We left early on Friday evening and had deliberately not told the guard about our visit.
Stopped for a quick and early meal at Maddur and then went directly to Forbes Sagar rather than unload at the cottage first. We drove along the bund (embankment) and scanned the lake twice with a spot light but could not see any nets. Considering it was almost a moonless night with very little wind I was surprised not to see any activity. Perhaps the nets would appear on Saturday night, so that fresh fish could be sold at the Sunday markets. Looking back I realise that Sunday was Ganesh Pooja ( a Hindu religious festival) and probably a day on which Hindu's wont eat meat. Maybe the poachers knew this and did not set out as sales would have been thin.
We then proceeded to the cottage, had a bite and sat up with the rods for rohu but not a nibble. Called it a night at 1:30 a.m..
Next morning we set out at 8:15 to see the Gaganachukki falls as I hadn't seen these. However, first we stopped at Shivasamudram town to do some spinning along the canal almost upto where it meets Forbes Sagar.
Prathap managed to get three murral in the 1.5 to 2 kilo range. All three were released.
[/img]We then set out through Shivasamudram for the falls....
[/img]On reaching the falls I was really dismayed to see two brick and concrete structures being put up by the state tourism authorities. I am not against tourism but why the hell can't these aholes put up something more in harmony with the surroundings. Far too annoyed to take pics but on reflection I should have to show you chaps these architectural marvels.
The falls...
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[/img]Having seen the falls, Raju offered to take us to the top of the falls and I am so glad he did. The pics just don't do it justice. We tried spinning for murral and carp but without a result. A fish or two would merely have been icing on an already delicious cake.
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[/img]We then proceeded to Forbes Sagar (where the water is high and turbid) for some spinning and were at it until 2 p.m., when we decided to head for Hand Post for lunch. Prathap did catch a few murral during this session but we released all but one that we kept for our dinner.
[/img]Crossing the bridge over the Cauvery on the way to Hand Post, Prathap mentioned that the water level had fallen drastically in just one week.
After having finished our lunch of fried chiken, masala omellete, daal and paratha, I found that the owner had a whole tava full of grilled fish going.
We asked the owner what fish it was and he said Catla. Since I haven't had this before I wanted to try it. Not that I needed an excuse.
Never one to say no to a tasty morsel or two (even though the bill had already been paid
), I ordered a plate of the same which I greedily sampled in the car and burnt my tongue in the process. 
I wonder where they got the catla and how....We then proceeded back to Forbes Sagar for another round of fishing when we chanced upon these two gentlemen diligently trying their hand at fishing with handlines. Ahem!
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[img]Mack The Knife
Let me know when you are here next and off we go. Insha Allah!
