Fish 146;n146; trips

It's well off the beaten track, 25 kilometres from Munnar. But ardent trout anglers don8217;t mind the bone-jarring drive to Gravel Banks, ...

It8217;s well off the beaten track, 25 kilometres from Munnar. But ardent trout anglers don8217;t mind the bone-jarring drive to Gravel Banks, one of Munnar8217;s prime fishing spots. It derives its name from the abundance of gravel found on the banks of the delightful trout stream that meanders lazily through the area.

Girdled by an elephant trench, a small stone-walled cottage sits sedately beside the gurgling stream. The rickety suspension bridge spanning it makes a user feel like a tottering tippler who has had one peg too many! Now and then trout playfully flip out of the water in pursuit of hovering insects, raising the hopes of anglers.

However, catching trout here is far from easy as any angler will tell you. The fish can be quite temperamental, stubbornly ignoring even the most tempting bait. It8217;s then that the angler8217;s perseverance, patience and skills come into play 8212; not to mention his stock of unprintable expletives! And when he finally outwits the trout, he is understandably elated. His day is made. I know because I happen to be an angler.

Apart from 8216;uncooperative8217; trout, at Gravel Banks one often has to contend with hordes of bloodthirsty leeches, especially during the monsoon. Absolutely no part of one8217;s anatomy is safe from them. Indeed the parasites are so persistent that if one is not careful enough, one could well need a blood transfusion!

Further, many a fisherman has unexpectedly stumbled upon the odd elephant or gaur foraging in the jungle fringing the stream, resulting in undignified flight 8212; often at a speed the fugitive could never have dreamt he was capable of! Bees, wasps and hornets also send fishermen scurrying for cover occasionally, the not-so-fleet-footed ending up peppered like a pin-cushion.

Then the staccato chirping of giant Malabar squirrels and the scary whooping of Nilgiri langurs in the adjacent forests can be quite unsettling for the uninitiated. So also the eerie sight of otters, only their heads visible above the water, streaking after the trout 8211; which appear to have been bred only for their delectation rather than the angler8217;s!

Making things more difficult for the angler is the rule banning live bait 8212; only hard-to-get artificial flies and lures are permitted. It8217;s a hangover from the British era that the tradition-bound local planters scrupulously follow. But no fish can resist a juicy, wriggling worm 8212; and poachers and trout-fanciers capitalise on this, much to the dismay of anglers.

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However, nothing can really discourage the avid angler. He manfully braves all these deterrents and more for that ultimate thrill 8212; of having a fiercely battling trout at the end of his line.