GONE FISHIN’ IN BANGLADESH

Making monsoon rains matter

As the country with the greatest proportion of the area given over to water, in the world, that angling should be looking set fair to be, as in UK, the favourite hobby and pastime, seems reasonable.

Lakes, ponds, and, above all over 700 rivers, branches and tributaries, especially further north, as the waters flow into the country from the snow melt and monsoon rains of the Himalayas and the foothills, cleaner and purer than they tend to be nearer the coast, contain hundreds of species of fresh water fish. And fish, of course, is also a staple of traditional Bengali cuisine.

A peacefull pond in Comilla

The traditional bamboo rod, and a simple kit is probably as effective as any means of catching the elusive delicacies, but there is , also, an increasing market for more sophisticated gear in the nation with rising levels of affluence, despite the inevitable corollary of rising levels of effluent! An angler’s paradise, indeed, in waters where the fish seem to gain weight daily!

Oh, and then there’s the coastal waters, but sea fishing is more of a traditional industry than just a holiday pursuit.