Chapt. ix. Live-bait fishing for Murrel. 127 



fish, and the concussion of the water will stun him, if you 

 have gone close to him. I am told they sink when killed, 

 or stunned, as I should suppose they would. You must 

 therefore have a man ready to go in after them at once. 



But if you go in for fish shooting, and I would not 

 call it poaching in India, you must allow for refraction. 

 Refraction makes the fish appear nearer to the surface 

 than it is — you should therefore aim below it ; your hall 

 also has a tendency not to pursue a direct course under 

 water, hut to glance upwards — another reason for aiming 

 low. Furthermore your hall will not take to the water 

 kindly at all, will not do business far under the surface. 

 I think a foot under water is the utmost distance at which 

 you can trust it to be effective. 



But to return to the rod and line. The murrel may 

 be spun for with the same bait and tackle as has been 

 recommended for Mahseer, except that it is well to substi- 

 tute gimp for gut, because of his mouth full of teeth. I 

 have sometimes had my gut provokingly cut by them. 



By reason of the murrel keeping mainly to the still 

 deep pools, it can also be fished for with a live bait by 

 those who prefer that mode of fishing. A single gimp 

 hook of about No. 6, 7, 8, or 9, Limerick size, will then be 

 the thing; and you had best have also a float, cork, or 

 bung, too big for your bait to take under, and, if you like, 

 a shot or two, as generally recommended to keep your bait 

 down; but as murrel are frequently at the surface I do 

 not think this is necessary. Indeed I would say fish close 

 to the surface, as murrel feed largely on frogs, for which 



