Tum Pla Sio (Isan Rasbora Trap) — a Woven Bamboo Bottle, Body About 65 cm to the Shoulder, Bottom Funnel, Coconut-Shell Lid, Bamboo Spine, Red-Ant Bait

"The pla sio ao, feeding at the surface, swim into the opening in the trap's bottom, which is not very deep, to eat the red ants, and are caught inside." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), CC BY 4.0)

Shave bamboo into strips. Start at the centre of the bottom with a small hole 4 cm across: sharpen the standing strips into a funnel pointing upward, and weave round strips around it to about 20 cm across.

Bend the standing strips upward and weave flat strips into a cylinder up to the shoulder, about 65 cm high. Narrow it slightly into a neck, woven with round strips spaced open for about 8 cm, taper to the base of the neck, then weave close and flare out about 10 cm. The mouth is round, 15 cm across.

Tie a cord from the mouth to a hole in the rim of a coconut shell, used as a lid. Shave a bamboo spine 1 cm thick, 2 cm wide and about 50 cm long, sharpen its base and push it down into the side weave so its top is level with the mouth; tie it fast at the rim to stiffen the trap.

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

Use it at high water, in months 11-12, or with the new water in months 6-7. Set in the morning and collect at about 3-4 pm, 1-3 traps at a time, in water you can stand in without stooping. Put red ants in through the mouth as bait. Set the bottom about 30 cm above the underwater floor with the neck above water, and tie the spine to a stake set beforehand so the trap stands upright. Tip the fish out through the mouth, and put in fresh red ants to set it again.

The pla sio ao is larger than the paddy rasbora, about a forefinger long, and tasty, not bitter; villagers along streams, canals and rivers cook it as mok pla sio. Beware of red-ant bites when baiting. Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Traditional Objects of Everyday Use database, "ตุ้มปลาซิว", author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), Nong Bua Khok Folk Museum, Buriram (CC BY 4.0 licence). **Limits** There is no listing for the coconut shell, so it is named in the text.