Angling and Fishing in Himachal

The streams of Himachal Pradesh fall under two categories; General waters and Trout waters, with estimated length of 600 and 2400 kms respectively. The major State’s streams include- Beas, Sutlej, Ravi, Tirthan, Sainj, Uhl, Baspa, Pabar, Lambadug, Giri, Rana, Nugal Gai, Baner, Bata, etc.The major fishes available in these streams are Trout, Mahseer, Nemacheilus spp, Barilus sp, Schizothoracids Crossocheilus sp. Glyptothorax spp. etc.

Fishing in these streams is reguarsied under the state fisheries Act. In trout water licences only for rod and line are permitted while in general water both rod and line as well as cast netting is all allowed. The department has identified the following stretches as potential fishing sports for trout and mahseer.

An anglers' paradise. Himachal has several spots for both trout and mahaseer - as well as other fish. Acclaimed as the best sport fish in the world, both Brown and Rainbow Trout are to be found in Himachal's streams. Upstream of Rohru in the Pabbar valley, there are several spots ideal for fishing.

Chirgaon has the trout hatchery, and other sites are - Seema, Mandil, Sandasu, Tikri and Dhamvari; all are within 5 to 25 km of Rohru. Kinnaur's Baspa river in the Sangla valley also holds trout. The fish also abounds in the UHL river near Barot. Good spots on this beat are - Luhandi, the Puran hachery. Tikkar and Kamand. The upper reaches of the river Beas in the Kullu valley, and its side streams like the Sarvari, Parbati, Sainj, Hurla and Tirthan - especially the areas around Aut, Patlikuhl, Katrain, Raison and Largi - are excellent for the sport. These are all up-stream of the Pandoh reservoir and are close to, or on the Mandi-Manali highway.

The picturesque Kangra valley has several spots that offer mahaseer - river carp. The reservoir of the Pong Dam right up to the town of Dehra has good spots. The area around Nadaun along the river Beas has some good beats, and some are Chamba Pattan near Garli (accessible from Nadaun or Jawalamukhi), Amritsar (2 km from Nadaun), Harsi Pattan (30 km from Tira Sujanpur) and Lambagaon (15 km from Tira Sujanpur).

On the river Giri, Gaura (30 km from Solan on the Rajgarh road) and the beat near Dadahu (5 km from Renuka Lake) and the river Yamuna, downstream of Paonta Sahib are good spots for mahaseer.The waters of the Gobind Sagar near Bilaspur, also have a variety of fish.

Fishing fees are nominal. The trout fishing season is from 31 March to 31 October. Generally, the best months for mahaseer are those that have an 'r' in their spelling - January, Fabruary, March, April, September, October, November and December.