Westerners laugh heartily because they set traps and pull nets during the flood season and catch a lot of fish.

Traps and nets are a form of fishing that is deeply rooted in the culture of the people living in the Mekong Delta. Using this tool to catch fish during the flood season, people can catch 5-10kg of fish per day, sometimes catching many delicious snakehead fish and catfish.

Mr. Kề proudly shows off his fish trap, which has caught many large, plump snakehead fish - Photo: VAN KỀ

On November 16th, in a conversation with Tuoi Tre Online about using fish traps during the flood season, Mr. Tu Van Ke, a resident of Can Tho City, said that Vinh Trung commune in the former Hau Giang province (now Can Tho City) is a low-lying area with a complex network of rivers and canals with varying depths, so freshwater fish such as snakehead fish, catfish, carp, tilapia, eels, frogs, etc., gather and live in abundance.

Thanks to the abundance of famous products from this region of the Mekong Delta, Mr. Kề and the local people have made many fishing tools for catching fish in the fields and rivers, especially the "lọ" (a type of fishing gear in the shape of a tube with a trap, where fish enter but cannot get out).

Previously, he used traps woven from bamboo, but later switched to making traps from netting, measuring 28cm wide and 50cm long.

When setting traps, he usually chooses locations in flooded areas with grass and calm waves. Next, he secures the trap firmly deep underwater. Small fish like snakehead, tilapia, and shrimp will then enter the trap. After that, the common snakehead will come in to eat the bait, making them very sensitive and easily caught.

Setting a fish trap and getting lucky will result in catching lots of delicious freshwater fish.

"With 50 fish traps readily available, I set them in the rice fields and along the canal banks to catch snakehead fish. Sometimes, if the traps are lucky, I can catch 5-10 kg of snakehead fish and catfish per day… Sometimes I catch a snakehead fish weighing over 1 kg, so fat and delicious," Mr. Kề boasted.

During the flood season, people in Can Tho City, An Giang Province, and other areas use various fishing gear to hunt for freshwater fish. Therefore, in addition to setting traps, pushing nets, and casting nets, Mr. Nguyen Van Son, a resident of Go Quao commune (An Giang), also takes advantage of the rising water levels in the fields to use his small boat to drag seine nets and catch fish.

Mr. Son usually chooses open fields and uses a seine net to encircle a wide area. Various freshwater fish species such as tilapia, snakehead fish, catfish, and gourami all get caught in the net.

"I mainly use these nets during the flood season. The nets are big and long, so pulling them is very strenuous. If I hit a school of fish, I can catch 3-5 kg ​​of fish per haul. The fish are small, miscellaneous species, which I sell to places that raise snakehead fish in cages. During the flood season, if I take advantage of the opportunity to pull nets, I can earn 300,000-500,000 VND per day, enough to live on," Mr. Son said happily.

Setting traps and pulling seine nets not only showcases the diverse exploitation of freshwater fish resources, but also vividly portrays the life of people in the Mekong Delta during the flood season.

The image shows fish traps set during the flood season, catching many freshwater fish:

Setting a trap successfully will catch 5-10 snakehead fish, catfish, or tilapia.

People in An Giang take advantage of the floodwaters on the fields to cast their seine nets.

Mr. Kề was happy when he caught a big catfish in his fish trap.

Snakehead fish in the flooded fields are plump and round.

"Lờ" is a unique fishing method used by people in the Mekong Delta.

Trawling, a traditional but highly effective fishing method in the Mekong Delta.

CHI CONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dan-mien-tay-cuoi-sang-khoai-vi-dat-lo-keo-luoi-rung-mua-nuoc-noi-dinh-nhieu-ca-dong-20251115161539035.htm