The famous Intha fishmen of Inle Lake use a unique method of fishing. Carrying a tall conical trap containing a grill net, the fishman looks for indications of movement on the water's surface. He then thrusts the trap into the lake to the bottom, releasing a ring that holds up the net inside the trap. As the net drops, any fish within its limited range - a metre-long carp, a catfish, or perhaps an eel - becomes a meal for hte fishman's entire family.

There are an estimated 70,000 Intha living on or near the shores of Inle Lake. An immigrant tribe from Dawei (Tavoy) and Tanintharyi (Tenasserim), they left their former homeland in the 18th century to escape the perpetual conflicts between the Burmese and Thais and settled at Inle Lake, adopting their name which means "sons of the lake".