Fishing usually begins in earnest in the monsoon, but for anglers the months from October to March are a season of pleasure. Some head for the water to earn a living, others purely as a hobby. Along the beels, rivers and canals of Kaliganj in Gazipur, a festival of rod-and-line fishing is in full swing.

The festival starts in the monsoon on the Belai beel, Afainnar beel and other waters of Kaliganj upazila and on the Shitalakshya river, and runs from October to March. Locally it is called the "borshi season", the fishing-rod season. From early morning anglers arrive with dinghies, bamboo chairs, umbrellas and tiffin boxes. Businessmen, teachers and office workers alike share one identity here: all are drawn to the water by the rod.

Hobby anglers set out on seasonal expeditions. Some sit on the riverbank with their lines in the water, others hire dinghies and go deep into the wetlands. "The joy of fishing is something else," said a regular angler at Belai beel. "If I get one big fish after sitting all day, the whole day's tiredness is gone. I don't think about whether I make any money."

Many said some anglers spend hundreds or even thousands of taka on bait. For some it is a competition, for others a habit like meditation. As the afternoon wears on, spectators gather on the banks too, some watching out of curiosity, some offering advice and some filming the moment a fish is landed.

Kaliganj upazila fisheries officer Sultana Razia said: "Hobby fishing is part of our rural culture. It brings people close to nature. We want everyone to fish by the rules, release small fish and keep the balance of the waters."

Fishing is not just a livelihood here; it has become a distinctive form of rural recreation. On holidays many come with their families, some cooking the fish they catch, while others hold small contests with friends.

When the sun sparkles and the breeze ripples the water, the game begins. When a big fish suddenly takes the bait, excitement spreads along the bank. Some laugh, some shout, and some say: "You can't measure this joy in money!"

Even as the water falls, the pull of the rod stays with the anglers. "A day without fishing feels incomplete," they say. So the waters of Kaliganj are not just a source of livelihood but a symbol of the bond between people and nature, where the line catches not only fish but joy, patience and the colour of life.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.