Every picture tells a story, but this is how this picture came to be, if you
believe in Karma.
Back in the 1990,s when Beemishwari was a wonderful small fishing camp
with 6 tents,and good fishing.I often used to drive my Mahindra Commander
10 seater open jeep to Halguru (Hal Gore) to collect supplies and use the
phone.
Along the dirt/mud road I often used to pick up the school teacher and
children walking to school.The Bus came twice a day, weather and whatever
permitting, if the bus did not come it was a long walk, from Beemishwari
to Halguru is 22 Kilometres.I often had the teacher and 21 children in my
Jeep.(No Health and Safety then or now)
One afternoon in late December 1999, I picked up the school teacher on my
way back from Halguru,as I arrived at Beemishwari,she looked at me with
those sad eyes, as if to say "are you going to throw me out here". Neither
of us speaking the others language,a few hand gestures and I new that she
wanted to go further, Muthathi village was at that time end of the road,
and although it was only 7 kilometres from Beemishwari,I had never had
cause to go there.
As we arrived at the village, which had a number of Temples, and a few
kiosk size shops,I looked for somewhere to turn, heading towards the
river, its a one mud street village, I saw, what to me looked like a
wonderful stretch of river, I got out of my jeep to have a closer look,
and looking down stream there were thousands of people,cooking on open
fires and getting ready for the Millennium.
On getting back to Beemishwari, I said to my ghillie at that time K.N ,
that I have found a place to fish at Muthathi." Sir no body fishes there
its noisy and dirty" "but I want to give it a try" It was decided that
after the 10,000 people that it was estimated would be there for the
Millennium, had left, we would go on the morning of the 2nd January 2000.
Arriving on the 2nd January, we struggled to get our coracle into the
river,there was about 50 tonnes of plastic bags and bottles left behind.
The river goes from a small rapid to what looks like a very wide piece of
river,more like a lake, which is what most people think, but there is one
very deep part that runs fast through the centre,that washes people
away,73 people drowned here in 2009.
As we fished our way down this deep part, we didn,t have a bite, and at
11am K.N said "see Sir there are no fish here" I said we will try a little
longer,at 11.30 I had the first bite,of a hard fighting fish,which we went
after,we landed the fish and put it on a stringer, to rest before we took
a photo. I cast again and the bait had only just come to rest, when the
line started to scream off again, as the line looked as if it was going to
run out, K.N tide the stringer to a bush and we followed the fish in the
coracle,and we landed this fish,put it on a stringer,and K.N paddled the
coracle back up stream in shallow water to collect the first fish while I
waited on a rock for him to return. K.N said "try again Sir while the fish
rest".I cast again, this time the bait came round, and did,nt even come to
rest, before the line was once again screaming off,and the chase was on
again.Three casts and 3 fish of 32lbs,57lbs,and 78lbs,all between 11.30am
and 2.30pm.Who said fish can,t tell the time, they had been getting fed
for 4 days with the scraps of chicken,mutton,rice and everything else that
had been thrown in the water every lunch time for 4 days.
I went back a little later the next morning, to find 16 people fishing,
the place that no one ever fishes, news had spread quickly. This is why, I
am now ,very reluctant to tell where I catch my fish.
I never got to fish it again that season, and no fish were caught here
until late October 2000, when a magnificent 88lb Black Mahseer was caught.
The last great fish caught here was caught by my good friend Niel Fox,
founder of "Based on a True Story" If you don,t have a private Jet,you
will not be one of his clients.
Size is not everything when you
look at how perfect, and in my eyes, a truly beautiful fish of 36lbs.
2 Mahseer caught in 30 minutes
on the Cauvery River - 1st Fish 1st Cast!
(Please click the video below to play the
full clip)
This is an unedited 30 minute video catching 2 Mahseer, while out patrolling for
poachers, I take my Shimano tfmmhd9611648 stc rods. Fishing with a tighter
clutch than usual as the day before, I lost a big fish here, when it ran
downstream through the gap and the Barbless hook came out.
New 130lb World Record Mahseer caught at the only British run fishing camp
in India!
