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|
 Mahseer Fishing in the
Himalayas
with Nigel Bird |
| The Indian Himalayas offer some of the most incredible fishing in the world and are home to
the mighty mahseer, which grow to well in excess of 40lbs and provide some exceptional sport
on either fly of spinning tackle. These beautiful golden fish are said to be one of, if
not the hardest fighting fresh water fish. |
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When trekking down through these spectacular rivers on rafts you will access some of the most
remote fishing spots in the world. When you reach you destination on the banks of the
river your guides will set up your camp and provide you with an excellent service, making sure
you are comfortable and get the most from your adventure. |
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|
MAHSEER FISHING IN THE
HIMALAYAS - YAMMUNA AND GANGES RIVERS
HOST: Nigel Bird
Dates: 31 March - 12 April 2008 |
|
| ITINERARY |
| 31 March |
Fly from London Heathrow with
Virgin to Delhi, departing at 2200 arriving at 1100 the following day. |
| 1 April |
Arrive New Delhi International
Airport at 1100 where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. In the
afternoon a tour of the historical city of New Delhi is arranged. Visit some of
the significant historical moments of New Delhi like the Red fort and the Qutab Minnar,
and get a feel of some fine Indian cuisine. Visit the India Gate, Qutab Minar, and
Parliament House and walk through the Connaught Place – the heart of the city and one
of the busiest shopping places of the city. Also visit the Humayun's Tomb Built in
the mid 16th century by Haji Begum senior wife of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor;
this is an early example of Mughal architecture. The elements in its design – a
squat building, lighted by high arched entrances topped by a bulbous dome and surrounded
by formal gardens. Humayun's wife is also buried in the red-and white sandstone,
black and yellow marble tomb.
Return to the hotel after the tour in time for dinner and overnight. |
| 2 April |
Board the express train to the
nearest railway station to the Yammuna River. The train ride will take roughly three
hours. You will be met by the air-conditioned vehicles at the station for the
drive to the river. Lunch will be taken en route.
On arrival at the expedition starting point you will be met by the porters who will take
all your gear to camp. Hiking sticks and water bottles are supplied for the short
trek. This is a beautiful walk along the river to get to some remote pools on this
section. There are opportunities to spot some indigenous birds from the
area. The people of this area are very friendly and the guests are often greeted
by the locals during the walk.
Arrive at camp which is located in a beautiful meadow above the river. After hot
beverages and snacks you will be shown to your respective tents. This is a safari
style camp and two (2) guests are allocated a tent. These tents are set up with
linen bedding and large comfortable beds.
You will be introduced to your fishing guide, and you will be able to enjoy some fishing
before dark returning to the camp for dinner around the bonfire.
You are welcome to carry on fishing into the night if you wish. There is a good
chance to hook some big Mahseer on the fly at night too on this section of river. |
| 3 April |
You will have the opportunity
for some early morning fishing. Breakfast can be served on the river if you wish.
The Yammuna pools are a series of pools which run along a three-kilometre section of
river, which can be accessed by a trek. Every angler has his or her own guide.
Return to camp for lunch.
There is a fly tying session in the afternoon with the guides while the fishing is slow.
There is plenty of fly tying equipment and materials at the camp for anyone to indulge
in. Misty Dhillon our head guide will demonstrate some of his unique fly patterns which
he has designed over his Mahseer fly fishing career.
Return to the river for the evening session. Dinner is back at the camp and night
fishing is available. |
| 4 & 5 April |
Fish throughout the day on
some more stunning pools on the river. Return to camp for dinner. Night
fishing is available. |
| 6 April |
After breakfast trek back to
the road where you will be driven to a Mahseer sanctuary to witness these monsters up
close. After lunch continue to Dehradun, the capital of the state of Uttranchal
for one night in a hotel. |
| 7 April |
After breakfast you will enjoy
a three hour drive to Devprayag, the source of the River Ganges where the expedition
starts. You will be met on the banks of the river. Each member of the
expedition will be provided with gear that will be required for the trip. After a
safety briefing from your river guide, we will begin the expedition down the river in
16' rafts to access the most lucrative beats. Packed lunches will be provided as
we take a break on one of the pristine sand beaches. We will be rafting down
stream to the famous Byas Ghat beat, the confluence of the Nayar stream with the Mighty
Ganges River. This is where John Bailey and Paul Boot shot the famous
"Casting for Gold" documentary back in 1989.
We will reach the beat at approximately 1400 hrs. After everybody settles into
tents and takes a small break we will start fishing at Byas Ghat that evening.
You will have one tent to per person, these are large expedition style dome tents that
are outfitted with portable camping furniture (portable beds, tables and stools)
Thermarest self inflating mattresses and sleeping bags suited for the weather conditions
are supplied.
Return to camp for dinner. |
| 8 April |
Spend the day fishing at Byas
Ghat. The Nayar is a crystal clear rivulet, which runs into the mighty Ganges - it
is at this point where some of the larger Mahseer have been caught.
There's good fly - fishing in the Nayar and along the beat, at the confluence the
fly-fishing is excellent, you will catch many Mahseer here - especially at this time of
the year. We will spend the whole day exploring this beat. |
| 9 April |
Depending on the fishing
conditions, we have the option of drifting further downstream or continuing to fish at
Byas Ghat. Further down there are other interesting beats to be fished. So
depending on the results at Byas Ghat we will decide whether we should continue fishing
at this location or mover down river.
Return back to camp for dinner. |
| 10 April |
Drift further downriver,
establish camp on a pristine sand beach and fish some remote sections on this river. |
| 11 April |
After the morning's fishing
session, the expedition will float down to Kaudyala, where we transfer to
vehicles. We will reach the hotel after lunch (a picnic lunch on the banks of the
river will be arranged).
