Undeterred by the harsh mid-afternoon sun, Santosh sits still on the waterfront. In the serene and rustic environs of Shilparamam, he has already caught eight fish and with two more baits left, wants to get more.
The invitation from the city’s popular leisure haunt to fish and carry home the catch is evoking a good response from visitors here. John, a youngster from Kondapur, says he fished for the first time in his life and is returning home with five fish.
In just two days of introduction, the concept to fish at Shilparamam has picked up and several of the visitors on Tuesday could be seen sitting with fishing rods. G. Anjaneyulu from Tadipatri with his family fished for one hour and ended with nine fish. Excited at the catch, his sons wanted more.
Shilparamam, which is spread over 65 acres, over the years developed a watercourse on a five-acre site. Two years ago, about 50,000 fish were released in it.
The visitors have to pay Rs. 50 for the fishing rod, six baits and 30 minutes to try their luck. The man-made channel has different fish species like ‘korameenu’, ‘silva’, ‘bocha’, ‘valgal’ and so on.
Shilparamam Special Officer G.N. Rao says the fish caught here can either be taken home or if interested, have it cooked at a nearby stall. “We have set up a fish corner close to the fishing points where a cook will prepare the desired dish from the catch,” he says.
Based on the size of the fish, the fish corner charges Rs. 100 or Rs. 120 per kg. The fish will be cooked the way the visitor wants and the options range from ‘pulusu’, fry to curry.
