Northern Indian Mahseer Fishing Experience

The true wild Northern Indian experience.

The Mahseer is the most spectacular fish present in many of the rivers originating from the Himalayas, and flowing ultimately into the Bay of Bengal. It can easily swim upstream against rapids at over 20 knots and can grow up to 125 lbs. There are also plenty of Goonch, popularly known as Catfish. These are handsome fish whose fast-flowing river environment makes them extraordinary strong, so that they put up a memorable fight when hooked. The habitual fast-flowing rivers that descend through spectacular mountain valleys in almost continual rapids, offer not only tremendous sport but also wonderful scenery and the opportunity for solitude.

As ever, the best fishing tends to be in the less explored remote areas and therefore on this tour, you truly get to experience the real Northern India. You fish on the Ramganga River before moving to Bhikiyasen by jeep. You then start to explore the Ramganga River by raft, stopping to fish and camp along the confluence of the Sarda and Saryu rivers at Pancheshwar. Camping is in two men tents right by the river; relax as you see Mahseer jump and watch wild animals come down to drink.

The beauty of fishing these remote rivers which are home to the truly wild Mahseer, is the number of ways you can fish for them. The most enjoyable way is to spin or lure fish. The phrase "big water - big fish - big tackle" applies. For the smaller rivers, a 1.5" spoon on 15lbs line will be adequate, but fishing on a larger river confluence requires 25lbs ultra thin, transparent line with much larger spoons. Spoons that are predominantly silver are most successful but MEPS Spinners, 3, 4 & 5/Rapala/Giant Killers can also be used. Jointed Plugs and Snap Swivels are also used to great effect.

What our customers have to say: "Wild Mahseer provided such great sport on the shallow rapids we had just so much fun, great resort and very well run ." Stewart Hill "The long drive to the resort was soon forgotten once we arrived, we had such a nice welcome and for the whole holiday nothing was to much trouble. A great credit to you all." Anne Penn "It was my first time trying something different flay fishing for Mahseer never knew what i had been missing, can not wait for us all to get back, thank you." Wickhams brothers

Corbett National Park Ramganga River India

F/B

For the duration of your stay in Corbett National Park you will stay at our resort which is spread over 20 acres with all modern facilities available. For adventure lovers we have deluxe safari tents with wall to wall carpet and all modern comforts such as regular beds, separate luggage space, table and chairs inside the tents, attached constructed bathroom with running hot & cold water, shower etc. If interested in deluxe or luxury accommodation than you can try our regular room or suite (2 room apartments-one living/ drawing room, one bedroom, tastefully furnished with all modern comforts) What luxury all within the jungle.

Here in a playground, spread across 20 acres, you could spend hours discovering the magnificence of the wild. You could go on a safari, or on a walking trail. You could experience the thrill of rafting down the Ramganga. or just lounging on its silver banks, watching the water flow dreamily by punctuated now and then by the leap of the mighty Mahseer. Maybe, you could even catch one. As night falls, you gather around a blazing fire and listen to the tales of `Corbett Country'. Then, as your eyelids grow heavy with sleep, you retire and dream. of everything tomorrow will bring.

Vasant Continental Hotel. Delhi India

B/B

On your arrival and departure you will stay at the Vasant Continental Hotel within Delhi. This hotel has 123 luxuriously appointed rooms including 11 suites and 28 Club Royal Rooms with Dataport Connectivity, Audio-Visual Entertainment, Direct-Dial Telephones, Iron & Iron Board, Weighing Scale, Free Morning Newspaper, Sewing Kit, Individual Climate Control, Tea/Coffee maker, Minibar, Fax on demand and an efficient round the clock Room Service. This superb hotel with the relaxing informality of the interiors that blends with subtle elegance creates the right mood for a most enjoyable stay.

