INDIANANGLER

The thread on fish identification interested me - any photos posted would be most welcome.

Is there a book published anywhere that gives illustrations/descriptions of Indian freshwater fish?

Having just got back from Brazil, I found fish identification there quite difficult, especially for the smaller members of the extensive Characin family.

Hi Vagabond,

A friend of mine has such a book. It's a bit early to call him but I will do it later in the day and post the details.

Rustam

Hi Rustam,

I would be interested as well, please let me know. Also if there is a Salt Water book on Indian Fishes ID...

Currently I use several different books to ID fish, that is why I posted the quiz, it took me a while to ID the fish in that pic..

Hi Vagabond,

Here's a book: available at Most book stores,

Freshwater Fishes of Peninsular India/R.J. Ranjit Daniels

Also try this link:

https://www.vedamsbooks.com/fishcatalog.htm


Cheers,
alexis

Hi,

I have 'Freshwater Fishes of Penninsular India' and it's a decent book to start with. Guess it's one of the new books and can be carried along to help identify various species.

Regards,

Mighty Marlin.

Vagabond and Bobby,

I am afraid it turned out to be the same book mentioned by Alexis and Akshay.

A fisheries department boffin had given Prathap the name of a very good book concerning Indian fish but he cannot locate the piece of paper it was written on. All he can recall is the price tag of Rs.4,500/-

Rustam

Rustam,

4500 ? was it a book on Fishes of India or a general encyclopedia of fish/fishing? (of which i have 2, both under Rs.2000).

Hi Vagabond, my book is the aformentioned Freshwater Fishes of Peninsular India by RJ Ranjit Daniels.

BTW, loved the pics on Anglers Net. I had an ancestor, who was one of the first Europeans to travel the entire length of the Amazon and it is a long term goal of mine to follow in his footsteps.

I've just had the prod I need to get out there!

Probably the first, Alexis.

Rustam

Many thanks folks - Freshwater Fishes of Peninsular India by RJ Ranjit Daniels. is now on my hit list!

That and the pictures of Indian fishes that you all post up from time to time should give me a start.

Steve, thanks for comment on my Brazil trip. I intend to post up Episode 3 tonight. Found your post on the taxonomy of Mahseer very interesting - I need to think about all that for a few days!

Thanks for the link Alexis, I have just trawled their site, and found the following gems.

The Freshwater Fishes of the Indian Region/K.C. Jayaram. Reprint. Delhi, Narendra, 2004, xxvii, 571 p., 18 plates, figs., ISBN 81-85375-54-2. Details No. 37389


Freshwater Fishes of Peninsular India/R.J. Ranjit Daniels. New Delhi, Universities Press, 2002, viii, 288 p., 75 figs., (pbk). ISBN 81-7371-409-6. [India—A Lifescape]. Details No. 28106


Hand Book of the Freshwater Fishes of India : (Giving the Characteristic Peculiarities of All the Species at Present Known, & Intended as a Guide to Students & District Officers)/Captain R. Beavan. Reprint. New Delhi, Asiatic Publishing House, 2006, viii, 247 p., plates, $21. ISBN 81-87067-14-4.

Endemic Freshwater Fishes of India/A.K. Karmakar and A. Das. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India, 2005, ix, 125 p., figs., (pbk). ISBN 81-8171-060-6. [Zoological Survey of India Occasional Paper No. 230]. Details No. 40070

Check List : Fresh Water Fishes of India/A.G.K. Menon. Calcutta, Zoological Survey of India, 1999, 366 p., ISBN 81-85874-15-8. [Occasional Paper No. 175]
Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Check list. Alphabetic index to scientific names.
From the author’ s preface: "The present check-list is based on personal survey ......, numbering 446 primary freshwater fishes occurring within the political boundaries of continental India.

An Aid to the Study of Hamilton Buchanan's "Gangetic Fishes" : Memoirs of the Indian Museum: Vol. IX, No. 4/Sunder Lal Hora. Dehra Dun, Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 2006, 169-236 p., plates, $48. ISBN 81-211-0493-9. Details No. 47563

Now looking to see if any s/h bookshops in the UK have any of them.

If any one has the above books or buys them, I would be much obliged if they could post details about the quality of the book, with regards to the binding and the photo or illustration quality (especially the fish ID books) I am pretty sure the literature and information will be up to the mark.

Have any of you come across a book called "The rivers of southern India" by Zane Grey ?

That's a joke right?

No jokes Bobby, there is an old angler who was selling off all his equipment and books here, and this was one of the books on the list.
He wanted to sell everything to one person, and i could not afford what he was asking for the lot. Besides the rest of the things did not interest me.
Regards
Owen

...and unfortunately no bookseller in Britain seems to have one.

I shall be passing though Bangalore, and will be at St Marks Hotel on 13th March, just before midday, en route for my first crack at mahseer fishing.

There would not be time for me to find a bookshop that day, we are being collected at 1pm.

If anyone has any idea of how I can purchase a copy of the above, I would be grateful

If you know a friendly book-seller in Bangalore who has a copy, and can send a boy on a bicycle with it to St Marks at the appropriate time - I will purchase it on the spot (and reward the cyclist!)

...doesn't have to be a bookseller, I would buy the book from a fishmonger, a round-the-world yachtsman, or even a bank manager.

Has anyone any suggestions? I would like a copy before my adventures on the Cauvery.

No love lost mate, while Zane Grey is a good writer, he only chose to glorify himself in his books

Hi VB,
This book is not available here in Bangalore either. If anyone knows who the publisher is, it can be sourced from them. My guess they are located Delhi or Dehradun
Regards
Owen

Thanks Owen, I should have given full details - ie

Freshwater Fishes of Peninsular India by R.J. Ranjit Daniels.

Publishers :- New Delhi, Universities Press, 2002, viii, 288 p., 75 figs., (pbk). ISBN 81-7371-409-6.

If anyone has a spare copy I would gladly buy it from them - As I said I pass through St Marks Hotel morning of March 13th, and will be at the Bush Betta camp during the following week - is anyone else on the forum likely to be there?

Hi VB,
No luck so far say's Asif.
Regards
Owen

Hi VB,
try this website: https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no28106.htm

Cheers,
Alexis

Tried them a while ago Alexis, they dont reply to the email.I'll fax them in a while, thats the only contact given there...
Axx

it is available on amazon.com, just checked.

Cheers,
Alexis

VB, Owen, Alexis
have asked Sudhir -sudhirarora@sancharnet.in to send it by courier to Owen.
Should get to you by 13th Owen, good luck vagabond.
best
Axx

Hi Asif,

Who is this Sudhir? I would like to get one copy of the same too. Can you bring it to Ghy if possible? Or else can sudhir send it to me also?

Cheers,
Apoo

Sure, email him Apoo,
he's a publisher friend of mine based in Dehra Dun and has been helping me out with outdoor books.Afraid I cant bring one to Ghy as I havent received it...We are trying to get a copy to Owen at Bangalore for vagabond by 13th...
Contact Sudhir directly , you'll probably be able to get a list of useful/interesting books.

Best
Axx

Flying to Bangalore tomorrow morning - thanks for all your efforts everybody.

We just have to hope the book reaches Owen in time.

Looking forward to my first cast into Indian waters !