Fish ’n’ trips

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. It’s then that the angler’s perseverance, patience and skills come into play — 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 ‘uncooperative’ trout, at Gravel Banks one often has to contend with hordes of bloodthirsty leeches, especially during the monsoon. Absolutely no part of one’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 — 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 – which appear to have been bred only for their delectation rather than the angler’s!

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

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