The upper Ramganga is a typical Himalayan river with deep pools and glorious runs. Fishing is permitted along a 24 km upstream stretch—a delight for serious anglers who rate this stretch as one of the best organized in India for sport-fishing for mahseer, goonch, Indian trout and the lesser known kalabasu.

This part of the western Himalayas boasts a unique bio-geographical identify with a distinct icthyofaunal assemblage. There have been very few studies conducted on the ecology of freshwater fishes in this region. The most recent survey conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India in 2005, recorded 43 species belonging to six orders and nine families of fish in this river system. Each July, the monsoon transforms the river into a destructive spate. However, the now replenished nutrients ensure that the riverine system continues to flourish ad nauseam.

The fishing beats teem with clever Golden mahseer and goonch, while the old forests with elephants and great hornbills—testimony to the protection afforded to the Corbett National Park since the end of 18^th century for the Lieutenant Governor’s yearly shoots.

The Ramganga upwards of the Marchula bridge shimmies past scattered villages adorned with terraced fields and small temples. This 50 km stretch right up to Jainal boasts interesting fishing opportunities with gillies willing to hike their way walks to very remote areas far from habitation, and holding a rudimentary campsite or temple premise as a base, fish in some of the best spots adjoining sites.  The Hindu reverence for life has preserved the pristine nature of these regions and the locals have welcomed our philosophy of catch-and-release sport fishing.

The Ramganga is also home to the rare and endemic fish-eating gharial and mugger and a paradise for Otters—the Common, Smooth-coated and Small-clawed otters make the most of their larder which is well-stocked with turtles!

Avian predators that thrive in this river paradise are Pallas’s, Grey headed and Lesser fishing eagles, majestic osprey, several species of cormorants, darters, herons, five species of kingfishers and several other waders.

You can have the satisfaction of scooting away for a quick 2 day fishing excursion (from Delhi and near by regions) or spend a languorous 20 days sport-fishing—and never at the same spot!

The mahseer shows more sport for its size then a salmon and therefore considered the best sportfish in the world….this is what snobs (??) of the Raj era had to say. Mahseer have overjoyed generations of anglers and time after time lived up to being called the “Mighty Mahseer”.

A Legend: One of the fascinating narrations of Jim Corbett in his book “Man-eater of Kumaon” is about his fishing for mahseer in a river that flowed for some 60 km through a beautiful valley teeming with wildlife. The chapter titled ‘Fish of my dreams’ narrates how the air then was filled with the fragrance of flower and the spring songs of a multitude of birds. Corbett exclaimed that angling for mahseer in a sub-montane river in that atmosphere was a sport fit for the kings!

While Corbett felt that the 50 lb mahseer he had caught could be forgotten, what would remain etched in his mind was the sublime surroundings in which he had caught the fish. His description of the river and surroundings seem to bring to life the Ramganga valley of the Corbett Tiger Reserve which is till one of the few strong holds of mahseer in India.

A Brief: The mahseer is a freshwater fish that can attain a huge size. A 70-80 kg catch has not been uncommon in this area which boasts fish which can grow to weights exceeding 100 kg.

Most mahseer take the bait quite avidly which perhaps has helped cultivate an erroneous impression of it being carnivorous and rapacious by nature. Studies have proven that mahseer are omnivorous and take almost anything—weeds, snails, crabs and live fish. The etymology of ‘mahseer’ throws up interesting clues. The word could mean a fish with ‘Lion’s gameness’, ‘large-scaled fish’, ‘large-headed fish’ or ‘fish par excellence’!

Distribution: Mahseer inhabit most river and reservoirs of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka. Mahseer experts have recognized six to eight different species in India but no detailed information on the present status and distribution of each of these species is available. Different species of mahseer inhabit different habitats ranging from tropical water where the temperature in summer goes up to 35°C to sub-Himalayan waters where the winter water temperature drops close to 0°C. Mahseer can be found in streams a few metres above sea level and also in fast moving waters at altitudes of 2,000 m or more.

Ramganga: The mahseer species found in the Corbett Tiger Reserve is the golden variety (Tor putitora), graces the Ramganga river and weights up to 25 kgs. The biggest caught, weighed and photographed on the Vanghat beat was a 68 pounder in April 2004 by Mark Fielden from UK. Another Mahseer almost caught by Vish Satappam and George Fanthom, presumed to be over 70 lbs, literally dragged the rod away (which was later retrieved) and escaped.

