Catching eels in the field

VietNamNet Bridge – Catching eels is an extra job of many farmers in Khanh Thanh commune of Yen Thanh district, in the central province of Nghe An. Let’s see how they catch slippery eels in the field.

VietNamNet Bridge – Catching eels is an extra job of many farmers in Khanh Thanh commune of Yen Thanh district, in the central province of Nghe An. Let’s see how they catch slippery eels in the field.

Two popular ways to catch eels are using a fishing-rod and trum (bamboo pipes).

These are two traditional ways to catch eels that all people here know.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, 60, has more than 40 years of experience in catching eels by trum. Every day he plays about 200 trum in the rice field about 5 km from his home.

Hoa said he usually set trum at 5pm and returned to the field the next morning to collect eels.

To be able to catch eels by trum, one must be know how to make trum, the technique of setting trum in the field and most importantly how to make bait.

Bait is made of many things, but the most common is chopped earthworms mixed with mud. In addition, eel catchers mix chopped nail and crab to the bait to create a"sexy" smell.

Nguyen Van Ky, 45, said, catching eels yields stable income. "During the day, we work in the fields or at home. In the afternoon we make bait and set eel traps. I set 200 traps a day, collecting 2kg of eels. 1kg is priced VND80,000 ($4)," Ky said.

The harvest after a night.

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The vehicle of eel catchers.

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The second way to catch eels is using hooks. The bait is earthworm. The difficulty of this method is only experienced eel catchers can detect the eel caves to drop the hook.