Thus begins my life as a fisherman. It’s unlikely to be taken too seriously, but I’ve purchased my first-ever fishing tool: a fish trap (katiska).

To make things more interesting, I bought the cheapest option, which turned out to be a self-assembled model. The local shop had two choices: the €13 DIY version I chose and a ready-made one for over €90. The choice was obvious—let's learn how to assemble a fish trap.

I unpacked the parts over a week ago and quickly realized that putting it together wasn’t the quick evening task I naively thought it would be. It required proper tools and wire-threading skills. I had to borrow tools from the neighbor since my kitchen scissors weren’t up to the task of cutting the necessary wire.

Luckily, we now have almost all the knowledge in the world at our fingertips! And I’m often grateful for that—YouTube came to the rescue with a tutorial on how to assemble a fish trap.

The tutorial videos suggested hanging the parts up for assembly. The instructors had fancy setups with iron hooks hanging from chains in the ceiling (who has an iron hook hanging from a chain in their ceiling? 🧐), but I had to come up with my own solution using whatever I had. With a clothesline, a rake, and the terrace railing, I managed to lift the fish trap off the ground enough to get started.

The parts were “stitched” together by twisting wire. The instructions mentioned that less effort would suffice, but as a craftsperson, I wanted to do it right. Even though the fish trap wasn’t expensive, I wanted it to last for a good while, so at least the durability won’t be due to a lack of assembly skills or effort on my part.

Kolmatta tuntia kieputin lankaa ympäri katiskaa sisältä ja ulkoa, mutta lopputulos oli suhteellisen moitteeton.

I’ve never fished using a fish trap before, so I called my aunt, whose husband is a professional fisherman, and she knows how to prepare and preserve fish in all kinds of ways. She gave me a few great tips for choosing the right spot and luring fish. For example, I learned that the metallic shine of the trap attracts fish, but it’s a good idea to cover it with a few tree branches so the fish will see it as a shelter and come closer.

With these professional tips, I set up my new fish trap in the evening, covering it with branches and placing it right by the riverbank, hidden among the vegetation.

For the first few evenings, the trap was empty. I kept adjusting the position and location of the trap, moving it slightly along the riverbank. Luckily, there’s plenty of uninhabited shoreline near my home, so I had lots of good spots to choose from.

On the third night, the trap was heavy—I had caught something. A beautiful, healthy, and, to my eyes, rather large pike, enough to provide food for a few days!

I admired the pike’s shiny, patterned skin. It’s no wonder fish leather was once used for things like bags, pouches, and other containers. I know it’s still done, though less so these days, which is a shame.

I was grateful for the catch. I can always buy fish from the store, but by fishing myself, I know exactly where the fish came from, how it died, and whose hands it passed through before ending up on my plate. In my world, I believe that’s how it should be. I dream of a future where this would be possible on a much larger scale. Right now, I’m still far from that dream, but every journey begins with small steps. At least I’m a few small steps closer now.

Have a wonderful rest of the week! 🌼

♥: Sanna