“There he stood, the Mahseer off the Poonch, beside whom the Tarpon is a Herring and he who catches him can say he is a fisherman.” Rudyard Kipling.

The great Indian Subcontinent, enclosed in the north by the grand Himalayas and in the south delimited by the Indian Ocean, has been home to various civilizations in the past 10000 years. The founding place of Hinduism and Buddhism, it is a land of colossal history where one is soon overwhelmed with culture, shrines, forts, languages, crowded markets and lively cities. And in the midst of this vast subcontinent, in the many rivers which drain the nation, swims a classic game fish still mostly unheard of outside India… the mighty Mahseer of India.

Undeniably, the Mahseer is one of the fiercest fighting freshwater game fish in existence. Pound for pound it had unparalleled strength and endurance. Often weighed against the lordly salmon for their sporting competency, the Mahseer has overjoyed generations of anglers and time after time lived up to being called the “Mighty Mahseer.” And while they do have a transitory likeness to the carp and the barbell of the English waters, the similarity soon ends in the turbid waters of the Himalayan foothills.

History
The 19th century brought first accounts on the Mahseer from ex-partite anglers captivated by the excellence sport the Mahseer had to offer. The Mahseer of the south in particular, which is larger than its northern cousin, earned a stellar reputation and soon any avid angler traveling to this part of the world was casting his in rod in its hot pursuit.

By the early 20th century word of the Mahseer’s mightiness had spread far and wide and a number of anglers acquainted with the southern waters of the Kabbini and the Cauvery made the most of this so-called golden era of Mahseer fishing. The Van Ingens, famous Dutch taxidermists from Mysore, perhaps the most frequent anglers on these waters, established many records. In fact, J. Detwet Van Ingen still holds the record for the largest rod caught Mahseer, at 120lbs. In 1922 the Van Ingens also guided the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), possibly the most eminent angler ever seen on the Cauvery.

After India achieved its independence in 1947, the angling scene suffered a setback. The population shot up and with pressure on all resources high, the new government, without an understanding of the sport, had other priorities. However, the Transworld fishing expeditions of the 1980s brought the much-needed break through in terms of initial conservation efforts for the Mahseer of the Cauvery. It was the re-introduction of these forgotten monsters to the angling world. Robert Howitt, one of the team members, soon convinced the government to protect a stretch of the River Cauvery by announcing a complete ban on killing the Mahseer.

This lead to a revival of fish populations on the Cauvery, which were previously suffering the effects of uncontrolled poaching. In fact, prestigious events like the Mahseer Maharaja World Cup and the consistent enforcement of controlled angling has seen the Cauvery thrive, and efforts to follow the example of the Cauvery have been made by various angling bodies all over the nation. The results are showing.

The Himalayan Mahseer
The Cauvery is where most enthusiasts visit in pursuit of the Mahseer, in the process ignoring the very interesting fishing in the north and north-east of India. The Himalayas are the perfect setting to take a Mahseer, and whether one is keen on spinning or the fly, there is few fresh water fish can compare to its sporting aptitude which inhabit such challenging waters.

Prior notes on fishing for Mahseer in the north mention the capture of giants. A. St. J. Macdonald’s book from the early nineteenth century, Circumventing the Mahseer, has mentions of fish over 55 lbs caught by him and others (Though he goes on to say that that there are few anglers in the north who could count the fifty-pound plus fish they’ve caught on more than five figures). Yet while a fifty-pound fish in the north is considered a trophy, the Himalayan Mahseer is best taken on a lure or a fly, something the Southern giants do not do. The Mahseer of the south are taken on a local form of Millet flower (Ragi), a paste hardened and dressed on a 6/0 hook before being hurled into the current.

The Mahseer inhabits the rivers and perennial rivulets of sub mountainous terrain in the course of the Himalayas and can be found up to an altitude of 2500 ft. The Ganges and its tributaries, the Eastern and western Ramganga, the Maha Kali and its tributaries, the Kosi, the Beas and its tributaries, the Sutlej and its tributaries, the Bhramaputra and its tributaries, Ravi and its tributaries, Yammuna and its tributaries and the Indus which flows into Pakistan are all strongholds of the Himalayan Mahseer. Due to the diversity of regions they are to be found in and the assortment of techniques they could be had on, fishing for them makes a particularly interesting pursuit.

For anyone who has experienced exactly what a Mahseer feels like at the end of a line, the most significant sporting feature of the fish is the moment when the fish takes the fly and begins the rush. It’s more sudden than expected - impetuous, rash, impulsive, reckless - whatever you might call it.

When?
The best time to take to the large snow fed rivers of the north is from February through the middle of May, as they are more liable to be clear and the water at a reasonably low level. By mid April the river begins to progressively rise with the real snow melt kicking in by the end of May.

All chief river systems have a particular window period they produce the best fish in. A good time to fish these snow fed rivers is post monsoon, from the middle of September through till the middle of November. Confluences produce predominantly fine results during this time, principally when the rivers are changing color and subsequent to the monsoons.

Due to the results they have produced over the years, most fishing in the north is done in the region of confluences. Post monsoon, when the receding river gives fish an indication to move down, the fish, having laid their eggs, are exhausted and hungry. This is considered one of the best times to fish in north India.

By and large Mahseer fishing is compared to fishing for the Salmon, with the tackle used for spinning or fly fishing generally being the same as that used for catching large Salmon. The Mahseer prefer clear water, in fact the clearer the better. The rougher the better too, for he’d rather be in turbulent water. Thunder or rain may or may not hold back his unpredictable craving.

Feeding habits - His size is no indication of what he wants - the tiny fish of one pound or less will ambitiously take a four inch spoon with the same readiness a monster of 30 to 40 lbs takes a half inch fly spoon. Still, it is both a remarkably omnivorous fish and a noted discontinuous feeder. Green filamentous algae, figs, waste thrown by humans, insects and fish have all been unearthed from the stomachs of Mahseer.

Migration - Mahseer migrate upstream, from the main river into the rivulets, mainly during the southwest monsoon (July through September) for the purpose of spawning, when they ascend to heights up to 2500 ft. The migration is a very significant feature of the Himalayan Mahseer’s life cycle and the fish moves extensively during this period.

If you are interested in fishing for the Mahseer of India, need any kind of information on the fishery, get in touch with Misty Dhillon at mahseer.info@mailcity.com.