Trout Fishing in Meghalaya- The Elusive Sandori (Trout) of North East India

chillibreeze writer — Laiphang Harbor Phanwar

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Great place for fishing

Fishing is a very popular pastime in the beautiful state of Meghalaya. This northeastern state of India is blessed with numerous rivers, streams and ponds that, at certain times of the year, are filled with a variety of fish. The water bodies allow amateur anglers, both young and old, the opportunity to test their skill and patience.

The Elusive Trout

Fish like the Chocolate Mahseer (kha saw) and the Common Carp are most sought after by anglers. The former has become quite scarce in recent years and very often anglers have had to negotiate remote and difficult terrain to find some catch. Very few anglers seem to know that there are trout to be caught in Meghalaya! Most are of the view that there are none. Even among the veteran anglers, only a few have the honour of having netted some trout. All this adds to the challenge and excitement of fishing for trout in Meghalaya!

Go properly equipped

We find that there is an increasing interest in trout fishing and some visitors to the state have been enquiring about the places where one could go for trout fishing.  'Sandori' is the local name for trout. This variety of fish is generally found, but in relatively scarce numbers, in Ranikor and Lai Lad. The former is situated in the West Khasi Hills District while the latter is in Ri Bhoi District. These two places are accessible by road and it is advisable, for those intending to visit them, to use four-wheel drive vehicles. Plenty of clean drinking water, mosquito nets and repellants are mandatory items to be taken along during any fishing trip to such places.  For the more adventurous, an overnight stay by the riverbank is an out-of-the-world experience.

Try the fly-fishing method

One would expect to find international fly fishermen in this exotic destination. But few, if any, have ever set foot here. Could this be the most undiscovered fly-fishing area in the world? There is really no hard and fast rule for choosing the method of fishing to adopt. The preferred way is, of course, fly-fishing. However, for many native fishermen fly-fishing isn’t as popular as the other methods very often used by them. Most prefer using live bait or a concoction of ingredients as bait, which surprisingly has a reasonably good degree of success. The final choice of the bait, however, depends upon the discretion of the individual angler. A common method used is upstream worming where small worms are fixed to two or three hooks that are swung upstream, ahead of the angler who wades slowly and surreptitiously. I for one would go for fly-fishing, as it still remains the most popular method to catch trout. Though challenging, its rewards are incomparable and the experience thrilling.

Trout farming – not successful

Earlier, there were experiments with trout farming and some rivers were even seeded with trout. Unfortunately, this attempt failed. Weather conditions and the inability of the trout to multiply fast enough have been stated as the main reasons. Moreover, the variety of trout found in Meghalaya are different from those found in the USA and Europe. Trout farming in northeast India is, at present, done only in the Sella Pass in Arunachal Pradesh.

Trout fishing in Meghalaya may be challenging, but for ardent fans of fishing, that’s exactly what adds to the excitement and makes for an unforgettable experience!

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— About our writer:

L.H Phanwar likes reading, music and gardening.
Playing the piano is a favourite pastime.

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