Let’s go fishing! Since time immemorial fishing has been one of the most beloved pastime water sports of the people in India. Whether one loves to eat fish or just for pleasure and fun purposes, fishing is the best leisure activity one can come across. The Indian coastal areas provide high adventure for trawler fishing while the wide rivers in the hinterland sport an ample variety of fish.
Another kind of fishing related activity is angling which is an important method of conservation. A good, healthy stock of fish is not the only product of the conservation efforts of anglers, waterside plants, insects, birds, mammals and reptiles also get the benefit of eco-friendly sport. Weather conditions and climatic changes always affect the breeding times of the fish, that’s why angling seasons are timed to protect the fish while they are reproducing.
Sports fishing or Recreational fishing still continues to be a famous water sport around the world and because of the popularity the sports enthusiasts, there are a set of regulations made for the fishing season in which a certain species of fish may be caught, the permission for the minimum catch per day and the choosing the fishing sites. Some favorite game fishes are salmon, Trout, Bass, and Pike in freshwater, and sailfish, Tuna, Marlin, Tarpon, and Bonefish in saltwater.
FISHING EQUIPMENTS
The basic modern sport fishing equipment includes a barbed metal hook at the end of nylon or Dacron line, and a wood, fiberglass, or metal rod, or pole. For sait water fishing heavier rods and reels of the bait-casting type are used, while trolling and casting from the surf are the usual methods.
To fish in big-game fishing, by trailing a baited line from behind of a slowly moving boat the sports fishers try to catch large fishes such as Tuna, Swordfish, and Shark. The familiar bamboo pole, without reel, continues to be used for still fishing. Fishing with handlines through holes in the ice and spear fishing underwater are also quiet popular among sport fishers.
ANGLING & FISHING IN HIMACHAL
Chirgaon has a trout hatchery, and other common trout fishing sits are – Seema, Mandil, Sandasu, Tikri and Dhamvari; situated near to Rohru. The upper regions of the Beas River in the Kullu valley, and its side streams like the Sarvari, Parbati, Sainj, Hurla and Tirthan – especially in the areas around Aut, Patlikuhl. Katrain, Raison and Largi also make excellent spots for the fishing sport.
FISHING CAMPS
The fishing camps organized by the tourism departments are also becoming a major attraction for nature lovers now-a-days. Situated about 100-Kms away from the city of Banglore in Karnataka is Bheemeshwari – a riverline holiday camp; 46-Kms further is Doddamakati, a satellite camp with Galibore, which is only 16-Kms away from here. Together, these three make the destination choice for confirmed anglers, as the river Cauvery that flows over here is the habitat of the world’s finest game fish, the Mahseer.