Board express train to New Delhi this evening, on arrival you will be transferred to
your hotel for one night. |
| 12 April |
After breakfast transfer to
the airport for your flight to London departing at 1345 arriving at 1755. |
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| DEPARTURE DATES AND PRICES |
| Price is £3,115 per person. |
| YOUR HOLIDAY INCLUDES |
| Flights, two nights in Delhi in a twin room on full board. Transport by train and car,
safari camping on full board with guided fishing, each fisherman will share a tent on part of
the trip and have his own tent on the second part and his own guide, soft drinks including
bottled mineral water, specialised equipment including sleeping bags, all tackle permits and
taxes. |
| NOT INCLUDED |
| Items of a personal nature, gratuities. |
|
|
MAHSEER FISHING IN THE
HIMALAYAS - SARYU AND MAHAKALI RIVERS
HOST: Nigel Bird
Dates: 11 to 26 October 2008 |
|
| ITINERARY |
| 11 October |
Fly from London Heathrow with
Virgin to Delhi departing at 2200, arriving at 1100 the following day. |
| 12 October |
Arrive in New Delhi
International Airport; where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for one night
in a twin room with private bathroom. |
| 13 October |
After breakfast at the hotel a
tour of the historical city of New Delhi is arranged. Visit some of the significant
historical moments of New Delhi like the Red fort and the Qutab Minnar, and get a feel
of some fine Indian cuisine. Visit the India Gate, Qutab Minar, and Parliament House and
walk through the Connaught Place – the heart of the city and one of the busiest
shopping places of the city. Also visit the Humayun's Tomb Built in the mid 16 th
century by Haji Begum senior wife of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor; this is an
early example of Mughal architecture. The elements in its design – a squat building,
lighted by high arched entrances topped by a bulbous dome and surrounded by formal
gardens. Humayun's wife is also buried in the red-and white sandstone, black and yellow
marble tomb.
Return to the hotel after the tour in time for dinner before you board overnight train
this evening to Kathgodam, the starting point of the expedition. |
| 14 October |
Arrive at railway station in
the early hours of the morning. This is a small town at the base of the Himalayas, from
where you will be transferred to the rest house to freshen up and have breakfast before
the beautiful drive to the starting point of the expedition. You will be fishing the
Saryu and Mahakali Rivers close to the border of India and Nepal.
The drive takes roughly seven hours and passes through some remote Himalayan villages.
You reach an elevation of roughly nine thousand feet during the drive, which is through
beautiful Himalayan Oak, Rhododendron and pine forests. There is a chance of
encountering some wildlife on the drive, such as Mountain goat, Barking Deer, Pine
Martins, Leopard, and an assortment of birds. On a clear day one can get a stunning view
of the greater Himalayan ranges, including the famous Nanda Devi (25,645 feet), the
highest peak of this region, and many other twenty thousand feet plus mountains.
Arrive at the camp around teatime where the Himalayan Outback staff will be waiting for
you. The camp is a short hike away from the road.
You will be introduced to your respective fishing guides before fishing in the evening.
Each fisherman has his own guide.
Overnight in camp followed by barbecue and dinner around the bonfire. |
| 15 October |
Your guide will take you to
fish early in the morning, breakfast will be served on the river bank. The day will be
spent fishing the pools around camp. Lunch and dinner will be served at the camp. |
| 16 October |
Hike to remote locations with
your guide. Meals and refreshments are served at your respective beats. Get back
to camp in the evening for dinner around the bonfire. |
| 17 October |
Fish in the morning and then
take a three hour drive to drive to the starting point of your float trip. Arrive
at camp by late afternoon settle in and start fishing. |
| 18 October |
Begin float trip and camp in
pristine locations down river.
As you drift down river, you will stop along the way to cover as much water as possible.
You can start to fish as soon as the night’s camp is reached. There are some splendid
fishing opportunities in this area. Fish into the evening and night. |
| 19 October |
Depending on how productive
the fishing is, we make the choice of either fishing the same location or moving further
down river. |
| 20 October |
Fish remote locations. |
| 21 October |
Fish remote locations. Along
the float trip there are opportunities for you to hike into the remote villages in the
hills. The locals often walk down to the river when they see the camp and invite you to
come to the village. Some of these villages are nomadic and it is very interesting to
experience their self sustained lifestyle. |
| 22 October |
Raft further down river to
some more beautiful sections. |
| 23 October |
End float trip today and drive
to hotel to freshen up and board overnight train back to New Delhi. |
| 24 October |
Arrive in New Delhi where you
will be transferred to the hotel to freshen up before being driven to Agra where you
will spend the night. |
| 25 October |
Visit the Taj Mahal early this
morning. This tomb was only one of hundreds of beautiful buildings that Shah Jahan
erected, mostly at Agra and in Delhi. In 1631 the emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj
Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz, who died in childbirth.
You will be driven back to Delhi for your last night. |
| 26 October |
Fly back to London departing
at 1345 arriving at 1755. |
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|
| DEPARTURE DATES AND PRICES |
| Price is £3,450 per person. |
| YOUR HOLIDAY INCLUDES |
| Flights, three nights in Delhi and one night in Agra in a twin room. Return train
journey on Shatabdi Express, transfer to the safari start point, 10 nights' safari camping
with 10 days guided fishing, each fisherman will have his own tent and his own guide, soft
drinks including bottled mineral water, specialised equipment including sleeping bags, all
tackle permits and taxes. All meals are included. |
| NOT INCLUDED |
| Items of a personal nature, gratuities. |
|
|
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|
Go Fishing
Worldwide
2 Oxford House, 24 Oxford Road North, London W4 4DH
Phone: +44 (0)208 742 1556 Fax: +44 (0)208 747 4331 |
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