The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-12-26
Indian Fishes,

1tAuiath ElottSSs
1t might be supposed that India, with
its great lakes and rivers. would be
famous place for frcah-water fish, but
such is not the case. There are fishes,
indeed, in the big tanks, or lakes.
which for size would put the heaviest
pike or lake trout at home to shame;
but Indian tanks are most unGshable.
They are choked with water-lillies and
with dense underground of weeds, in
which 1t is as hard to find fish as the
proverbial needle in the bundle of hay.
The natives often spear the large fish
entangled in the weeds by torchlight,
but lake fishing, for a European, is
generally q mistake. There are per-
haps, only two angling fishes worth
the name in Hindostan; one is the NAH
seer, kind of carp, and the otherthe In
dian trout. found only in the north Of
India, and similar TO the English brook
trout, only that the spots on the Indian
fish are blue, not red. Ihaye seen n NAH
seer's head in y museum, Of which il
was said the fish it belonged to weighed
eighty-four pounds. In the northern
rivers, such rs the Jhelum. the mahseer
affords good sport, but it is q very Pc
culiar fish, as the modes Of fishing for it
VII show. IN some rivers It will take
Il salmon-iiy, and in others it will only
take the spoon. In Nerbudda it is use
less to FISH with either of these. for the
mahse4r will only take gram - the
| pea that horses are fed upon. In one
| OF the rivers of Central India the red
| berries Of the Indian fig tree are q kill
ing bait, and below the Goirsoppa
Fails, on the West Coast the highest in
India), a piece Of planlain has been
| found effective. Misunderstanding in the
! South, however, is tedious work The
rivers often run through dense and
| feycrish iungles, and the glare off the
water is binding. The fish itself when
| caught is no better than any ether carp,
| for the table though keen fishermen
| are enthusiastic about mahsaer head
! and shoulders with oys .er sauce. There
is only one fish in India that will per
s'stently take dy but unfortunately.
though Il pretty, silyery, dace-like fish
it is never bigger than sprat. This
| and roach abound in every Indian pond
and puddle. | have even caught them
with black gaat in drinking wells,
where, by the way, they greatly inn
| prove the q1ality OF the water. Murrel.
! taou2h is the commoncst fresh-water
| fish sold in India. II IS a hideous beast
like liattened eel, and with a serratsd
| kind OF ridge, or name. down the back.
was once fishing with that poaahino
! contriyancc. an otter board on an IL
| dian tank, when / caught on the long
| line OF hooks murrel, an eel, q FROG,
and water snake, The snake was
hooked through the body foul. Muir
| rel grow to an immense size in the lakes.
| have seen one baskinm on the surface
which myself and friend mistook fog
an alligator. The flesh, to my taste, is
| concentrated essence of mud
The great rivers of India, Of course,
contain a great number OF fishes; some
OF them specjalties. as the Hooghiy, In
dus. Godayery and kistus. The Indus
Is said to have the finest fish for the ia
bic of al the pullah This fish is
| caught by men swimming " tn the
breast resting on an earthenWare vessel.
They push Eand-ncl before them, and
soon I'LL the jar with fish. In the
Hooghly they catch the mango fish,
winch some say owes il delicate flavor
to the floating corps"s in tie river. Ii
| the Gudagpr, they h.ye 4 fish cailet
the sable" which migrates to the ses
as regularly as the salmon Twas once
caught by this fish or something IKE it
A friend in q boat put me, with nl
bamboo rod, on pinnacle Of rock on
in the Goiayery River. and in the mid
die Of a reverie OF, perhaps, sicSta
produced by il!-luck, a big .t5sh uggct
the rod. and then myself af,er il, into
| twenty feet Of wat T.. Neither rod no
fish was ever seen again. But the guam
titles of fish in these great rivers are in
credible. / have nyself seen severa
carloads of fine fish OF al Kinds take1
out OF a single pond in TIE hot season
and when the river is pretty well driet
down. Such 50 are chiefly used ii
| their roe. TIE natire% make = kind o
cayiare from it which is far from nasty
The rivers of the hially Pen nSuIa, how
ever. are the most wonderful rivers 10
fish Chat know Of lie most eXtraCr
binary looking Eahc and fishes Of tht
most brilliant col, :, are to lie has
4 there and all 3ay long the alligator
may be seen bu-Iy employed anon!
. them. a. she long trains oE bubbles OF
e the surface very well denote But i i
p sufficient to look st the indigenous
ANGLER to perceive II glance that indi:
can be no angl"r'S Farad 81 aecOPdin!
to orr views of fishing. The aboriginal
angler is usually gTandia,h her, mos
,,p.ba L. a t,nagifiDpti s17tntr 10 Snuat