Our recent fishing trip to India has finally come to an end and I am now sat back in my house on a cold, wet and rainy february morning writing this. I have been back in the UK a little over a week but India and it's warm, welcoming people seem far away in my mind now, almost like a distant memory if you will. It's amazing how quickly things return to 'normal' once back home in your familiar environment and daily routine.
I have to keep pinching myself as the trip and experiences my friend Scott and I shared were way beyond our expectations. Obviously we hoped that the fishing would be good and we'd have some exciting adventures, this trip just blew our expectations out of the water. The fishing was exceptionally good on occasions, over the trip we encountered a myriad of different species of all shapes and sizes using a variety of different methods and techniques.
The plan was simply to travel on our bikes and fish pretty much anywhere that caught our eye. We'd spent many hours studying maps before our departure and had discovered many fishy looking spots that we hoped to get to and wet our lines. We had no idea what to expect but the prospect of some pioneering fishing in unknown locations really excited us. Rod and line fishing is scarcely practiced (but growing fast!) in India as most people prefer to fish traditionally with nets and hand-lines so we really were literally fishing blind and relying on our previous knowledge and angling experience to help us get into the fish.
As we departed for India our rucksacks contained little else other than fishing tackle. We were prepared for just about every fishy eventuality that may present itself. We carried spinning rods, fly rods, boat rods, surfcasters and heavy rods for baitfishing along with a good selection of reels and tackle. Not forgetting our huge selection of artificial lures! These tropical fish make short work of lures and the rocky, snag infested places we like to fish often claim a few too so it pays to be well prepared......which we certainly were!
We spent our 9 weeks fishing largely on the coast with a 2 week break where we turned our attention to freshwater. What amazed us was the quality of the fishing that can still be found if you are prepared to look hard enough. There is nothing more satisfying than when all your hard work, research and perseverance pays off. The seas surrounding India are beautifully clean and rich in places, away from the heavily populated and industrial areas then some lovely water could be found. On occasions the sea was teeming with small mackerel, mullet and sardines which the locals harvest with their nets for food. These species of bait fish prop up the food chain and in turn support a whole host of predatory species - it is these that were primarily of the most interest to us.
Whilst fishing the saltwater we were lucky enough to encounter Mangrove Jacks to 16lb, Grouper to 18lb, Trevally to 35lb, Barracuda to 10lb, Barramundi to 20lb, Stingrays to 15lb, Guitarfish to 10lb, Queenfish to 10lb and a whole host of smaller species as follows: Oxeye Tarpon, Blubber Lip Snappers, Malabar Rock Cod, Fingermark, Tigerfish, Russells Snapper, Bream, Catfish and Croaker.
In freshwater, we spent the majority of the time specifically fishing for the Giant Mahseer of South India's rivers , catching and releasing specimens in excess of 40lb. Without doubt we lost fish much bigger as they are masters of destroying tackle using their size, speed and strength to their advantage. Some of the bigger fish we could just not stop and inevitably they won the battle. Lessons were learnt and hopefully if we get the opportunity to fish for these spectacular creatures again then we shall be better prepared! There is little in fishing to beat the thrill and exhileration of being attached to one of these mighty creatures. We encountered a couple of other species in the freshwater too, namely the Murrel and the Carnatic Carp.
Highlights of the trip were undoubtedly the huge freshwater Mahseer that really gave you a good run around and workout. These fish are happy to take lures, flies or bait so are a pleasure to fish for. The initial run they give was always sure to set the adrenaline coursing through your veins when you hooked a sizeable fish. Weather you landed it was another matter altogether as these creatures are the Houdinis of the freshwater world often easily making good their escape.
The land based Giant Trevally (GT) fishing was also amazing, these fish are unrelenting brutes that test angler and tackle to the limit. Watching these fish smash into your surface popping lures is quite something and then the strength with which they fight just mind boggling, they never give up! I won't forget the sight of Scott (left) being attached to what probably would have been the biggest GT of the trip whilst stood high up on a rock, sadly the fish was'nt landed though! But hey - That's fishing!
Light tackle lure fishing for the Barramundi was at times breathtaking as they slammed into our lures too. We were often fishing over clean ground so letting the fish run was not a problem. They would frequently strip yards and yards of braid from the reel on their initial screaming run and make multiple leaps into the air. Quite a sight to behold, these fish are just awesome power-packed predators.
I got lucky one afternoon and landed a beautiful Queenfish too which we are told are a rare catch thesedays. It slammed into a bucktail jig during the heat of the day and made a leap, some good runs and then happily posed for the photo before being released to fight another day. A beautiful fish....Magic!
We decided to take our saltwater fly-fishing gear this time as well which turned out to be a good idea. I for one have a particular love of the art of fly-fishing and we were lucky enough to catch barramundi, trevally, grouper, snappers and ox-eye tarpon using this method. A good result.
The highlight of the baitfishing had to be the day we fished for a few hours on a huge surf beach in the late afternoon. The fish were cueing up to be caught and we had a spectacular session catching and releasing well over a dozen guitarfish (sandsharks) before beaching a beautiful stingray after dark. Quite a hectic days sport that won't be forgotten in a hurry.
It really was an amazing adventure and the people we met on our travels were all so kind and welcoming. The fishing was excellent and has given us tales to tell for many years to come, all that's left to do now is plan a return visit at some point in the future to do battle with 'the ones that got away!'.
