INDIANANGLER

Hi MM,

Was supposed to, apparently the weather down there was so bad that my mates asked me to postpone my trip. No boats were going out...

So I may do this trip mid Oct or more likely for the November full moon.

Caught in a quandry...the time I had orignally planned to go was perfect as far as timing was concerned..

Regards,

Bobby

Im not sure if this is the same thing, but this is what I caught in Cauvery

This is a Spiny back eel. Seen loads of them caught at Kanva Reservoir by the locals using Bamboo rods.

Alexis

Hi Derek,
The picture of the eel that you posted, is as Alexis said "The spiny back eel" pretty common in the Kaveri and other lakes dams and even ulsoor lake at one time. Does not grow much bigger than that.
Regards
Owen

Do they make good eating?

Yep Bobby! The locals love them. Rate them better than the butter cats and the murral. Cooked in a curry mostly.
Regards
Owen

An update to the Eel story!

I had it from a chap that actually saw the "Malanja Meen". This peculiar fish is found in the Barapole river. "Malanja" means slime in the local diallect and Meen stands for fish. This fish is known to travel over land on a layer of slime that it secretes through its skin.

I was told that this fish can travel upto a kilometre from the river generally at night and feeds on chicken shit and hatchlings. It normally follows a regular path over land. The locals sprinkle ash over this path and come back the next morning to find the eel lying helpless on the ash. The ash absorbs the slime and prevents the fish from moving.

The fish is known to act like a snake when cornered and partly raises itself off the ground to scare away attackers.

Cheers
Bops

Nice update bops, how was the trip?

The Malinga Meen now has aura of a mystery beast, eating chickens, traveling on land at night, crawling over slime and imitating a Snake and no one seems to have a picture of this creature...spookily perfect. Indian version of Nessy. Or let's say Messy because of that slime trail.

On a serious note that is really interesting stuff, does anyone have a picture. I am going to put up a reward, a 11' spinning rod (casting wt 40 - 100 grams) for a good and authentic picture of "Malinga Meen Messy"

OK Bops that is in line with what Tim told me, and he has actually seen what you have described.
I have one more thing to add, i believe that the locals also catch them on handline, but have to run like hell up the banks pulling the line in as they go, because if the eel is able to get a grip on anything (especially roots of trees), the fisherman will never be able to get it out of the river.It uses the tip of its tail to find that hold.

Hi Owen,

Any Pictures?

Bobby

this was my last weekend's experience in Marthandam, a place in southern Tamil nadu, which is my native. i go there only during vacations.
so here it goes..
I saw one small eel, on Friday night then my uncle said of a place near that where he had seen a bigger one.

I went and checked that place and the eel was completely outside its hiding hole waiting to eat something. It was 8 pm evening, so I switched off

My torch and got the line and hook and put some kind of foolish knot and thought it was strong enough to take the eel.

Then catching a small frog I let the line tied to a small twig (i dint take my rod with me)and kept the frog near the holeand went to my home. After 15 mins or so I came to the spot and found lots of disturbances in water and the water was muddy. Checking the line it was very tight I pulled it and could feel the fish twisting its head, but all of a sudden the line went loose and all I had was the line without the hook.

The next day I had already tied the knot at home and had four frogs with me and went to the spot abt the same time and dint expect to see the eel again..

But the eel was in the same spot and I had tied the line to a twig and went for searching some more eels. I came back 5 mins later to see the line tight again and pulled it but this time the line came off with the hook.

Next another frog and this time as soon as I switched off the torch the line went tight and the frog was gone. Lastly I decided to have the line in my hand and kept the frog at the same place and had to wait for 5 mins with torch switched off. The line was loose and suddenly I could see the line getting tight and within seconds it was pulling hard, I pulled the line back and in seconds I took the eel out of water and it was coiling like a snake.

It was abt 1’10” long, and would have weighed well more than a kg,

It had swallowed the hook entirely and the line had twisted on its body whole..

The real thing I missed was talking a snap of it,, my mobile was not with me that time..

i had sent this as a mail to my friend, and happened to see about the eel in the forum.
People nearby also said that this eel, was capable of coming out of water to hunt chickens in the night.
i also heard about an eel, about 10 kg, in another hiding place, but couldnt visit that..
next time i'll come with pics of a bigger one..

Don't know how I missed this post before, but here's my two pennorth...

When we first visited Madikeri in 2001, we had a walk around the market down by the bus station and saw loads of fish for sale.
Included were half a dozen eels, which looked just like our eels over here. They were all about 1/2K and a pretty uniform black in colour.

There, that probably doesn't help at all!

Hi Fred,

Those Rods are not for sale mate. I have just 10 left and 2 in Bombay only. One is promised someone on this Forum already and the other goes to the one with the Pic.

I will be making a new batch, in the process now, this time round will be lighter and better.

Regards,

Bobby

The malinga or malaga eel
Land crawling monster of mythical jheel
You never met thief fish so sleazy
Crawl a kilometre over slime,
From a pre Jurassic time,
Just to eat chicken, done over easy

It raises its head off the ground,
Makes weird clucking dinosaur sounds
Enemy of cockerels, hated by hen,
And talked about at length by certain angling men.

never seen on land, just the slime trail it leaves
Pass me the sherry, yes! another one jeeves
Its gobbled up the chicken, fetch me the gun,
HIC! first a tot of khodays rum!

One fifth snake, filled with noxious slime,
One-eighth fish, almost dinosaur by a bit
Methinks malinja…

is total bull sh** !!

Amazing poetry!!

Where do I send the cigar?

Cheers,

V.

Sounds good Ryan,
Did the khodays help?
Best
Axx

Nice one Ryan!!

Why do you think if offered to give away a Rod?

Bobby, they were dead, along with some catla and rohu. I don't imagine they're still there now though

The malinja are still around guy's, and not too hard to find if you are on the right river. Darn sight easier to find than the mahseer i am told.
Regards
Owen

Owen, Get a picture and the Rod is yours.

Steve, you never know with the Malinja, last I heard they could fly

Reason I asked is all the eels the sell here in Hong Kong are live...

I am not an eel man Bobby, and i am not being rude, but i have enough rods to keep me busy in this lifetime. Perhaps another deserving angler should go for it. They are a pretty common eel, so it should be no big deal.
Just time and knowledge of the area is all that is required to get a picture of one. You never said catch one, right ?
Regards
Owen

No mate, I did not say catch one...just a genuine picture.

No offence taken my friend, I completely appreciate what you are saying. Never the less the rod is a beauty Owen...

had caught it in the chalakudy river

Hi,


Here at Hyderabad we call it tambu. You can see them in groups.

We caught them in Krishna river

Salim

... Coming to Mumbai very soon