(Please scroll to the bottom of the page for full photos of
this magnificent Mahseer!)
Full Story here on the Deccan Herald website
The New 130lb World Record Mahseer was caught on the
13th March 2011
I have been asked so many times, why this fish was kept
quiet, 20 years or so when the animal rights group released 12,000 mink,
they had no idea what they were doing, the mink emptied my lake of all the
large carp. Now we have the Indian Anti angling groups who want fishing
banned, what they do not understand is banning angling will be the end of
the Mahseer, in the Cauvery River, poaching will come back on a huge
scale, and will lead to the extinction of the Mahseer with the help of
Google Earth.
The Article shown here besides the weight of the fish
130lb 10oz is mainly BS. Angling has not been banned everywhere only in
Sanctuaries, and our part of the river is not affected, although we though
it would be, after this article, and we cancelled all booking from 1st
January 2012. But thankfully it was not, although we now have a new set of
rules, which will be printed later.
I had been fishing the same spot for a few days, and
catching 20lb and 30lb fish, another angler had 7 Mahseer between 25lb and
49lb in a morning in the next swim up. I decided to fish there, Ken
Loughran, a Senior Civil Servant from Kidderminster, one of the most
experience anglers I have ever met, with a knowledge of fish handling and
care, beyond most vets, asked me," do you mind, if I fish your swim,"
"Help Yourself".I then got involved with capturing three poachers, so did
not get to fish. Then an Indian came running up, Joe come quick, Ken has
caught a 100 lb fish. Indian scales are guesstimates, and I though it
would be a 50lb or 60lb Mahseer. When I saw Ken who was in the water, as
he had been snagged and swam with his rod to free it, to land the fish.
Ken attempted to lift the fish out of the water, for the first time in my
life, my jaw dropped open, I have seen big fish and caught big fish all
over the world and at Gillhams in Thailand. I have had 80lb and 90lb
Mahseer, and said straight away,"" that is a world record fish". Ken is no
small man, at over 220 lb himself .The Kevin Nash 112 lb Scales just went
round the the dial.So it had to be re weighed, and came in at 130lb 10oz,
working on the formula for Mahseer weights, it calculated at 128lb and so
many ounces. The fish measured 1.47 metres, but it was its girth that
shocked me, 99cm, that in old money is a 34 inch waist, which is huge. My
only regret was that Ken Loughran, didn't get the recognition that he
deserved, using one of my Shimano 6 piece Forcemaster S.T.C Multi Heavy
TFMMHD9611648, which means it can be fished at 9ft 6in or 11ft 6in, and
cast 4 to 8 oz.(The best Mahseer rod ever, and I have had hundreds made
looking for the perfect rod it hair pinned with a 90lb Mahseer going deep)
and Shimano stopped making them, for some unknown reason and they team up
perfectly with a Shimano L.C Baitrunner. As Ken does not have one, the old
Shimano would have given him a rod and reel, if not a few, like they did
Mark Thomson when he had a 104lb Mahseer at Bheemishwari all those years
ago.
The New Rules:
1 Maximum of 4 Anglers
2 No fishing from boats or coracles (although can be used to get to a
fishing spot)
3 No fish to be taken from the water ( you have to get in the river for
photos)
4 No Live Bait (Going to try Sardines)
5 Fishing from 6 am to 6pm (the elephants cross the river at 6.30 its
dark,to raid the crops on our side of the river and the electric fences
get turned on)
6 No Stringers
7 Fishing licence about £125 a week up or down depending on exchange
rates.
8 Fishing is with one rod only
Bopanna (IGFA Rep India) Ken Loughran and Nabil Yousef
Assassa (Mr Joe)
Prices
THERE ARE NO, FRIENDS RATES, MATES RATES, OR INDIAN RATES,
EVERYONE PAYS THE SAME AND GETS TREATED THE SAME, I HAVE 4 BILLIONAIRES,
COUNTLESS MILLIONAIRES, WHO GET TREATED THE SAME AS SOMEONE WHO HAS SAVED
UP FOR 25 YEARS TO FULL FILL AN AMBITION.
