Mahseer Fish : King of the rapids

Mahseer is the common name used for the genera Tor, Neolissochilus, and Naziritor in the family Cyprinidae (carps). The range of this fish is from Malaysia, Indonesia, across southern Asia to Pakistan, including the Indian Peninsula. Oh yeah, this fish have been everywhere. Malaysian called it Kelah. They are commercially important game fish, as well as highly esteemed food fish. Mahseer fetch high market price, that's why some people prefer breeding or fishing them than buying it in the market. However, several of the larger species have suffered severe declines, and are now considered threatened due to pollution, habitat loss and overfishing.

 Mahseers inhabit both rivers and lakes, ascending to rapid streams with rocky bottoms for breeding. Like other types of carps, they are omnivorous, eating not only algae, crustaceans, insects, frogs, and other fish, but also fruits that fall from trees overhead. The Mahseer is a good fighting fish and a prime target for flyfishing enthusiasts but can be caught by using small minnow and spoon using spinning and baitcasting outfit. 

It's cousin, the Golden Mahseer, is the number one mystical fish to catch on a rod and stands as a legend in a very mythical part of the world. Golden armor-plated scales line powerful flanks and bucket-shaped fins provide it with immense power both to hold its position in the fastest of currents and equally to strip line from a reel with unstoppable, finger-burning speed. Its voracious appetite and sheer strength has given it an almost mythical status, allowing it to obtain weights in excess of 100lbs. Wow~ This is the world's largest carp, so they are not stupid. If you hook one, just watch out for the jagged rocks in the rapid, the mahseer calls home.

The Mahseer's meat is white, my friend Tammy ate one ( BBQ ) the last time she went fishing to the freshwater river in the jungle of East Borneo province, taste fantastic she said. When she tried eating it, she had difficulty believing that a freshwater fish could so darn good! So there must be some demands who will pay high price for the meat. I even asked her to bring home a few live ones. But back in the place where she fished , the Dayak tribes demanded that she takes only a few for consumptions and releases the rest to fight another day . She wasn't going to argue with them , Dayaks are confirmed to be headhunters, occasionally.

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