INDIANANGLER

Well my friend and i had a holiday on saturday, so (obviously) we decided to try fishing at a nearby canal at a little bit. Left after tution, and started fishing by about 2. I was feeling pretty lazy, was sitting in the side trying to net some small shrimp, when my float dipped slowly. Thinking it was the current i ignored it, after 10 secs i looked in its directing, it was visible about a foot below the water and lowering still Yanked and pulled the line up, to find a much bigger version on what i was trying to net in the shallows!! I was pretty suprised, didnt exactly know what it was. I usually release, but i wanted to bring this one home (the hook was lodged in its mouth anyways, i was scared off getting too close to those pincers). So i brought it home, and left for tution. I didnt really know what to do with it, so called up pratap uncle on the way, decided that i would be back and release it, but on reaching back home, my mom had aldready given it to my aunt. My aunt had fried it and was eating it, i heard it was very tasty It was good fun though

Hi Mukund,

Thats a scampy. A fresh water lobster no body releases it. Its indeed very tasty! Go out ,catch more and eat it yourself next time.


Jeen

It's a giant freashwater prawn. They're native to Malaysia but are widely farmed in the tropics for obvious reasons. Your boy or some of his ancesters must be escapees from a farm.
Very tasty they are too.

Oh. My aunt called it a jumbo prawn i think. Is that the biggest size they grow too? My line had snapped earlier above the hook weight and float, i had just tied on some extra line and tied it onto a nearby bottle (you can see it in the pic). The funny thing is that i didnt get a single bite witht he rod, but on the bottle caught the prawn/lobster !

Yes its a Giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachii Rosenbergi, it is native to India too.Commonly used in the aquaculture industryin India(came across it when I was reading up on aquacultrue).
Regards,
Yaj.

Thats a good one......
where do you fish in Pune?
and where do you study?

HI Mukund,

thats a giant freshwater prawn. I have not caught them on line, but seen quite a few of them in shivaji market while I was in Pune. These are usually farmed. The ones that I saw in the market at that time (I was in Pune from 1997 to 2000) were over 1kg each & thicker than my wrist. (I was skinny at that time)

Wherever you were fishing, I'm sure that there will be more.
Next time catch them & eat them yourself

I was fishing in a small canal next to empress garden. I dont really go there much cause some people keep coming and sending us away, but i guess i got lucky And i really hope there are more, but i dont think so, or maybe they are rare or something. I've fished here a couple of times before with same bait (atta), at different depth level's different area's everything, havent caught something like this before. Maybe i always try to set the hook immediately or something...

Try something meaty. You might be pleasantly suprised.

Man these river prawns are a killer in a good Tom Yum Goong!!

They survive in Saltwater as well, years ago I used to buy them when they were little less than an Inch or so to feed my Triggerfish, one of them somehow escaped and hid away in the corral skeletons and liverock only to emerge some time later as lord of the tank, they chap used to take post in the center of the tank on the tallest rock and try to grab fish with those pincers.

I had to fish the bugger out and get rid of him before he did any damage.

Hi ,

Fresh water prawn of course. My mistake calling it a lobster. Sorry guys.


Jeen

These prawns are common in the rivers and canals near uran (raigad dist.) and are called pocha. they use the net tied to a metal ring same as to catch crabs, i have seen lots of them and are really very tasty...

These are basically Freshwater prawns. These prawns born in Creek and travel upwards to Freshwater. These prawns become 250 grams in one year; we caught such type of prawns in our river upto 500 grams by net/hook. If you want to catch such type of prawns in hook use small fish as bait. But in most of river these prawn are in dangerous stage, due to use of pesticides to catch such type of prawn.

Yes that was a fairly big fresh water prawn. indeed i had never seen this big fresh water prawn with bright colours. In my school days i used to catch small prawns about 2-4 inch max length, white translucent one, in a streem (at Nagpur ) behind our school with bare hands by making small check dams and diverting waters in them . In fact you are very lucky to catch such a big creature. Machali tho sabhi pakd late hai ! You do have got a golden luck ... what ever you touch turns gold.
best of luck, keep fishing.

Congratulation Mukundh,

It’s a really nice catch. Catching such prawn from Pune is really great.

Keep it up and you will catch many more great fishes in the future.

Wishing you best of luck for the future trips..

Regards,

Ali..

Thank you ! I cant wait too go back, ill try small fish or meat next time maybe, they may turn out to be a better bait for these

I caught around 10 of these prawns when I visited my grandmother's native village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

I'll tell u the simple method to catch these prawns which is used by the village boys.

It is recommended to fish them at night as they tend to come near the pond's edge to feed.

- Use a thread that can take half kilo weight on it(usually a sewing thread will do the job), we are going to use this as line.
- Take a sewing pin and bend it in hook shape after heating it red.
- Now use a small piece of Earth worm or Pigeon Pea flour(besan) dough made without adding any water but only cooked rice.

You just need to drop the baited hook in water and hold other end of thread in your hand, once you feel weight on thread slowy pull a little, if it is a prawn then it will also pull it and then get hooked.

Happy fishing Giant Prawns.

Hi Mukundh,

Congrats on catching this large Freshwater Prawn. Next time it should end up warming your tummy.
Regards
Cavalier

Yes i cant wait for that As i probably wont be able to fish at night, would a meaty bait be better targeting these?

well eagerly waititng to here what happened to your night exploring being bong my mouth is watering with thought of such big one mate

Ahem!!! I did not know Bongs were like that and I thought you guys were fish eaters

lol

Had to be a bada boka ... make that a mouth watering bada boka

come on guys find some thing else