WE HAVE A 2 BEDROOM LODGE, WITH SEPARATE ENTRANCES, AND EACH WITH ITS OWN
MODERN BATHROOM, WITH HOT WATER SHOWER.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE,
1 PICK UP AND DROP OFF AT BANGALORE AIRPORT 5 HOURS EACH WAY, FUEL SUBSIDY
HAS BEEN DROPPED SO PETROL £1 A LITRE
2 FISHING LICENCE, DEPENDING ON THE EXCHANGE RATE APPROX £125 A WEEK.
3 ALL FOOD, AND AS I KNOW MOST PEOPLE ARE FRIGHTENED OF GETTING FOOD
POISONING, I BUY THE FINEST BUFFALO FILLET STEAK FROM WHERE THE 5*****
HOTELS GET IT, LEGS OF MUTTON AND LAMB CHOPS ARE BOUGHT BY MYSELF AS IT IS
KILLED, AND KEPT IN OUR FRIDGE FOR A FEW DAYS, OR ITS TO TUFF, THE SAME
WITH THE CHICKEN. I IMPORTED AN IMPERIA PASTA MACHINE AND MAKE FRESH
HANDMADE TAGLIATELLE AND OTHER PASTAS, YOU CAN ASK, FOR WHAT, YOU LIKE TO
EAT, INDIAN, ARABIC, ITALIAN, BRITISH, AS WE ONLY CATER FOR A MAXIMUM OF 4
GUESTS, WE AIM TO PLEASE, KFC STYLE CHICKEN, EVEN BURGERS, FRIED, AS I
TRIM OFF ANY FAT. AND YOU CANNOT BBQ A BURGER WITHOUT FAT. (AS I FOUND
OUT) MOMOS, EVEN PELMENI IN A HOMEMADE CLEAR CHICKEN SOUP, CURRIES TO YOUR
TASTE (MILD, MEDIUM, HOT, EVEN EXTRA HOT IF THAT'S WHAT YOU LIKE.
4 ALL BAIT AND TRANSPORT TO FISHING SPOTS, THOUGH WE HAVE GARDEN POOL,
LOWER CAMP AND UPPER CAMP POOL RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE LODGE. DOWN STREAM 30
MINUTES DRIVE IS SUNSHINE POOL ( THE NAME SAYS IT ALL) 1O MINUTE DRIVE
AWAY ELEPHANT POOL, UP STREAM, WALK OR BY JEEP THEN 500 METRE WALK TO
CROCODILE POOL, THEN MONSTER POOL (6 FT MAHSEER ROLLING) CATCHING THEM IS
A DIFFERENT STORY, AS THIS IS A VERY RICH RIVER, WITH PLENTY OF NATURAL
FOOD.
5 JRC X-LITE CHAIRS TO SIT ON, (NONE RECLINING 2 AND A HALF KG IS ENOUGH
FOR YOU TO CARRY), AND ROD RESTS.
BASE ON 2 PERSONS SHARING £850 EACH PER WEEK (THAT'S
£1,700 FOR 2)
SINGLE PERSON TAKING A ROOM JUST FOR THEMSELVES £1050 PER WEEK
SINGLE PERSON TAKING THE WHOLE CAMP, JUST FOR THEM SELF £2000 PER WEEK (IT
IS SURPRISING, HOW MANY PEOPLE TAKE THIS OPTION, TO HAVE ME TO THEMSELVES
AND NO COMPETITION)
(Please note, please book direct with
us, or you will be liable for a 15% surcharge if booking through an agent,
as that is what they charge us and at our prices we cannot afford it, the
same goes for the 4% we will be charging for credit card bookings when the
facility is available.)
PLEASE NOTE, EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN, HAS SAID THE SAME, A
WEEK IS NOT LONG ENOUGH, ALTHOUGH GUESTS WHO HAVE COME FOR 10 DAYS SAY
THAT IS NOT LONG ENOUGH AND HAVE BOOKED THE CAMP FOR A MONTH NEXT
SEASON,,SO IF YOU HAVE THE TIME AND CAN AFFORD IT, COME FOR 2 WEEKS OR
MORE.
