The run rises on the other side of Sr Lanka, so I wasn’t compelled to get up at the crack of dawn for photos. But I did want to catch the Stick Fishermen in action, so I took a stroll along the beach at 7am.
Not only did I find some fishermen at work, but one waded ashore to show me his fishing gear and the day’s catch thus far. (He also offered to chauffeur me around in his tuk tuk/auto-rickshaw after he was done fishing — have to admire the cross functional marketing efforts. The man had hustle!)
Apparently the stick perches and/or their locations are passed from father to son. Here’s video that shows how the stick perches are sourced, assembled & installed: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/beyond-survival-stick-fishing.htm
Groups of fishermen:
Here’s me with my new friend and his latest catch (maybe 3″ big, reef fish):
Here’s the rest of the catch, folded into his dhoti:
When you read about these fisherman one word appears often to describe their catch: meager. Since they work in the high energy wave zones above reefs, with relatively low test rod & “reel” ( ahem, basically their hands and their ability to draped the line over the rod) these fisherman aren’t out for big fish — just lots of small ones. No wonder they have to moonlight as tuk tuk drivers!
Dez in India 