Tackle Source and friends go deep into the rainforest in search for some awesome ultralight spin action with lures. We walk the gin clear mountain streams not unlike those that typically hold Trout. But the quarry is totally different, it is the elusive tropical powerhouse of the streams - the Mahseer...
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| The air is fresher and life stands still in the tropical rainforests of Asia. Nature beckons... |
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| First morning after breakfast we steam for the streams with gear in hand. Trusty light rods from Major Craft make up the arsenal. The Volkey light spin rod would prove a gem on this trip... |
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| Didn't take too long to find a taker on the DUO Ryuki Spearhead lure... |
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| Its what we came for, the mighty Mahseer. This is a beautiful Blue Mahseer... |
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| Next up we are pleasantly surprised when the DUO Realis Shad is taken... |
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| These pristine streams are home to the elusive Jungle Snakehead as well. And this is a nice specimen... |
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| On the lighter end of the scale is a baby Hampala Barb or Jungle Perch as it is more commonly called. Another DUO Realis Shad victim... |
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| There are quite a handful of Jungle Perch in these streams and we find another on the IMA Sukari trout stream lure... |
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| Was pretty surprised to hook this juvenile Giant Snakehead on the DUO Ryuki Spearhead in the shallow stream, adding to the species list... |
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| Another Blue Mahseer. They proved to be pretty feisty, and we encountered quite a handful over the few days... |
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| The DUO Ryuki Spearhead was developed for fast flowing streams in the hunt for Trout and Salmonoids, so they are spectacularly adept in these conditions... |
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| These fish are easily spooked so to fool a larger model takes some luck. These larger fish go hard and it is inevitable that we would lose a handful of big ones... |
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| This is a wider stretch of the beautiful stream, most are tight confines where accurate casts are required... |
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| The IMA Sukari scores another Jungle Perch... |
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| One more for the species count - a freshwater Garfish which swiped at the little DUO Toto lure... |
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| In the sunshine through the canopy these Mahseer glimmer with magnificent beauty... |
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| IMA Sukari does the damage again... |
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| Swapping colours on the IMA Sukari results in the same... |
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| Another hard fighting Blue Mahseer greets us... |
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| The stream is but a foot deep and the fishes are in plain sight. The trick is to thread carefully lest the get spooked... |
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| Smallies like this abound, and are just as fun to catch as the takes are visual... |
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| Lures built for fast flowing water like the IMA Sukari hold their own in streams like these... |
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| Worked with the Major Craft Volkey spin rod and light spin reel every hook up transforms into an epic fight... |
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| The DUO Toto is another firm favourite for lure selection. Long casts and straight tracking are great attributes to have... |
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| As the stream narrows there forms deep holes which fish like to lie in. Big ones aren't usually far. Its beautiful country... |
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| The IMA Sukari continues to clean up... |
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| Once they reach close to the kilo mark they can be a handful on the tackle used to throw small lures. The lures themselves cop a beating, and smashed hooks and rings are the norm... |
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| The DUO Toto continues to shine... |
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| The Mahseer use the fast flowing water to the most of their advantage. Chasing a fish on amongst the slippery rocks is not for the faint hearted. But the results are worth it... |
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| Another good sized fish on the IMA Sukari... |
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| Meanwhile a swap back to the DUO Ryuki Spearhead results in a little Jungle Perch... |
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| Another lure which showed its forte in these streams surprisingly, is the DUO Realis Shad. It is a lure that's always in our tackle boxes, and on this trip it was no different... |
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| A nice Blue Mahseer and a happy angler... |
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| Don't discount the small ones too. The DUO Realis Shad catches them too... |
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| In fast sections the DUO Ryuki Spearhead is gem... |
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| Ripped fast it never falters, and obviously the fish love them too... |
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| Its a procession of small to medium Mahseer on various lures. This one on the DUO Realis Shad again... |
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| The beautiful face of a fish which took a Jackson Kanade minnow... |
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| Its one of the better ones. At this size they go real hard... |
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| The Jackson Kanade continues to produce... |
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| Its another lure made for fast flowing streams and it shines here with another decent fish... |
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| The DUO Realis Shad finds another... |
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| A nice fish indeed. The shallow spool spin reel would go beserk everytime... |
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| This is the Red variety of the Mahseer family. It is one of the most sought after freshwater fish in the region... |
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| The DUO Spearhead Ryuki in the mouth of a bruiser... |
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| These are the type of fish we trek kilometres upstream for. In these treacherous waterways a fish of this size would take a bit of luck to land... |
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| Meanwhile the DUO Spearhead Ryuki does its best to harass the local Mahseer population... |
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| And it does well... |
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| One fish after the other finds the DUO Spearhead Ryuki irresistible... |
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| A typical pool which will hold good fish. Thoroughly inviting for a cool dip on a hot day too. We were in paradise, in more ways than one... |
Watch for Part Two to come...
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