The river Shark Surprise

April 1996, place Korthu, Darbhanga, Bihar, the news of fish poisoning spread like the jungle fire in the villages all around. Everyone therefore was in a hurry to grab some net or any other fishing gear to go for easy fish catch at the sluice gate near Korthu which was some one kilometer away. Someone poisoned the sluice gate wetland with herbicides which kills the fish slowly. Most interesting part of such events is that even a kid can catch big fishes easily because fishes start floating unconsciously on the surface.

I didn’t get any fishing gear or a net at that time. But I must go as quickly as possible or i would miss the opportunity, so I began running towards the wetland. my father has already reached the wetland with a casting net. by the time I reached there, everyone has already caught at least five kilograms of big and small fishes. My father looked at me and asked me why I was so late and with no fishing gear in hand. He told me that most of the fishes emerging on the surface has been collected, so I should be looking for fishes which can be traced by foot on the floor of the wetland like Singhi(Heteropneustes fossilis)Mangur( Clarias batrachus), Saura(Snakehead fish), Bhora(Giant snakehead), and Bowari(River shark or Wallago attu).

I was a bit scared to hear that, because all these fishes are dangerous and big as well. It also meant that if I find one, I have to dive inside the water to get it out. So, I started my hunt by walking in the wetland and using my feet as a fish sensor. There were many fishes hitting my leg inside the water but nothing that I could catch. Meanwhile, I thought of catching some Tengera(Mystus sp) which were floating on the surface as if drunken.

After a while I happen to step on a big fish lying on the floor of the wetland. Since the water was murky and deep up-to three feet, I could not see anything from above. Therefore, I dived down to check what is it, and to my surprise , I found that it was one of the biggest of all fishes what my father mentioned earlier, it was a river shark. I was very apprehensive of not revealing it to anyone that i I have found a river shark, so very cautiously I called my father and told him that I have found something. First he told me get the fish out of the water myself. I was perplexed to even think about it and he was telling me to get it out of the water. So, I told him that it is big fish I cannot take it out.

He was annoyed that I am disturbing him for something very silly. However he came to me dived down the water and grab the fish by its neck. But he didn't take it out immediately when emerged from water. He told me to stay over the fish and he is going to get the casting net. Finally he got the fish in the casting net and then we took it over the land. When I saw the fish, I was thrilled at my success because it was a huge fish of almost 1.9 meter long. My father was also happy that finally I got something to cheer. I was wondering what if I was alone, the fish could have dragged me down in the water. But anyway, it was one of the biggest surprise for me to catch a river shark of that size at the early age of eight.

River shark (Wallago attu) the bigger one with whiskers

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Crazy about fishing

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