5 Best Places for Fishing in Nepal

Only turn to an avid fisher to know how dominant a river can be in providing pleasure while fishing. May you not know but just in absence of ideal fishing rivers, what’s supposed to be great fun can turn to an awful experience.

So, if you expect to get rewarded for your hours of endurance while fishing then choose the spots sensibly. Speaking about the places best for fishing, Nepal does come with ample freshwater streams and lakes that are habitat to giant fishes.

With its spectacular landscapes and lush hills on the backdrop, Nepal provides a natural home to anglers. Travel anywhere in the hillside and you’ll come up with an abundance of gushing streams and strong current rivers in Nepal.

The lakes and rivers here are exempt to the pollutants and disruption caused by humans. Instead, they are rich with nutrients that supply for the growth of fish and help them nourish.

The balanced ecosystem of Nepal for aquatic animals has led it to become a home to more than 186 indigeneous fishes and a dozen of non-native species.

Fishing on rivers in Nepal is most preferred during spring and summer but before monsoon begins. There are numerous rivers and lakes in Nepal including Koshi, Chitwan’s River confluence and Phewa Lake that are extremely popular with fishing. Here is the list of such 5 wonderful places for fishing in Nepal.

5 Best places for Fishing in Nepal

Trishuli River

Lying in an outskirt of Kathmandu, Trishuli River is a gem to Nepal. This sweeping river has provided rafters with unlimited adventure till beyond. And now it brings you a whole new recreation activity to experience and that’s fishing.

Next to the fame of rafting, fishing in the Trishuli River usually gets underlooked. But even with that, the river has succeeded in preserving a wide species of fish that mostly thrives in cold water.

Some of the most common fishes found in the Trishuli River include Trout, Golden Mahseer and River Eel. Also, Trishuli River is just 95.1 km away from Kathmandu Valley so it’s easily accessible and can be reached in less than 3 hours.

Karnali River

Another magnificent river to make it in the list of our 5 best Places for Fishing in Nepal is Karnali. Compared to the other rivers in its neighbourhood, Karnali is ideally suited for fishing. A wide variety of fish from different families is found in this river that causes an upsurge in its popularity.

Often in its wild form, Karnali River appears after getting mixed into by many small rivers. Any angler who spends their day on the bank of this river usually gets prized with Golden Mahseer.

Besides it, the river also has breathtaking scenery to offer fishers who come to visit it. So if you don’t want the scenic views to get obstructed by severe weather, better pick a right time.

Starting from February, people can travel to Karnali River for fishing as it’s the best time. The views are clear and magnetic with green foliage and blooming flowers during the month.

Babai River

It’s blessed with natural magnificence, wildlife and river appropriate for fishing. And Babai River surely knows how to delight the angler who looks forward to catching freshwater fish.

It may have been less appreciated than other rivers in the country. But the fact is that, Babai River is incredibly rich with varied species of fish such as snow trout, freshwater eel, and Mahseer.

The river lies in Inner Terai, Churia Hills, entirely sewering the Inner Terai Dang Valley. To enjoy Goonch Catfishing in the Babai River, you’ve to take a long drive of at least 10 hours. Bardia National Park is also a place quite apt to start out fishing as the river pass through Bardiya District.

Pokhara’s Lakes

When it comes to tranquility and fishing, no place in Nepal can be more desirable than Pokhara. Alongside a scenic view, it offers anglers calm and placid lakes that boast varieties of fish .

Pokhara comes with so many iconic lakes including Phewa that provides shelter to fishes like Mahseer and Catfish. Anglers fishing in this lake are expected to catch more seasonal fishes rather than variants.

Next-door from Phewa and less crowded, Begnas Lake too is relevant for fishing. You can find a great number of fishes from different genus in this lake.

With the lake looked over by sky-scraping mountains like Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, anglers will have a great time fishing in the lake of Pokhara.

Ankhu Khola

Lying north in Dhading district, Ankhu Khola is one of the major spots for fishing in Nepal. It is a prime tributary of Budi Gandaki and habitat of aquatic animals like snow trout and cat fishes.

Other than that, fishers equally have a chance to trap freshwater eel and mahseer on a hook here in Ankhu Khola. Now, you might be wondering whether or not you could enjoy fishing right from the starting point of the river flow to till the base.

Well, then to catch the most fishes, you might want to get anywhere from Khahare Bazaar to Kintang Phei or up till Tari Besi. Since the river here isn’t that hard to deal with, any amateur or pro anglers can have one worthwhile fishing day.

Fishing Gears

The basic fishing gears that are adaptable and functional to both experienced and amateur anglers include lines, rods, baits and many more. Keep scrolling to know more about them

1. Fishing Line

Fishing lines are flexible cords used by anglers to trap fish. They come in different sizes and qualities with varying color patterns. The cord designed out of Dyneema is durable and provides great strength while catching fish. For smooth and easy use, you can have a Monofilament fishing line made out of single plastic fiber as it too lasts long.

2. Baits

Fishing baits are often used to tempt fish. It’s a strategic effort made by anglers to persuade fish and get them hooked. Shrimp and croaker have proved to attract a wide species of fish. But fishers also seem to have been using worms and nightcrawlers to trap fish. In recent years, artificial and electronic baits crafted from plastic have also come to use as fishing baits.

3. Fishing rod and reels

Fishing rod and reels is your absolute go-to gear for angling in Nepal. One can hardly imagine fishing without a fishing rod. So, you must get yourself a highly durable fishing rod with EVA foam grips that are comfortable to hold. For long fishing outings like that in Nepal, a medium action rod designed from fiberglass and graphite works perfectly. Rather than bait casting reels, Spin casting reels are mostly used by non-professionals.

Check these: best ultralight spinning reel and best ultralight fishing rod 

4. Bobbers

No new gear to anglers, bobbers or floaters are commonly used to hold the bait where the fish is eating. As soon as they start biting, the bobbers sink and you’ll know when to pull the fishing rod. Most of these bobbers are bright colored with metal hooks and are easily visible from the surface of the river. There is a spring loaded in bobbers with a clip that fastens in our fishing line.

5. Hooks

Fish hooks are the device normally used to catch fish by strapping the lines on it. The size, style and shapes of fish hooks are different. And the one that anglers would require depends on what species of fish they intend to lure on a fish hook.