Traditional Fish Catching After The Paddy Harvest.

Children following the tractor hoping to catch big ones.

The tractor moving around in an effort to flush out the fish.

With the fish trap in one hand and a sack in the other to keep the fish.

I live in the state of Kedah, Malaysia, which is known as the ”Rice Bowl of Malaysia”. Almost everywhere you travel, there will be the vast expanse of the paddy fields and the long lines of the water channels. When the green of the fields had been replaced by golden yellow, this indicates the paddy had ripened and harvesting season has begin.

Besides paddy harvesting, the other popular activity will be fish catching in the paddy fields. After months of being undisturbed as to let the paddy grow, the fields also will be full of fish. 


For this activity, a traditional equipment is still being utilized. This is by using a “Serkap Ikan” which literally means a fish trap in Malay language (left photo). It is constructed from sliced bamboo. Conveniently light and very easy to use. Just prop it into the water. If a fish is trapped, you will feel the vibration of its movement trying to escape or you can visually see it. Just put your hand through the opening on top and grab the fish.

One of the best method in catching big fish is to follow the tractor or the harvester. Their tracks will scare the fish out from their hiding in the mud. The usual species are the catfish and the snakehead fish. Being nocturnal feeders, they will embed themselves in the mud during daytime.

Sometimes there will be competitions at the villages, with people competing for the biggest fish or the most caught. And the fish will end as dinner later.