Goonch - A Giant Pest Or Great Sport?

The first sportsmen fishing in India , rated Mahseer so highly that pretty much any other fish that dared take their bait was considered a pest. Goonch, a giant form of catfish found in many of the same rivers as Mahseer, soon gained this reputation particularly as the flesh spoils quickly and would have caused more than a few upset stomachs.

Goonch have recently acquired an even less savoury reputation. One recent documentary linked the scavenger diet of this species to the human remains found below Ghats - the traditional cremation sites preferred by Hindus in India.

Following on from the concept of man-eating tigers they then developed the idea that a local teenager had been taken (and presumably eaten) by one exceptionally large Goonch whilst swimming in the local river. This river, the Kali River, which divides India from the Western end of Nepal, takes its name from the Hindu goddess of death and destruction which added a little cultural spice to the mystery. Otherwise, the only evidence seemed to be one reference by a witness to the boy being taken by an 'elongated pig'.

The documentary ends with one very large fish being caught and held up as the culprit. At six feet long and weighing over one hundred and fifty pounds, it is the sort of catfish you (and I) would love to have at the end of our lines but still, perhaps, a little bit small to take a healthy human alive.

So, are these big catfish worthy of being called sport?

I'll concentrate on two factors:

Size:

Undoubtedly, we are talking about a size of fish that excites most anglers. Many of us have only seen photos of freshwater fish in excess of one hundred pounds. The real prospect of hooking into and landing a fish this big must be something to make a fishing holiday abroad appeal to even the most timid traveller. Just one point here: should you be lucky enough to catch one of these giants, please try to release it unharmed. This species has been abused enough and now deserves our voluntary conservation efforts.

Challenge:

Like most catfish, these fish feed mostly on the river bed. They are thought to feed mostly after dark, using their powerful sense of smell to locate food scraps. Locating and tempting one of the really big Goonch to bite is going to take patience and stamina.

Any angler determined enough to get a strike still has a battle on their hands. Pound for pound Goonch may not rate as powerful as Mahseer, but with a big fish on the line in the strong currents that they prefer, at night, the result can easily go with the fish. There are too many tales of screaming bite alarms, screaming reels ... and screaming anglers winding back their slack line to think that there is no sport in the issue.

Fishing in India is only just beginning to take off as a serious recreational activity for the masses. Most will favour the highly prized Mahseer or the fine art of fly-fishing for trout up in the Himalayan foothills. Catfish are never a glamourous fish but perhaps Goonch fishing will become appreciated with time as good sport, especially for those who rate quality above quantity.