FISHING TOOLSAs mentioned earlier

       As mentioned earlier, of the main occupations performed in the central plain is fishihg
and most of the villagers, except those who live in the provinces on the gulf of Thailand do their fishing in the rivers, canals, lakes or ponds. The tools they use are normally hand-made.Many are wicker-works objects. Here are assembled nine kinds subdivided into twenty-five varieties.

1. Cha-nang (sometimes called "Chang-le" or"Cha-leng")

          A Cha-nang is a scoop made of bamboo strips. It is used to scoop fish   or prawns near a bank of inland water resources, e.g. rivers, and canals, A Cha-nang appears in three sizes.

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          1.1       The small ksize is a basket made in a shape of a scoop. It is a hand tool (photograph no. 1.1).
          1.2       The medium size has a triangular shape. It' s body is made of bamboo
strips. The bottom part is round and closed with a net or a bag. There are two hands.
It is also a hand tool (photograph no. 1.2 )
          1.3       The large size also has a triangular shape. But it is too big to be handled by hands. It is usually placed at the front part of a boat (photograph no.1.3).

2. Chut

A Chut is a small fishing tool made of rattan strips. Before one can catch fish with a Chut,one has to prepare the location. First, a wall is made to bar kthe way where fish come and go.The wall is made of grass or reed or weeds that grow nearby. Then as many holes as one wishes are made in the sall. One Chut is firmly placed behind each hole. When a fish hit the wall, It will try to find a way to get through it. comes across a hole, it is natural that it goes that way. Consequently, it is trapped because a Chut is too small to allow the fish turn back. The fish that is normally got trapped in a Chut is a snakehead, a kind of fresh water fish.

Another way of catching fish with a Chut is to place it behind a waterway in a dyke that is normally built around a paddy field to contain water. Here a Chut will be fastened to a bamboo stick that is pitched firmly in the mud.

Normally one Chut can trap one fish. Probably because of that reason, a Chut is not a very popular fish trap.

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3. Khong

A Khong is a kind of floating basket that is used to keep living fish for a short period.
The villagers use a Khong while they are fishing in an inlandwater. They fasten the Khong to their waists and let it float along. The object is woven of bamboo strips. There is a lid on the top part, which woll be lifted up to put fish in or take fish out

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There are five different forms of Khong. The form in photograph no. 3.1 is called "Khong Pet" because it has a a duck-shape; the rest is an ordinary Khong with four varieties in forms(photographs 3.2 -3.5)

4. Kra-chang

A Kra-chang is a floating basket made of bamboo strips. Each piece of bamboo is fastened with rattan. There is a lid on the upper part. Like a Khong it is used to keep living fish. But when in use a Kra-chang has to be fastened not to ones' waist but to a pole and kept floating in the water.There are three forms (photographs nos. 4.1 - 4.3

5. Lop

A lob is a tool to trap fish or prawns without having to use ball .Before trapping fish or prawn with a Lob, one has to make a barrier in a waterway with a mat made of bamboostrips and place a Lob at a through way.There are three varieties of Lob

           5.1   A Lob non is a Lob that is placed horrizontally when in use (The term non literally means " lie down" ) This kind of Lob is used to trap big fish. It is a cyrinderical object made of bamboo strips, each of which is joined by rattan. It looks like an oil container . Threr is a lid and a hole for fish to enter .Inside a Lob ther is a nga-saeng (a value to prevent fish form escaping
           5.2   A Lob Yun is a Lob that is placed vertically when in use. (The term "yun" literally means "to stand up") A Lob Yun is also used to trap big fish. Its size and material are the same as that of a Lob Non.The difference is only in its way of use. The Lob Yun is normally used in a deeper water. Sometimes a villager places ten to fifteen Lob Yun in line starting from a bank to the middle of a river. There are poles pitvhed to the bottom of the river prevent the Lob from moving .A Lob Yun appears in three sub varieties
           5.3   A Lob Kung is a Lob that is used particulary to trap prawns( The term "kung" literally means "prawns") It looks similar to a Lob Non, except it has "wings" at the entrance and it is smaller .

6.       Sai
        A Sai is a tool to trap fishes of all kinds and sizes.It has a cylindrical shape woven of bamboo strips, each of which is fastened to one another with rattan.Its body has three parts the middle and the bottom . In the head part there is an entrance for fish .Some Sais have two. one is for fish that comedown along the current of water ; the other for ones that come up against part , which has a slender shape, is closed.

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         To use a Sai one needs no bait. The object is usually placed in the location where water flows. e.g. at a waterway in a dyke .One may make another dyke in the water to make way for fish to come quicker to the waterway where a Sai is placed. In placing a Sai , one has to put it down at the bottom of the waterway making the entrance close to the ground
         A Sai is a very popular fish trap used in nearly every part of the country.The differences among the Sai are in their looks and sizes. Farmers use a Sai by the end of the rainy season when the tide in the flooded field is on the ebb.
         There are two forms here.One is an ordinary Sai the other is a pig-headed.

7.           Sum
       A Sum is a fishing tool with two open ends.It is used to catch fish on the spot without having to use bait or wait for fish to come .There are two kinds of Sum.

       7.1 The first is a Sum that is woven with bamboo strips (with its skin) Its upper part is narrower than the middle part, and the bottom part is the widest. There is a hole in its top for a fisherman to pull out the fish that are caught is Sum. At the bottom part there is a base made of sharpened bamboo strips to make a Sum stand firm on the ground when pressed. This kind of Sum is not very strong. It is cheaper than the other kind.

7.2 The second is a Sum that is woven with thick pieces of bamboo strips. Its shape is similar to that of first kind but it is stronger. Thr inner structure is made of bamboo or iron rods. The edge of the top part is made of solid piece of wood.
Usually the villagers use a Sum when they go out in a group to the place where they expect fish for instance , in a lake or pond where the water is drained out for fish to be caught.The fisherman may hold two Sums, one in each hand, and go placing Sum down at random. Usually the fisherman advance together in line across the lake or pond. Fish caught in a Sum are at all sizes.

8. Ta-kraeng chon kung
A Ta-Kraeng is a sieve for scooping baby prawns or baby fishes .It is woven of bamboo strips.The pattern of the network willbe delicate or rough depending upon the maker's wish. This kind of tool normally has a shape of a hemisphere . A Ta-kraeng is usually used in a brook, canal , lake or pond.

9. Tum
A Tum is a fish trap made of bamboo strips. The materials are woven so tightly that the object looks thick. It is made Thicker by being covered thoroughly with clay or mud. A Tum has a bottle shape, round or square. There are two holes in a Tum .One is biggest than the bottom one. The former is the way to tske fish out ; the latter is for fish to go in, There is a valve made of a sharpened bamboo stick to prevent fish form escaping. A Tum is used to trap fish in low lying land, near a bank of a pond or in the flooded rice field during the flood season (normally begining in late August and ending in November).

To trap. fish with a Tum, the Tum will be placed in such a way that its top hole floats above the water level. If it is below, the fish may swim away. Near the valve at the bottom hole there is bait. A Tum can be placed both in the location where the water flows and in still water. It is mostly placed separately at a waterway in a dyke or at a waterway in any other place . A mat made of bamboo is usually placed near the waterway to help lead fish to the Tum
Sometimes a Tum is called "Tum Chu","I-chu" or "Kra-chu".

11. Takra-sai-pla

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A Takra-sai-pla is a basket in which fishes that are prepared for selling at the market. Its body is woven of bamboo strips, its edge fastened withe the thick pieces of bamboo strips to support the top part.