The season for setting eel traps and catching freshwater eels.

(Baonghean.vn) - These days, in the countryside, people in Do Luong, Yen Thanh, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen... are in the season of setting traps and catching field eels.

The spring rice crop is in its prime, which is also the peak season for catching field eels. These days, in the countryside, people in Do Luong, Yen Thanh, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, and other areas are busy setting traps and catching field eels.

There are many ways to catch eels, each with its own advantages. In the past, many people made a living by fishing for eels. They used a fishing line with earthworms as bait, dropping it directly into eel burrows around rice fields or pond banks. The advantage of this method was catching large eels, sometimes weighing 0.3 – 0.5 kg.

Some people use iron rods or specialized shovels to catch eels; this method is only used when the rice in the field has finished growing, or when the newly planted rice is still short. However, using bamboo or plastic tubes with bait to lure eels is the most common method.

According to Mr. Ly, in the past, people used bamboo tubes to lure eels. The mouth of the tube was fitted with a woven bamboo "trap," and the end of the tube had several ventilation holes to keep the eels alive. In recent years, they have switched to using plastic tubes, including the "trap." They cut a section of plastic tube into strips with scissors and tie them together with rubber bands to make the "trap." The bait for the traps consists of earthworms and golden apple snails, all finely chopped. Approximately 0.5 kg of bait is needed for every 100 traps.Mr. Nguyen Hai Ly, a long-time "eel trapping expert" in Mau 1 hamlet, Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan district), said: "Eel trapping is done year-round by the people here, but it's done collectively from late spring to early autumn, when the weather is warm, especially when the rice plants are in their flowering stage. The advantage of trapping is that it's effective, easy, and catches a lot of eels."

There are many ways to catch eels, but using eel traps is the most common method. Photo: Huy Thu.

Every day, around 4-5 PM, the fishermen begin carrying their traps to the fields to set them. Wherever they place the traps, they mark the spot on the edge of the field with a little mud. When retrieving the traps, the eels follow this mark. Around 5 AM, the fishermen wake each other up to collect the traps and empty the eels.

Every morning or late afternoon, while walking through the fields of Nam Dan, you'll see many people riding motorbikes across the rice paddies, carrying plastic bags or walking hunched over carrying sacks – these are the people setting eel traps. Mr. Ly said that in Kim Lien, Nam Linh… each commune has about a few dozen people who make a living setting eel traps, each usually having 100-300 traps. He himself has 200 traps, and each day he spends two hours setting them, earning about 8-10 kg of wild eels per night.

Freshwater eels are a popular food item during the summer. Photo: Huy Thu.

Previously, eel trappers would carry their traps in two baskets or tie them to the back of a bicycle; now, everyone uses motorbikes to set traps. Nguyen Dinh Khanh (47 years old), from Hamlet 1, Nam Linh commune (Nam Dan district), who has 15 years of experience in the trade, said: "I have 150 traps and usually set them in the fields of Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, and the communes around Vinh City. Each night I catch about 4-5 kg ​​of eels. Experience shows that in years with floods, there are more eels afterward."

Those who make a living setting traps carry hundreds of traps across the fields from Thanh Chuong to Vinh City every night. Photo by Huy Thu.

Khanh's family cultivates one acre of rice paddies, yielding nearly 3 tons of rice during the spring harvest, just enough for food for themselves and livestock. Although rice farming is their main source of income, setting eel traps is the primary source of livelihood for the family. Khanh shared: "During the off-season, we have to go setting eel traps to earn money. Compared to many other jobs like construction worker or laborer, setting traps is much easier and the income is comparable."

With summer approaching, the demand for dishes made from freshwater eels is high, so eels sell quite easily. Those who set eel traps don't have to take their eels to the market; traders come to pick them up directly from their homes. According to those in the trade, eel prices fluctuate seasonally, usually higher in winter than in summer, because fewer people go eel trapping in the cold weather.

The price of eels currently fluctuates between 90,000 and 130,000 VND/kg. Each night, a person who makes eel traps can earn between 300,000 and 1,000,000 VND. Mr. Le Ba Dien from Mau 1 hamlet, Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan district) happily stated: "The eel trapping profession has brought a stable life to my family."

Huy Thu