Hooked anglers

If I were him I would put in everything now and go until something broke. But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able.
-- Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Javed Ansari, 32, MD of Kwality Bakery, can relate to the old man’s epic struggle with a giant marlin described in Ernest Hemingway’s classic tale. He is just back from Panama where he caught a 112kg tuna.

“After I hooked the fish, I had to struggle with it for almost three hours. Only when it got tired did I manage to land the fish onboard. It is my biggest catch to date,” says Ansari. “My only regret is that I couldn’t catch a marlin. There were three boats out on that day and on the other two I could see the anglers were struggling with a marlin. But not me,” adds this enthusiastic member of the Maharashtra State Angling Association (MSAA), which is based on the banks of Powai lake.  He has already made bookings to go back to Panama next February and intends to catch a 200kg marlin then.

But doesn’t the aura over Hemingway and angling hide the cruelty in this sport? “You either love angling or you hate it. There really is no in-between,” admits Dr Ian D’Souza, a surgical oncologist, who is a regular at the Powai lake machaan where anglers hang out. His father was a hunter until wildlife conservation put an end to it. He then took up angling.

For Dr D’Souza, the hook is the tranquillity and contemplation that comes with angling. Sitting in the gently bobbing machaan, feeling as light as the breeze, watching the water’s rhythmic movement, worldly pressures melt away: “(As a cancer surgeon), I deal with pain all week. This is the place I come to destress. Even if you don’t catch any fish, just sitting by the lake is a great experience. I have sat here for many hours on Sundays, enquiring about my patients only over the phone.” 

Others like MA Ghani, secretary of the MSAA, do get a thrill out of fighting a large fish, but without wanting to kill it. “Countries like the US and Canada keep a check on the kind of hooks you use to reduce injury to the fish. In many places abroad you are not allowed to take the fish back home. You have to let it back in the water. In Bhimeshwar, Karnataka where the government actively promotes angling, this regulation is strictly enforced. This is the spirit we are trying to promote in India as well. But it will take time to establish such a culture.”

The MSAA that is now celebrating its 75th year has given a start to many anglers in Mumbai. Hidden from the busy Powai road by a patch of green, a bay in the lake houses multi-coloured machaans where anglers sit for hours together, chatting over coffee and snacks — that is, until the peacock feather dips, which tells you a fish nibbling on the bait.

It can be a great way to bond with family and friends. D’Souza remembers the last fishing trip he had with his father. “It was just two weeks before he passed away. He was 87 at the time, but he made all the arrangements for the trip to a place called Vijaydurg along the Konkan coast. We spent three days together talking about the old days. On the last day, he got his prize catch, a 22lb queenfish. He was so proud of it. The next week he fell ill. Lying on the hospital bed, he couldn’t speak, but he insisted through gestures that every visitor be shown the picture of the queenfish he caught.”

D’Souza's own prize catch is a 16kg catla he caught at Powai. “Even if I don’t catch another fish in Powai now it’s OK. I will die a happy man.”

What’s angling?
Angling is a sport that involves catching fish — the larger the better — with rods, lines, hooks and baits.

Hooking a fish is only half the battle won. Large fish have tremendous strength in water and you need to tire them out before landing them. In fresh water, the mahseer is the prize catch. In the sea, catching a 200kg marlin gives anglers the ultimate high.

There are are different types of angling. Still-water angling, which you can do in lakes like the Powai lake is very relaxing. You can also do angling in rivers. At the other extreme is deep sea angling where you go more than 100km out into the sea. Deep sea angling requires exceptional physical fitness.

Where do you angle?
In Mumbai, the place to go angling is at the Powai lake. Earlier you could even catch fish off Land’s End in Bandra and Mahim Creek. There are many places along the Konkan coast such as Alibaug, Harihareshwar, Kankavli and Vijaydurg, where you can go angling.

One of the best places for fresh-water angling is in Bhimeshwar in Karnataka. This is a stretch of the river Cauvery, which attracts anglers from all over the world. According to anglers, the best variety of mahseers can be caught here.

Where do you get the equipment?
Kata Bazaar in Masjid is the place to go in Mumbai. Rods are available from Rs3,000. You can also source your equipment from places like Singapore or Australia. Baits for fresh-water angling involves mixing a special masala with flour, mud, etc. They have interesting names like Jaldi Aao. The recipe is secret and anglers usually source this from Kolkata.

Join the clan
Membership to the Maharashtra State Angling Association is open. The fee for joining is Rs25,000 and annually you have to pay Rs3,000. Contact Gordon Rodricks, vice-president of MSAA, at 2636 4270.