Inland Fisheries

7.3.6 Game fishing in Kashmir

Kashmir has been a favourite angler’s destination since decades. Kashmir is a land traversed by wild mountain streams and high altitude lakes where rainbow and brown trout thrive in abundance. It is rightly called Anglers’ Paradise. The best season for angling is from May to October. The angler is allowed to go for angling only after paying a tariff to the Department of Fisheries, where, after he is given a permit for a particular beat assigned to him, he can rejoice in angling. The angling permit is usually valid for a day, but can be extended on request, upto week. The angler is allowed to catch a fixed number of fishes, which is called ‘bag limit’. In Kashmir the bag limit is six. The angler is allowed to catch the fish within one day, from dawn to dusk, if he is permitted for the same. The Shikari who assists or guides the anglers is not allowed to catch the fish. Just because the angler comes back without the fish, he will not be allowed to angle on the next day. The permit can be had from the Director’s office of Department of Fisheries. The angling season runs from April to October, when the water flow is high and the fish keeps swimming upstream. Only artificial files are allowed and each license entitles the angler to catch six fish a day, all above 7.5 cm in length. Beats may be reserved for a day or a week at a time in one of the three basic types of streams. Larger rivers like Sindh or Lidder are full with snow, melting from May to July, with an occasional pool under boulders. Spinning is allowed here, but the wet fly and weighted cast tests the skill of the angler when it will produce good results. In April, August and September these rivers are quieter, and the bigger fish are said to lie stationery in the stiller waters. Tributaries and water channels near these mainstream beats provide another type of fishing throughout the season. In these, where only files are allowed, wet fly fishing is good in all seasons. The third type are the small spring fed streams and high altitude lakes suitable for both dry and wet fly tackle.