at all necessary «at here. They are made 

 at home for fishes whose mouths are so full of teeth and 

 scarcely-covered bone, that the surface presented to the 

 hook is so hard that the chances are sadly against a hook 

 penetrating, and getting a hold, and therefore the hooks 

 are multiplied with a view to increasing the chances of 

 hooking a fish. But the Mahseer's mouth and lips are soft, 

 tough, and leathery, presenting a perfect hookhold all over, 

 so that one hook is ample Moreover the Mahseer closes 

 his leathery mouth very tight on his fish as I have shewn, 

 and the chances are very much against his escaping being 

 hooked. 



