Son (Thai Horn-Shaped Fish Trap) — Bamboo Strips Woven on a Form Into a Horn, Wide-Mouthed and Round-Ended, Set in Gaps in Paddy Bunds

"It is made of bamboo split into flat strips about 1 metre long and woven into shape over a wooden form as a core; the strips are laid along the form, far apart or close together depending on the kind and size of fish the user wants." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), CC BY 4.0)

Split bamboo into flat strips about 1 metre long, and prepare a round bamboo as the form to shape the trap on.

Lay the strips along the form, far apart or close together depending on the kind and size of fish wanted, and weave a single strip round and up until the neck is about 70 cm long.

Pull the form out, flare the mouth wide, weave the strips close together at the mouth and bind its rim tight.

Photos of a real son from the Nong Bua Khok Folk Museum (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), CC BY 4.0).

It can be set all through the rainy season. With the new water, dig a small drainage gap, lay the tail of the son into the paddy with its mouth facing out against the earth of the bund to take fish swimming upstream into the field, cover it with grass and weigh it down with earth. When the rice turns golden and the water is drained, turn the mouth to face the current, because the fish are leaving the field. Set several, spread well apart, and check them often.

The name son (to hide) comes from laying it in the drain and covering it with grass and earth, as if tucked away in hiding. In some places a son for a single rainy season is made from 13 halved stems of po khi tun, about 70 cm long, laid round a form one span long and 5 cm across, and tied with som lom vine. One son may catch only one or two fish, so it must be checked often. Take care with spiny fish when emptying it. Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Traditional Objects of Everyday Use database, "ซ่อน", author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), Nong Bua Khok Folk Museum, Buriram (CC BY 4.0 licence). **Limits** The source does not give the size of the form or the width of the mouth for the bamboo son.