With a bountiful monsoon filling up the rivers with water, many people have taken to hobby fishing in Cauvery and its tributaries in the region.
Villagers and locals with fishing lines are a common sight on bridge across the Balamuri mini waterfalls, downstream of the KRS reservoir, and the Wellesley Bridge near Srirangapatna ever since authorities began releasing water from the reservoir earlier this month.
Nanjappa, a resident of Srirangapatna, bought a nylon fishing line from the town and was waiting for a catch.
“I hope to catch one in about half an hour,” he said while referring to another hobbyist managing to catch a fish weighing 4 k.g. in 10 minutes.
However, Aleem, another hobbyist, who too was trying his luck with a fishing line a few feet away on the bridge, said one has to be patient and lucky to catch a fish.
Similar fishing hobbyists are found on the bridge across Cauvery built at Balamuri falls.
Deputy Director of Fisheries, Mysuru, K Narayan told The Hindu that the possibility of luck smiling on hobby fishermen was higher in flowing water than stagnant.
“Fish have a tendency to swim against the current towards fresh water, where the oxygen content is higher,” he said not ruling out the lucky hobbyists taking home one or two fish every day.
The good monsoon will help the Fisheries Department breed more fish. The tanks will also have more water for rearing fish, he added.
Meanwhile, sources in Decathlon, a chain dealing in sports products, said the number of inquiries and sales for fishing equipment had increased during the last few days.