Endangered mahseer: Accurate data on the catches of mahseer from different parts of the country is woefully lacking, however compression of figures from a few isolated surveys as well as observations of anglers and biologists indicate that there is a serious decline in the mahseer numbers in the country.

The decline is due to a combination of factors —unchecked and indiscriminate fishing, dynamiting and poisoning of rivers which destroys even the brood fish and juveniles, pollution and siltation of river bodies and construction of dams which has impeded the migration of mahseer, a factor crucial for its spawning. Unfortunately for mahseer, when compared to other commercial fish, it is more prone to depletion and extinction.

Spawning: A prime habitat requirement of the mahseer is clean water, which is fast becoming a scarcity. Favored mahseer spawning grounds are calm, well-oxygenated waters with a bed of sand or gravel. Journey to such grounds is fraught with risk and dangers. The fecundity of mahseer as compared to the commercially exploited species is very low. For example the Deccan or Khudree mahseer (Tor Khudree) has 6,000 eggs/kg body weight of rohu (Labeo Rohita) and 1,33,000 eggs/kg body weight of catla (Catla Catla).

The eggs of mahseer are demersal or capable of sinking to the river bed and therefore, mud instead of sand or gravel on the river bed can cause them to simply perish. The hatching period for Khudree mahseer is 60-80 hours while that of Golden or Himalayan mahseer is 80-96 hours as compared to the meagre18 hours for catla and rohu. Further, the semi-quiescent stage soon after hatching is three days for catla and rohu, while it is six days for Khudree mahseer. We can safely infer then that the mahseer is more vulnerable to all forms of decimation. If it is to survive throughout its range, there is an urgent need to plan and implement strict conservations measures.

Sumantha caught a Mahseer

Mahseer Haven: Ramganga river, where Corbett fished for his dinner, has over this century undergone a major change due to the construction of a dam at Kalagarh in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Consequently, the water in the reservoir encompasses an area of 60 sq km in summers and 80 sq km in the winter months. With the monsoons of July-August, areas around the 16 km of the river from Kalagarh to Dhikala stands inundated. Fortunately, the 32 km stretch of river a little upstream of Vanghat, (from where it enters the Corbett Tiger Reserve) right up to Dhikala, remains what it was a hundred year ago—a spectator to the abundant wildlife on both the banks. Mandal and Plain rivers, the upstream tributaries of the Ramganga, are vital spawning grounds for the Mahseer of the Tiger Reserve. Spawning usually occurs in the month of August.

James first trip to Uttarakhand was in the monsoons of 2001 and organized a fishing trip into the upstream sections of the Ramganga. It was here that he really reeled in my first Mahseer and proudly let is go. This was a turning point in my life. Eventually when I wanted to develop a community based wilderness fishing loge on the Ramganga James stood by me and helped in every way possible. Not only did we manage to development a unique wilderness lodge but managed to conserve the wildlife and fished in this part of the Ramganga valley. I, these wildlife rich Sal forest and the creatures that dwell in the crystal clear Ramganga will forever remain indebted to this wonderful human.

Prosenjit has chased the legendary Mahseer since 1980 in Manas, then in Ramganga (fishing inside the national park was allowed in those days), Koppili in North Cachar and Jia Bharali in Nameri. He helped Assam Bhoreli Angling and Conservation Association in 2002 to plan out its mahseer breeding and conservation programme. He is a regular visitor at Vanghat and is in love with it since. He has extensively travelled in the Kumaon region. He is a life member of Bombay Natural History Society and World Wide Fund for Nature, and has delivered lectures on wildlife and conservation in schools and other bodies.

Prosenjit Das Gupta has authored several well known books, “10 Walks in Calcutta” about Calcutta’s architectural and historical heritage.  “Walks in the Wild” on experiences and impressions about wildlife areas in India since 1968 (with a good bit on Corbett) and the popular “Tracking Jim” about the life of Jim Corbett and the places he had to visit (e.g. Rudraprayag, Champawat, Talla Desh) to shoot man-eaters in the Kumaons.

“After Elwin” about the work of the anthropologist , Dr. Verrier Elwin, in India and my experiences in the same tribal areas of central India since 1970′s, and a short monograph on forest trees (published privately).