In Pursuit Of Golden Mahseer On The Ramganga River, India

The Ramganga River flows through Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal State in the foothills of the Himalya in Northern India.

I arrived into Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport from Bangalore, where I had been fishing on the Cauvery River, about 14:30. I had already arranged a private car transfer and so the driver met me outside the terminal and we set off immediately. The road to Corbett National Park is being upgraded which unfortunately meant our drive was slow in sections. Nevertheless, with just the one stop for food, we managed to get to my accommodation at the Ramganga Resort by about 21:00.

The Ramganga Resort has excellent access to four Beats. In my two days and one short morning we managed to fish Beat 1 twice and Beat 3. More of that below.

The Ramganga Resort is very comfortable, as you can see from the photos. There's a choice of accommodation from tents within permanent shelters, bungalows like I chose right through to a large private lodge for groups or those with money to burn.

Meals are served at a central dining hall. I never got close to eating all that was put in front of me, though I did try. Delicious and plentiful.

There are plenty of activties for non-angling companions, including a pool for warmer days. There is always the option of going on safari looking for tigers and other wildlife.

Beat 1 is a short section of the Ramganga River about 1 kilometre upriver from the resort. It consists of a deep pool with rapids above and below. The top rapids flow under the main road bridge.

On arrival we could see lots of fish circling in the crystal clear water. Anand Singh, my guide, told me to tie on a silver coloured lure which I did and started working the top set of rapids. No takes but one top tip, elaborated on down at the bottom of this hub.

Throughout the day we tried:

• crusts floated down the rapids on then on into the first section of the pool;
• atta paste (flour and water) cast out into the current and left on the bottom for browsers;
• a variety of spoons, spinners and plugs;and
• live bait (some Chilwa that we caught in the shallows - apparently the best bait fish for Mahseer).

All to no avail. Not even one serious bite all day.

For me the location and Anand Singh's enthusiasm made up for much and so we returned to the resort empty-handed but only more hopeful for the next day.

We saw lots of monkeys at Beat 1. It was funny to watch this particular one. All her friend's went bounding past but she stopped atop one rock. Perhaps she had better eyesight, perhaps she was just more cautious.

You can clearly see the crocdile in the photo below. Look twice - it takes a while to notice the very poor camouflage that this sneaky reptile has warpped around its head in the hope of securing a meal.

I was told that for the next day we would walk in to Beat 3. That meant heading upstream to cross a foot bridge then heading down on the other bank past the resort. No problem - it was good to get some exercise.

The beat is spread out over 2 or 3 kilometres, being a series of deep pools. We worked our way down trying lures and atta paste; the latter being enhanced by the addition of a secret ingredient - cow dung.

Although we could see lots of Mahseer I simply did not get a single bite. With such wonderful surroundings it would have been pointless to feel negative so we just kept on trying.

When we arrived at the final ppol my heart leapt. This surely had to be it. One large and very deep pool and so many fish. Surely one was hungry.

Atta paste and lures failed to elicit any attention so I tried one of the two small baitfish we had collected in a rock pool earlier on a float rig. About this time, two other Brits, Tom and Alex, turned up with their guide. They took positions upstream and downstream of me, using chicken guts as bait.

I began to chat with Tom as he was nearest and the fisherman of the two.

Alex meanwhile had had enough of fishing and gone over to the large rock to look down on the fish. After returning he picked up his rod again and, as he said afterwards, just started to muck about with it.

We all saw the first big splash. Something had taken his moving bait and was now heading up towards us. Alex was holding the rod up asking what to do.

The play was great to watch. Alex soon got the hang of reeling in when he could and just holding on whenever the fish decided to run. We got glimpses and could see it was a sizeable fish. We expected a long battle. I took some video. I'll add that when I can.

Actually the fish fought less than I would have expected and came into the shallows after just 3 or 4 big runs - about 10 minutes or so. Their guide soon had the fish held aloft and Alex went over beaming to get his well-deserved photos. A lovely fish, and some memory for all of us.

The fish went back and we all tried again. My luck continued though and, despite staying well after the other two had headed back, I still managed to draw a blank for the day.

I had intended to leave for Delhi after breakfast after my second night. However, pride wouldn't let me leave without a fish so I arranged to head off early with Anand Singh for another try at Beat 1, the closest.

He took me down from ourr previous spot and told me to try floated crust again. He was cold so I told him to head off and warm up a bit whilst I kept trying. Just my luck then that I caught one whilst he was gone. A very dark olive Golden Mahseer.

With the new departure time set for 10:00 we decided to try one last spot at the very top of the first set of rapids, approached by steps to the side of the road bridge. I managed to get 2 more small Golden Mahseer before calling it a day. Some pride restored at least.

Anand Singh was a delight to fish with, especially after the dogmatic 'Ragi on the bottom' regime on the Cauvery River. He was always enthusiastic and willing to try new techniques and had a few tricks of his own to teach me.

To release a lure stuck on a rocky river bed

We started fishing with a Mepps Lure cast into the rapids above the deep pool that dominates Beat 1. As could be expected it wasn't too long before I got snagged on the rocky bottom. AnandSingh cheerfully told me to 'hang on' whilst he rummaged in his bag. Out came an ordinary small mineral water bottle with a not-so-ordinary line and snaplink. With 3/4 water in the bottle the contraption was clipped to my main line and thrown out into the current. After a long loop formed below the sangged lure I was told to reel in fast. I did and, lo and behod, the lure cam away freely. Nice one.

That secret ingredient

Atta paste is nothing more than flour and water, a bait used the world over. What sometimes makes it special are the secret ingredients that anglers put into it to attract more fish. Anand Singh surprised me totally by adding fresh cow dung. I'd love to say it worked but given that we caught nothing that day by any method I can't comment. You will just have to try it for yourself.

Floated crusts

Although aware that a crust could be floated I hadn't thought of it as a suitable technique here for the Golden Mahseer. Anand Singh said to give it a try which we did on day 1 without success. That said, late on some other anglers came by and did succeed in catching some small Mahseer like this. On the last morning we went to the rapids below the original pool and this was exactly the technique required.

For those that have not fished this way before, all that is needed is a hook tied to the main line or a trace - but without weights. A crusty bit of bread is then hooked on carefully. Either throw or cast this out. You will find the crust floats, at least initially.

In a current like we were fishing the hope is that the fish will snatch at the whole lump rather than nibble cautiously, and therefore take the hook properly. With their big mouths, Mahseer are an ideal target for this technique - as, eventually, we found.