INDIANANGLER

Hi guys!
Back after a week in Kodai feel like a new man, with batteries charged and all.
Did a 2 day stint at Bheemeshwari, and had a 10Kg on the 16th evening at Tiger pool and the same night at a little past 12pm another small one of 5 kg came in. Both caught on Ragi.
On the 17th the weather turned foul, and although we took coracles down from Haira to Galibori and fished all our usual haunts, there were no real takes.
Bheemeshwari does produce better fish in high water, and has been heavily ground baited with Ragi, whereas the lower stretches have not been ground baited, this may also have had something to do with the fishing besides the water levels.
The water is still about 3 feet above normal, but running clear.
Will be back on the water in a weeks time, and hope for better conditions and weather. Will post the picture of the bigger of the 2 fish in a day or two.
Vinods fish and a couple of others around the same size are still the largest catches on the Kaveri this season.

Cheers!
Owen

Hey Owen,

Great to know that the fishing, size wise, is picking up. I'm keeping fingers crossed that the weather doesnt play tricks again: I'm counting the days now, for my Kaveri trip!

Funny, but Tiger Pool is the one place I have NEVER caught a mahseer! Real bogey for me. The best I did was a silly catfish that could hardly swallow the 7/0 hook.

Any idea what's the biggest mahseer to come out of Tiger?

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Hi JB,

Well our Gillie was telling me that between 5 and 7 pm, Tiger pool is the place to be, and got us in position at 5.30pm. At 6.15pm I was surprised by this sudden take on 40lb mono loaded on an Abu 7000 multiplier with a slightly soft drag setting.

The Gillie was snagged up on another rod, and i had to scream at him to cut the line with his teeth. Just did so in time, and made after the fish which had moved towards the banks in pitch darkness taking most of the line on the mulitiplier with him. We got the last bit on video. Another bluefin.
The smaller one was from the beach in front of camp in the middle of the night also a blue fin. But the fast water just up river from this pool has been producing some fish around the 25lb mark.

No idea about the biggest fish from tiger pool JB, as i am a bit of a stranger to Bheemeshwari. Most of us WASI anglers fish the lower stretches from Hiara down more regularly that the upper stretches.
I will be at Hiara from the 5th to the 11th Nov, hope the water level would have receeded by a foot or two by then.

At the moment, good weather prevails, hopefully it stays that way.
By the way, i came across a video made on the Bheemeshwari stretch. Was that you guys ? Nice job if it was.
Now where the heck have all the silver and goldies gone ???
Regards
Owen

Hey Owen .. pls dont do a Bobby on us .. post the pics soon ...

Hi Fred,
Getting them developed this evening. Should have them on CD by tomorrow.
Just where is that elusive Bobby and his pix!

Hey Owen,

Far as I know, the giants were landed in other spots like Leopard Pool, Camp pool, Temple Pool (now croc and catfish country), and Balumudhu. The biggest was taken by Mark Thompson below Balumudhu rapids. 102 lb. My 70-lb last year (Nov 25, I think) was in the long run above the red rock. We also had 57-lb from Leopard pool, and two big fellows (ladies, actually!) of 92 and 88 lb from Camp pool.

Terry Rock gave some big ones, but only to Terry: he's the only guy brave enuff to sit on that croc-infested rock!

That video? With stunted, slanty eyed fellows in sarongs and cowboy hats? Okay, that's us.

The 66-lb golden was caught in the rapids of Kenggal by my friend Shah. Collosal tussle.

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Hi JB,
Yeah Kengal is a great spot. One of my favourites, where the fish has a better chance of winning the battle than the angler. Anything over 40 lbs from that spot is going to give one hell of a fight, even more so if you are fishing without a coracle.

Pity we will be missing each other by a day or so on the water.
Be a good fellow and give or send a copy of your cd to the camp manager Sundar Raj at Galibori, he will highly appreciate it.

Did you know that he is the guy who was guide to the TWFT team (In search of the legendry mahseer).

Met Terry at Bheemeshwari, he wasn't having too much luck either.
Sundar and many of the guides were of the opinion that Dodda Marlu (The sandy beach withe deep pool) was the place to fish this early in the season. Terry must have been soaked to the bone on the 17th evening when the skies opened up while he was fishing this spot.
Fortunately we were at Galibori camp sipping lemon tea with Sundar at the time.
The water is still a couple of feet above normal, just praying that i goes down suffeciently in the next week to make our camping at Hiara worth while.
Regards
Owen

Here' some pix from the trip guys.

10Kgs 16/11/06

Slowly down the Kaveri

Bull rush at Galibori pool

Carp pool kodai lake

Handline fisherman Kodai lake

Hi Owen,

Nice pics.

Apoo

Lovely pictures Owen

Good going Owen .....where are the other fish you caught...post those pics too..
Belli

There was just one more small mahseer of 5 Kg's that i caught in the middle of the night. Did not carry my camera, so i will have to wait for friends to send me the pix they took. The same type(blue fin).
Where have all the silver & goldies gone ????

Hi Owen,

Did you have much luck at the Kodai lake? Is fishing allowed there?

Bops

Hi Owen,

Nice pictures!

I did not fish at Kodai this yesr Bop's, had to lay some ground bait for the trip starting tomorrow with wifey

But yes you can fish for golden carp, common carp and grass carp, for a very nominal fee of about Rs 10/- per week. The lake is huge, so the best spots are near the five fingers of the lakes where there are entry points for water that flow in from the marshes. These places also have a lot of lilly pads and smaller fish can be seen moving round the lily pads.

The fisheries department net the lake, and do pick up some 5Kg fish but mostly it is very difficult to catch the bigger ones.
A lot of concentrated ground baiting over a period of time could produce some results though.

The Berry Jam lake at Kodai could hold some fish, but due to poor rain in 2004, i have seen the lake reduced to a 100 meter pool, same with the lake at the observatory, all of them huge and beautiful, but get reduced to nothing if the rains are poor. Only the Kodai lake in town has deep water the whole year round.
P.S this lake was said to have mahseer in days gone by if the old books were right.

Also some small trout streams a little out of Kodai in a place called Gundar, but nothing to shout about.
Regards
Owen

lucky Guy

Good show and pics, Owen

Sorry Owen, missed this one, it is not like I have not posted any pictures, I have been making sporadic postings of my last trip. It is just that I have not collated the pictures and posted them in a group.

Besides I have been just too busy last few days, not time to resize images and post..