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Corbett became famous for killing man-eating tigers and leopards, but his heart was on the river. He considered mahseer fishing to be a "sport of kings."
What is a mahseer? The simple answer is that it's a carp. But before you dismiss it as a four-letter fish, understand that a mahseer has as much in common with our carp as a salmon does with a whitefish. Rudyard Kipling may have exaggerated when he wrote, "There he met the mahseer...beside whom the tarpon is a herring," but the comparison is not unwarranted. In fact, with its torpedo shaped body and large scales, the mahseer fairly resembles a sun-bronzed tarpon, and in terms of brute power no other freshwater fish is its equal. Corbett himself considered "fishing for mahseer in a submontane river the most fascinating of all field sports...a sport fit for kings."
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Their runs rival that of steelhead. Their strength matches that of tarpon, but catching an elusive mahseer means a little more travel than jetting to Florida or Alaska. Follow Keith McCafferty as he treks through the Himalayas in India past tigers and along cliff edges in search of this prized fish. Getting Lost in Mahseer Land You can't do India on your own. I highly recommend Siddarth Anand's Blaze A Trail Adventures for anyone who wants to fish, camp, trek, go on a motorbike journey or horse safari, or visit Corbett Park. I promise you'll have the trip of your life, and it will cost less than a guided hunting or fishing trip in the Rockies of the same duration. Also, please feel free to contact me through the magazine. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about trekking and fishing in Kumaon. - K.M. Photo Credits Steve Dunn - Slides: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22 Keith McCafferty - Slides: 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 21, 23, 24, 25 Julian Stapley - Slide: 20 |
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