Plan Your Future Mahseer Fishing Trip
Mahseer is a cold-water fish that stays within water that is highly oxygenated. This fish possess a lifespan of 20 to 25 years. Popularly known as ‘The Underwater Tiger’, this fish gives a very strong fight. Apart from this, they also possess a very strong smelling sense which helps them to detect the food from a distance. They mainly rely on the fishes and the arthropods for their food.
These fishes love to stay in the fast-flowing rivers. In India, they are seen in the rivers that originate from the Himalayas heading towards the Bay of Bengal. They have the ability to swim upstream against the rapids at over 20 knots and have a tendency to grow up to 125 lbs. They gain extra strength from the fast-flowing river. Whenever they are hooked, they are ready to give you a terrific fight.
The best time for enjoying the Mahseer fishing in India is in the months of Autumn (September to November) as the river becomes very clean and tidy after the monsoon and in Spring (March to May), as in these months, the early monsoon rains help in raising the river water levels.
In India, the ideal place for Mahseer fishing is the northern part of the country. The rivers are originated from the snow-covered Himalayas. These rivers also consist of popular catfishes known as Goonch.
The best places to offer you with the incredible fishing experience are listed below:
1. Ramganga River, Corbett National Park, Uttrakhand
This park is situated in the Nainital district of Uttrakhand and is famous for fishing and all the angling fanatics. The Ramganga River flowing across this park is a house of various fishes like the Mahseer, Goonch, Brown Trout, etc. Permission from the Divisional Forest Officer is to be taken prior to fishing in this area. There are resorts which easily arrange the permit license.
The distance from Delhi to Corbett National Park is about approximately 337 kms. You can catch a flight from Delhi to Pantnagar Airport which is a part of the Udham Singh district and is about 123 kms from Corbett National Park.
2. Kosi River, Uttrakhand
The River Kosi forms the eastern boundary of the Corbett National Park and is well stocked with Mahseer. The ideal fishing spots in Kosi are Betalghat and Chhara. Again, permission is required for fishing and angling. The resorts and hotels nearby are helpful for getting this permit license.
3. Pancheswar, Mahakali River, Uttrakhand
Pancheshwar, a very beautiful village that is located at about 40 kms from the Lohaghat district in Chamawat district of Uttrakhand is an ideal place for Mahseer fishing. The water is extremely clear. An international Angling Competition is organized here every year in the month of March. The ideal months for fishing over here are before the rains and post-October month. The distance from Delhi to Pancheswar is about 495 Kms.
You may catch up a flight from Delhi to Jolly Grant which is the nearest airport to Pancheshwar. If you want to opt for train, then the nearest railway station would be Kathgodam.
4. Himachal Pradesh
The Pabbar valley region that is located around 80 kms, north-east side of the Shimla is the best place for Golden Mahseer Fishing. There are several other places where Mahseer fishing is carried out in Himachal like Mandil, Chirgaon, Dhamvari, Seema, and Sandasu. Some norms need to be followed for enjoying the fishing experience in Himachal without any kind of inconvenience. The government over there have divided the streams into Trout and General Waters. The length of these streams is somewhere from 600 km to 2400 km. It should also be noted that only rod and line fishing is permitted in Trout waters.
The distance from Delhi to Pabbar Valley is about 439 kms which takes about 10 hours to reach there on road. You may take a flight to Chandigarh from where, Pabbar valley is 115 kms. Also, shimla can opted from where valley is just 4 kms.
5. Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh has four main regions that are popular for fishing. Bhalukpong and Tipi situated on the banks of Kameng River and Pasighat located on the banks of Siang River and Wakro. While fishing in these areas, one has to be extra careful because wild elephants and leopards move freely along the river banks. If you are planning to go for night fishing, it is advised to go in a group.
You may reach Arunachal Pradesh from Delhi Airport, from where you can take a cab to Siang Fishing Trip.
6. Jia Bhoroli River, Assam
The north-eastern part of the Assam state is the best place for fishing. The Jia Bhoroli River emanates in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh and runs through Sonitpur district of Assam is the hub for golden Masheer fishing. The months from October to April are the ideal months for fishing.
Assam can be reached by catching up a flight from Delhi to Salonibari Airport from where the Nameri National Park is about 23 km. A cab can be booked for reaching there.
7. Karnataka
Fishing and Angling is carried out widely in Karnataka also. The government over there runs angling activities across the Cauvery River which is an adobe of several Mahseer fishes. There are several norms formulated by the state government which needs to be followed where whenever a fish gets hooked, the camp attendant will help the people to remove the fish from the water, tie up the mouth with a nylon rope, measure the weight and get a picture clicked. Thereafter, the fish is released in the water again. A license from the Coorg Wildlife Association is a must before fishing.
You can easily reach Bangalore through a flight from Delhi. Fishing camps like Beemeshwari, located at about 100 km from Bangalore, Doddamakati, is just 46kms from Beemeshwari and 16kms to it, Galibore is located.
If you are planning to go in the peak seasons, it is advisable to do a pre-booking of the hotels in order to avoid any inconvenience. You may view and book hotels from online websites or apps like TripAdvisor, MakeMyTrip, Booking.com. There are several such sites and apps available.
There are no such big difficulties in reaching these places. A good prior study on these places will help you to reach that place easily. Also, there are several packages provided by the above-mentioned websites, which takes you from source to destination. You may check them. A few pieces of advice are to get cash whenever you see an ATM as many places are remote and hence, finding ATM there would be difficult. Also, the entry fees for the foreign nationals would differ from the Indian nationals. Try to carry basic medicines and any personal care products.