Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning

I was quite tired after my Saturday all day boat adventure on Inle Lake. So this time, I decided half day trip with a focus on fishermen and the floating market. Here are my GPS tracks:

My boat captain, Phone Myint, somehow figureid out what I was trying to capture with my camera. So he took me close to fishermen without disturbing their nets etc. What is amazing is the balance these fishermen display while multi-tasking: guiding and propelling the boat with his leg while using both hands to manipulate the net or other tasks.

This guy has many nets in is sampan and just working his way around the water.

Another view

Here the fisherman is holding the net while paddling his sampan. You can see the leader of the net to the left

Here you can watch this ballet - and near the end - there is a fish in his net. A video of the oar work while managing the net

Here you can see him manage the oar while pulling the net in (right hand) and holding the net in his left hand

A bitter view of holding the line with his right hand, holding the net with his left hand, stabilizing the oar with his right arm and controlling it with his right leg - all while maintaining balance

Another view

These two guys are having a great time splashing. I call this green dynamite - an eco friendly way to encourage the fish to enter the net

A closer look

This guy has a large funnel trap. It is placed vertically in the water with the large end down. I've watched them insert and remove, but never with anything inside.

Video of managing the fish trap

Not sure what he is looking for and how he decides where to plant his trap

The power of the right leg

His sampan and our larger boat (Phone Myint driving)

Pulling the net

And a passing cargo boat - really huge

Waiting

Time for action

Watching and waiting. The water is 1 - 2 meters deep and quite clear so I suspect these guys are watching for fish

Some sort of monument in the lake

Another cargo vessel

Splashing to encourage the fish to enter the net

Watch the water

Another guy

The clouds have gone and the water is calm and the reflections are quite engaging

Splashing

Two fishermen splashing

Don't know what these guys are doing

Oh - One is working his net and the other, perhaps supervising? I think not. These guys are really quite amazing and need no supervision

A boat of traps

Planting a trap

Placing it in the water

Throwing this trip

And watching it sink - and bonus - nice reflection

Trap collection and nice reflected image

Three fishermen

Reflections of three fishermen

Reflection of clouds, funnel trap and fishermen. I like this

These traps look like a wing

Another view

extracting a funnel trap

Leg action - placing the trap in the sampan

Placing it in the sampan

Sign about Inle Lake

A fleet of funnel-trap fishermen

Managing a trap

This guy actually caught something

A small fish

More leg work

Extracting a fish from the net

Another view

Maybe extracting a hook?

Managing the net

Stretch

Nice reflection

More nice reflections

C. Frank Starmer

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