India

[Ken L]

Just got back from the Andaman Islands where I did battle with GT's to 14lb on a spinning rod and poppers (they grow a lot bigger but we didn't locate the big fish. Poppers also acounted for coral trout and jobfish. Trolling, we had grouper, lots of coral trout, bluefin trevelly, peackock cod, red rock cod, several makerel species (including one that got "Sharked" in most spectacular fashion, a few unidentified "reefies" and barracouda.

There really is huge potential out there but the learning curve for someone like me comming from the inland UK and trying to transfer skills is a bit on the steep side.

 

I also tried the beachfishing a COUPLE OF TIMES BUT IT WAS A LONG WAIT FOR BITES AND WHEN THEY DID COME, i LOST THE TUG OF WAR TWICE WITH WHAT were probably good sized sharks.

 

I'm currently in Chennai and will be off to Goa in a day or two for a bit of Barramundi action before seeing if I can access the Cauvery for a couple of days chasing mahseer.

 

As ever, I've made a fair few notes on the fishing as I've gone allong and if anyone is looking to visit a particular location in the near future, please feel free to PM me and I'll hapily disclose anything other than the things (like a few "secret" fishing spots) that I've promissed to keep to myself.

 

I even met up with a US based angler from south florida who was out there with a cameraman and pointed him in the direction of the best local fishermen to go out with (just about the only guy with an outboard motor on a fiberglass boat instead of a tinitus inducing, smog belching inbord diesel in a loacal wooden boat. Bizarly, his Indian government "guide" had never heared of the guy.

[Elton]

Yeah, cheers Ken. It's snowing over here

[The Flying Tench]

Well I haven't quite worked out whether you're just on a long holiday or you've retired incredibly early or you're a man of leisure! But it sounds incredibly good stuff, and thanks for broadening our horizons!

[Tony U]

Ken

What were the poppers you were using and were you fishing them over deep or shallow water?

 

 

Tony

[Ken L]

The successful poppers were Cotton Cordell Pencil poppers (though we did get a hook holding ring ripped out of the back of one of these) on the light rods and the Offshore Angler poppers from Bass Pro on the bigger rods. We also tried several retrieve styles but found that the same slow dogwalking that I'd use for pike was best.

By far the most successful location for popper fishing for us (Like I said, we were learning constantly from raw beginers with no real guidance) was to fish the surge zone behind breaking surf on exposed points - from a boat.

Between these points, there was hardly any wave activity and we would troll the reef edges with lures diving to maybe 2m on the way out, fish the poppers on the headlands and then troll lures running at maybe 4m over deep reef on the way back. It seemed to work but we desperatly needed GPS and a fish finder because with the deep reef fishing, we would troll for half an hour with out a touch only to have both rods go off together - and you just know that means structure that you can't identify and won't find again.

If I go out again after the GT's and bluefin with poppers, I at least now have enough experience to frome appropriate questions for the guys on Caranx.net.

 

I didn't fish in and around Port Blair itself but I did pick up a great trick when I walked allong the harbour that I'll try for blackfish and pomfret but which would probably work for Mullet as well. There was a guy on the harbour wall collecting green algie for bait. His method ? He just scrapped the slimy rocks with a wire brush and poked the strands of algie off the brush and into a placky bag with a nail.

 

Sadly, I don't have the resourses to retire and become a full time globe trotting angler like our very own Vagabond but India is cheap (My accomodation in a bamboo hut and breakfasts of tea/omlett/toast for 3 weeks on Havelock cost me less than a hundred quid in total and a thali meal in the local eatery was 30 RS - about 38 pence) so I can do this. It also helps to work in a big office where they let me play so long as I'm not taking my leave in the summer or at christmas when everyone else wants it. Mind you, the 47 days unpaid leave in addition to my annual leave is still a major kick in the bank balance.

 

After a couple of days in Chennai I made a mad dash accross the country yesterdat and arrived in Goa in the afternoon in time for a perfect steak (the first meat I've eaten for a month), a perfect sunset and a great night of live music with a dozen or so friends that are pretty much winter residents in India. I already have a couple of local mates clock that I'm back in town and invite me out after the barramundi tonight and another local (who I didn't know until last night) collared me and invited me out (at a cost) deep water boat fishing for monsters. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go with the flow.....

Edited February 9, 2007 by Ken L

[Ken Davison South Wales]

All that and no snow you are on a winner mate well done look forward to a full report with pics

[Andrew Boyd]

Very intresting, thanks for the posts, enjoy hearing how your angling is going.

 

Looks like Tony will have to give Cuba a miss, and head off east.

 

Helps a desk bound computer jocky dream of summer and on how to explain to my better half that the house keeping ought to go towards an air ticket India bound !

[Tony U]

Andrew

Funnily enough I was thinking of Goa or Kerela next year.

 

 

Tony

[Ken L]

If you want to get away from package tourists, have good fishing nearby and want introductions ready with local fishing nuts, drop me a PM and i'll point you in the right direction - If you want decent accomodation recomendations as well, I should be able to sort that out.

It helps if you don't mind a few hippies and like live music though.

[Tony U]

Ken

Thanks, I will take you up on that if we go; we are very much at the planning stage at the moment.

 

Tony