Stilt Fishing

An age old method of catching fish, very primitive and poor in results terming with today's commercial fishing perspective, but ads on beauty and uniqueness to the countries deep south coast line, as a icon of the fishing folk in Sri Lanka. A major attraction at the south cost, stilt fishing till date is continued by the locals owing to the good will gifts by the locals and the foreign visitor that adds on apart to the catch from the sea.

A stick standing up with another piece of wood tied to it to create a seat where fisherman climb on to during the low tide to fish in the rising waters of the high tide, though is a lovely sight is a hard and uncomfortable task of few hours for a small catch of fish enough to feed few mouths.

The southern beaches of Sri Lanka are the home of the famous stilt fishermen in Koggala, Weligama, and Ahangama.These stilts are given as a property from fathers to sons.Mostly sardines are caught with a fishing rod and lines with small hooks, where sometimes more than one fish is hanging on.