Fishing in the Middle of Nowhere

by Akash Das

The middle of nowhere. That’s where Pancheswar is, with one dal-rice dhaba, a questionable lodge next to it and a government guest house in a quaint setting, where you will never get to stay unless you work for the Indian government. But the place is full of wonders, with enough beautiful rivers, green carpeted mountains, calm woods, massive golden mahseers (Barbus Tor), a hanging bridge that takes you to Nepal, white sand, spiritual temples, to fill your memory with great pictures.

Pancheswar is a quiet place tucked away at the confluence of two rivers, the Saryu and the Mahakali in Champawat District of Uttarakhand, well known by the devotee of Chaumu Temple or the follower of the golden mahseer. As a true follower of mahseer I started my ride from Delhi with the company of a few friends.

The ride is around 650 km, and it's best done in a few days. Luck was not on our side at the beginning: the bike conked off a couple of times, and thanks to the fierce Delhi heat and the traffic at Moradabad, we reached Corbett jungles, my first stop, only around 11 in the night. There were just two headlights tinkling in that dark jungle, and the scare of tiger silently ate us.

The following morning, Ramganga was stunning. We met a fishery officer; got fishing licenses for the day and started the hunt. It’s advisable to buy these licenses as the money (of what I believe) goes to improve fisheries hence improving the sport.The day went by hopping over the rocks and walking long trails along the river. The bigger pools with clear water rewarded us not only with mahseer, but also with some unwanted catfish.

The 8 hours ride from Corbett to Lohaghat, 40 km before Pancheswar, followed. On the way, Ranikhet and Almora were typically crammed with thousands of tourists, but before it could bother us, we were on the long winding highway. Riding through lush forests, small streams, beautiful valleys made us take a lot of "just-like-that" breaks, as I like to call them. Certainly, a road worth traveling on.

Reaching Lohaghat was relaxing. After off-loading our rug-sacks and sipping some tea, we took off with our fishing rods to Pancheswar. We were mostly alone on this ride from Lohaghat. Occasionally, we got some smiles from the locals carrying dry wood or hooting cattle on the green paddy fields.

Be careful on this narrow, twisting, down-hill road. It’s best to stop on one side for the passing jeeps overloaded with people. We slowly rode through gigantic valleys, turquoise rivers, over-arching branches and small villages to reach the end of the road, beyond which was Nepal connected by a narrow hanging bridge.

Though the afternoon heat (which goes up to 40 Celsius in summers) was exhausting, we were in the river, without wasting much time, hoping to land the biggest fish of our lives. And we did so, but it was much smaller than a lot of other anglers around.

Normally the anglers out there know their tackle from past experiences. But new anglers can try a carp rod and reel that carries around 200 mts of 15 to 20lb line. Also, try plugs, spoons and spinners that weigh a little on the heavier side as it works best for a big game.

If you don't have any uncles or cousins bringing you spinners as souvenirs or if you don't get the chance to shop at stores dedicated to fishing abroad, take a walk through Crawford market in Mumbai and look for a small shop called Haidary: most of the stuff you get here is locally made, but will work fine for your first fishing expeditions.
 
After my first time to Pancheswar, fishing has become a sort of addiction. I can't wait to get back to that middle of nowhere again. See you next time, and compare the loot.