INDIANANGLER

I am taking my sons to Corbett (Dhikala) for 2 days - March 22 to 23- and plan to fish Ramganga near Marchula for a day or two, also.

I need suggestions from our members who have fished there on which particular beat would be the best (Near Marchula) and the availbility of MARUTI GYPSY to take us from Marchula to that beat ?

What spoons, spinners and plugs would be the best at this time?

Honestly! Artificials hardly work at Marchula. The fish there have been fed for too long. But atta, minnows, chicken gut & liver, etc work wonders. The ghillies there will toss bread bits into the water. The fish hit the bread as it floats down the river. The problem with un-kneaded bread is that it does not stay on the hook for long. So I suggest you carry a few pieces of white foam and put that on your hooks and then fish the weightless set up like a fly fishing outfit. It worked for me much to the ghillie's surprise. But the biggest you'll catch like this are fish less than 10lbs.

PM V Prashant, he knows a good guy outside the park.

you can also rip out the foam from the pillows!!! hahahaha

Shhh! They are still looking for me

That was the reason Mahseer were uninterested in my Spinners im March 2008. Also, if I have to fish at Marchula should I do upstream of the bridge or downstream?

There are goods spots on either side of the bridge. Just upstream of the bridge which is basically the beginning of beat no. 1 is a great confluence, where there are some monsters fish and much to my surprise some monster turtles too !!!! Keep walking further upstream, cross the river when need and permissible (there are several spots as water volumes in Ramganga are not too high.

Downstream from the Marchula starts beat No. 2 and then three and thereafter 4. Beat No. 2 has some nice spots too, but more towards the end. Beat No. 3 is great too, but be prepared to do tons of walking if you want to hit that. I have never fished beat no. 4 as it is inside the park and is open to fishing only when the park opens. So it should be possible now ( i think the park is still open)

As for lures not working under the bridge, i think its a misconception because i have hooked a 6 pounder right under the bridge on a Jointed Firetiger. But i have seen the bait fishing that happens there, so maybe mine was an exception. I believe Mahaseer will eat almost anything it wants to, and considering atta lacks protein, i am sure they must be eating some river dwelling creatures to make for it, so don't give up hope of them not attacking a lure/spoon.

Basically if you have two days, definitely do beat no. 1 and then either 2 or 3.
Have a great trip and tight lines.