I WILL BE PUTTING UP A CALENDAR WITH THIS SEASONS BOOKINGS AND NEXT
SEASONS, SO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE AVAILABILITY.
A 10% DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED AT TIME OF BOOKING, THEN ANOTHER 20% 6 MONTHS
BEFORE HOLIDAY. IF BOOKING WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF HOLIDAY 30% DEPOSIT IS
REQUIRED (DEPOSITS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE) THERE ARE A LOT OF DREAMERS OUT
THERE, WHO BOOK 6 MONTHS OR MORE IN ADVANCE, WHO CANCEL THE WEEK BEFORE
THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COMING, OR DON,T TURN UP. SO SOMEONE ELSE WAS
DEPRIVED OF THE BOOKING AND I HAVE WASTED £125 ON A FISHING LICENCE (NONE
REFUNDABLE, AND IT HAS YOUR NAME ON IT, NONE TRANSFERABLE) AND A CAR HAS
GONE TO THE AIRPORT 5 HOUR DRIVE THERE AND 5 HOURS BACK AND I HAVE TO PAY
£100 FOR THE TAXI .
THE BALANCE CAN BE PAID IN CASH ON ARRIVAL, IN £ STIRLING, SO YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU ARE PAYING, THE SAME AS YOUR DRINKS BILL, ICE COLD WATER LITRE
50P, COCA COLA 500ML 50P, SOFT DRINK PRICES SUBJECT TO PRICE RISES,
INFLATION RUNNING AT 20% AND MORE, COCA COLA HAS GONE FROM 14 RUPEES TO 27
RUPEES IN A MONTH.
THIS IS NOT A DRY STATE, BUT A BOTTLE OF LOUIS JARDOT, PINOT NOIR, £11
TESCO OR SAINSBURY IS £80 IN BANGALORE, SO IF ANYONE WANTS TO TREAT ME,
THATS WHAT I LIKE OR FAUSTINO No1.
I CATCH MORE MAHSEER THAN ANYONE I KNOW, BUT I ALSO FISH FOR THEM MORE,
THAN ANYONE I KNOW. YOU CAN FISH WITH WHATEVER ROD AND REEL YOU LIKE, BUT
IF ITS NOT UP TO IT I WILL TELL YOU.PEOPLE GO TO U.K TACKLE SHOPS, SAY
THEY ARE GOING MAHSEER FISHING, AND GET SOLD EVERYTHING THE SHOP HAS BEEN
STUCK WITH FOR 20 YEARS, BRIGHT YELLOW LINE DOES NOT WORK. SO PLEASE ASK,
BEFORE YOU BUY.
EASY OPTION IS HIRE ONE OF MY OWN SHIMANO RODS AND A SHIMANO LONG CAST
BAITRUNNER, WITH A FULL SPOOL OF BRAND NEW 40LB OR 50LB LINE, MAXIMA
CHAMELEON OR BIG GAME, YOUR CHOICE, £50 AWEEK, HOOKS ARE £1 EACH, THEY
COST MORE THAN THAT, AND ARE ONLY AVAILABLE IF YOU HIRE A ROD AND REEL, I
HAVE TO FLY TO KUALA LUPAR 4 HOURS FROM BANGALORE FOR THEM, YOU CAN'T GET
FISHING TACKLE FOR MAHSEER IN INDIA.
Deposits
Payments and deposits can be made by direct Bank Transfer to our HSBC U.K
account, further details will be given when payments are required.
Ian Welch's Angling Adventures
Line break heartbreak - a Classic angling tale -
click
here to read the article
With kind permission from Anglers Mail, Ian Welch and Gary
Newman.
Ian Welch's Angling Adventures
Christmas present and Christmas yet to come -
click
here to read the article
With kind permission from Anglers Mail, Ian Welch and Gary
Newman.
Mr Joe also runs Sailfish tours in Malaysia out of the Mahseer Fishing Season
Click here for more details.
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