SHIKAR NEAR AND AROUND POONA. 
1079 
Above the Bund at Poona there are many large fish, particularly near the 
far bank just opposite the lower Boat Club and also up the backwater to the 
south of the island about a mile above the Bund. They seem to lie in a stretch 
of water between a small temple on the south bank of the backwater and the 
point where the latter joins the main river. It was here that I saw the biggest 
fresh water fish that I have ever seen. He turned over in the water in the middle 
whilst I was fishing towards the bank. He appeared to be nearly a foot in 
width, and, from the hasty glance I had, seemed to be something like a “Rohu”. 
I have never heard of any of these large fish being caught and cannot say for 
certain of what species they are, but I imagine they belong to the above named 
family. The only fish I have caught in the still water above the Bund are small 
species of Wahago attu, Tengra, Neopferus kapimt, and a fish which appears 
to be exactly similar to tb“ English Roach. 
The only place near Poona where fish of any size are to be had is in the lake 
at Khadakwasla, which is the Poona water supply. This lake is full of Mahseer 
and also holds Carnatic Carp, Wallayo attu. Megalops, all of which will 
take a spoon. 
The largest Mahseer I have taken out of this tank weighed 17^ lbs. and the 
largest I have actually seen caught was a fish caught by Lt.-Col. H. R. Brown, 
I. M. S., who fished this lake regularly a few years ago. This fish, as far as I 
remember, weighed 18| lbs., but it may have been larger. 
The best day I ever had on this water was on the twenty first of April 1919, 
the same day on which I caught my biggest fish. On this day I had six fish, 
one of 17^ lbs. one of 12 lbs. and four small fish weighing from 5 lbs. dowri- 
wards. There are, undoubtedly, fish in this lake well over 20 lbs. 
The best time is from January onwards, until the strong winds before the 
monsoon begin, (generally at the end of April or early in May) when the water 
gets muddy. The water is then always low and the best lure is a Bronze and 
Silver spoon from two to two and a half inches with a three inch .Jardine or 
spiral lead. In the early part of the cold weather when the water is high I 
have curiously enough, found a one and a half inch spoon with a two or two 
and a half inch lead decidedly more effective. 
All fishing is done from a boat. To use these boats it is necessary to become 
a member of the Royal Connaught Boat Club, Poona, to whom they belong. 
The fishing is all done by trolling and about forty yards of line should be let 
out. The boat should only be rowed just fast enough to make the spoon spin. 
A spoon that “ wobbles ” rather than spins is more effective, especially when 
fishing deep for large fish. The best spoon I ever had for this work was Copper 
and Silver, 2 inches, plain, not hogged, and on the deep rather than shallow 
style, and mounted with two triangles at head and tail respectively. 
The spoons sold in India that I have come across nearly always seem too 
flat or shallow to spin well when trolling. The rod should be fairly stiff but at 
the same time should have plenty of “ spring ” in it. I had a single jointed, 
eleven foot, Ringal rod made by Mantons in Calcutta in 1917 for tank fishing 
and found this made an ideal Mahseer rod for this kind of work. 
It is necessary to hold these fish very firmly at the start and to reel up 
quickly, otherwise, with such a length of line out, the line becomes slack and then 
“ Goodbye ” to the fish . 
I was constantly missing fish in this way until I hit upon the following 
plan. 
I generally use two rods, and formerly, as soon as I hooked a fish, my boat- 
man used to stop rowing at once in order to reel up the other line. The boat 
very quickly lost way and before I could really get a tight line the fish was off. 
Now, on getting a run, I make my boatman keep on rowing until I am really 
on terms with the fish and have got a large portion of the line on the reel, and not 
until then do I worry about the other line Of course there is just a chance 
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