Suggested Itinerary

This is a suggest itinerary which can be changed if you so wished to suit your requirements personally

14 - Days / 11 - Days Fishing

Day 1	Depart LHR with British Airways AM Arrive Delhi DEL PM You will be met by an Angling Direct Holidays representative for your private air conditioned transport to the Vasant Continental Hotel. Rest of day free to explore. Overnight: Accommodation Vasant Continental Hotel B/B
Day 2	In the morning you will be picked up and transported by air conditioned vehicle to the Corbett national Park. (5 hrs) On Arrival check in at our Ramganga Lodge. The remaining of the day can be spent fishing the Ramganga river or one of the other park activities. Note: At our lodge we have one guide to five anglers Overnight: Accommodation Ramganga Lodge. F/B.
Day 3	Fishing as above or take time out to explore your surroundings, Take nature trails, Bird watching, elephant rides. The choice is yours. Overnight: Accommodation Ramganga Lodge. F/B
Day 4	Leave resort early in the morning for jeep transfer to Bhikiyasen On arrival you will spend the afternoon and evening fishing / exploring down the Ramganga river by raft Overnight: Accommodation Camping two men tents by river F/B
Day 5 to 7	Spend your day rafting and fishing your way back down the Ramganga river, stopping at all the likely fishing spots. Overnight: Accommodation Camping two men tents by river F/B
Day 8	Spend your day rafting and fishing your way back down the Ramganga river, arriving back to Ramganga resort. Overnight: Accommodation Ramganga Lodge F/B
Day 9	After an early breakfast transfer by jeep to the confluence of the Sarju and Kali rivers at Pancheshwar. Evening fishing Overnight: Accommodation Camping two men tents by river F/B
Day 10 to 11	Full day Fishing along the rivers. Overnight: Accommodation Camping two men tents by river F/B
Day 12	Fishing on the Ramganga river or take time out to explore your surroundings, Take nature trails, Bird watching, elephant rides. The choice is yours. Overnight: Accommodation Ramganga Lodge F/B
Day 13	In the morning you will be picked up and transported by air condition vehicle back to the Delhi. (5 hrs) On Arrival check in at our Vasant Continental Hotel. The remaining of the day is free to explore. You will be booked in to the Vasant Continental Hotel to enable you to re freshen before being transferred back to the international airport.
Day 14	Early in the morning you will be transferred back to the international airport. Depart Delhi DEL with British Airways AM Arrive back in the UK at LHR AM

Departure Dates & Prices

14 - Days / 11 - Days Fishing

Dates	Ramganga Safari Tents
1st March – 30th Nov	From £2,399pp

Note: The above prices are per person and are based on two people sharing, accommodation, transfers and fishing. Please be advised these prices may fluctuate due to changes in flights and exchange rates.

What's Included & Excluded

Options Deluxe Rooms, upgrades at Vasant Continental Hotel. Business Class Flight Upgrades

What's Included International return flights All Airport transfers. 4 nights accommodation as indicated at Ramganga Resort F/B. 6 nights camping in 2 man tents 2 nights accommodation Vasant Continental Hotel. B/B Full day/s fishing as indicated on itinerary. Packed lunch while fishing, drinks extra. Fishing Licence All Park Fees and activities for non fishing guests

What's Excluded Fishing Tackle All drinks Holiday insurance Personal items Local Tips (Non Compulsory) Personal Laundry

Enquiries & Bookings

Once you have an idea of what destinations and duration of the holiday you would like, contact one of our consultants on 01603 407596 who will be pleased to assist you with any questions and additional literature you may require to help you finalise your holidays itinerary, availability and prices.

When you are ready to book your holiday, our consultants will take down all particulars and take a deposit payment, please make sure that before making any booking that you have read our terms and conditions. At the time of the booking we will ask you to correctly spell the first and last name of each traveling member, as some flights will need to be ticketed at the time of booking and due to airline regulations no name changes can be made, once a ticket has been issued. On receipt of the deposit we will send the lead booker a “Booking Form” and a deposit receipt invoice which becomes the legal contract between Angling Direct Holidays and your party.

Tackle Required
Want to talk to our Daiwa travel consultant

Spinning Tackle.

You will need a good medium to heavy spinning / carp rod ranging from 2lb to 3lb and 8 -10ft is ideal, this will be more than enough for both spinning and paste fishing.

