Two young boys stand at the edge of a gentle creek in the Soku community of southern Rivers State, Niger Delta. It’s about 7am in the morning, and the oil workers had just begun to disperse into the creeks to continue their daily operations in the area.

The boys had spotted a calm part of the creek, free from the turbulence created by passing speed boats; and they have quickly withdrawn there, armed with a fishing hook, a rounded handful of palm-oiled eba (a morsel food made from ground cassava, mixed with palm oil) and a long fishing string wound around a short wooden stick.

It’s a simple trick: the boy cuts a small ball of eba and wraps it round the hook. Then, he flings the hook (with the string attached) into the water and waits for the slightest nudge on the string. He waits and waits. In a few seconds, he begins to feel a repeated light nudge/pull on the string. Once he gets this signal, he quickly jerks up the string and continues pulling it until the caught fish becomes visible at the water surface; and then lifts it out of the water.

You don’t think catching a fish is that simple? Check out the photos and video below:

   – It all starts with a ball of palm-oiled eba loaded on a small metal hook, with a string attached. 
 
– He then throws the loaded hook into the creek and allows it to sink to the river bed.

 
- After waiting for a while, he gets impatient and stands, still waiting for the signal- repeated light nudges on the string.

 
- Suddenly, the light nudges came and the boy quickly jerks up the string…

 … and continues pulling until the trapped fish becomes visible at the water surface.

 - He then passes it to his mate who removes the hook from the fish’s mouth and squeezes the fish till it stops breathing. 

 - Once he is sure the fish has stopped breathing, he then drops it into an improvised fish basket made from a used paint pocket.

Watch it live and direct:

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