• Reels Big enough to hold a good 200m of 20lb line, good quality size bait runners are perfect for every situation you will find, plus they double up and allow you to stop and bait fish for an hour or two after spinning for the morning session, so one reel for two jobs. (A spare reel is always advised to be carried in case of a fault occurring)

• Spinners are easy to arrange, get yourself a good selection of silver, bronze and gold Mepps in size 3, 4 and 5, these are great for fooling fish in broken water and for working amongst the rapids, rocks and old trees you will find lining the river. 

• Plugs and lures are also used but only the smallest lures you can buy will see any action, and again these are totally natural in their colour and in sizes ranging from 3 inches up to 5 inches. When using lures make sure you have spare hooks and good quality split rings for any repair work that might need doing.

• Hooks are very simple. A good, strong, heavy-wire saltwater long-shank hook in 1/0, 2/0 and 3/0 are perfect for paste fishing with singles, trebles also play a big part in paste fishing, especially when small fish are present, so make sure you have some super strong trebles in size 1 and 2. These will be all you need for this style of angling

• Line needs to be as clear as possible, because the Ramganga River and other river of north India are crystal clear so a dark line just gives the game away, so keep your eyes open for anything clear, not white. but clear. Fluorocarbon in 20lb and 30lb will also be used for hook lengths when paste fishing. 2 x 600 metre spools should be enough for a weeks fishing, but always change the line after a good battle or a lost fish.
  

Fly Fishing.

Fishing you will need fairly stout gear and appropriate line. 8, 9 and 10 weight rods are perfect for the Mahseer fishing in the North. Match this with a good quality reel loaded with a sinking fly line and 150 - 200 yards of 20 or 30lb backing. Flies that will work best are Streamers, Muddlers, Tubeflys and anything that resembles small fry or insects. Then a larger selection is needed that will imitate the small bait fish you will find in the river, these bait fish are normally 2-5 inches long and, have brown / silver scale patterns. Other good patterns are small crabs and large larvae imitations, such as dragonfly larvae that resemble big beetles, and are usually around 1 -2 inches long, and a dark brown skin.

Fishing the drift, on a swift section of river, just above the rapids is ideal, when targeting the Mahseer. North of India you will find not only raging sets of rapids, but you also have networks of deep pools that spill down the mountains connected by rapids. These deep pools are a great place for fishing in the heat of the afternoon sun, when the Mahseer can be found in the deeper water. When you fish these deep pools it is best to cast upstream from a good elevated spot, and allow the fly to hug the bottom of the river and bounce the fly along keep as tight a line as possible, sometimes bites are very shy and sometimes not, so always keep in contact with the fly and feel your way around the pool, from here you will be able to quickly pursue a running fish and find good landing ground. eddies of the current, where you get fast moving water meets, slack or even dead water, and allow the fly to work along this crease, here you will find the predatory Mahseer lurking in the quick water waiting to ambush the fly.

Optional items:

• Scales to weigh up to 120lb at least and sling to match
• Floats, quivertips, swimfeeders etc for bait fishing
• Rod rest
• Lightweight butt pad.

Boots: Felt lined wading boots are a must.
 
Aside from the regular type of clothing and personal effects that you would bring on any holiday, we have included a list of often-overlooked.

• A light rain suit for the occasional shower or boat spray
• Polarized sunglasses (2 pairs) Amber, yellow, green or grey (I highly recommend Action Optics Eye Ware. You won’t find better glasses!)
• Sunscreen and lip protection (15 or higher and waterproof)
• A good fishing hat that will both keep the sun off you as well as cut down on glare (dark billed)
• Camera with film
• Extra batteries
• Insect repellent
• Extra light clothing for fishing to help keep the sun off you
• Reading materials
• Good walking shoes
• A travel alarm clock
• A small flash light
• Sun gloves (if needed)
• Band-aids
• Zip lock bags
• Shaving kit
• Pocket-knife

 

Go on book and enjoy that angling adventure of a lifetime

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