# Identify mystery woven basket thing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178 "2011-05-08T18:57:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/1 "2011-05-08T18:57:09Z")
[What](http://www.flickr.com/photos/46138173@N08/5700613062/) [is](http://www.flickr.com/photos/46138173@N08/5700612632/) [this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/46138173@N08/5700612260/) [object](http://www.flickr.com/photos/46138173@N08/5700611848/)? [It’s](http://www.flickr.com/photos/46138173@N08/5700038675/) woven out of some basket-type material. It has an opening in the middle with sharp point sticks going in making it look like a trap for a small animal, but it’s pretty flimsy and doesn’t really seem practical as a trap for anything hardier than a bird. There’s a large opening at the top, too. Is it just a decorate basket for something? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/2 "2011-05-08T18:59:39Z")
A Klein basket? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/3 "2011-05-08T19:06:10Z")
I’m guessing a shrimp trap. ETA: Or a fish trap. . ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/4 "2011-05-08T19:24:19Z")
Lobster/fish trap, probably South-East Asian in origin. It probably had a removable lid on the top end, to get the critters out, that has now gone. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/5 "2011-05-08T19:24:23Z")
Looks like a fish trap to me. An old fellow used to use one similar for catching eels in the river next to my house when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/6 "2011-05-08T21:28:36Z")
Thanks! I don’t think we’ll be catching many eels, fish, shrimp or lobsters with this. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/7 "2011-05-09T10:44:59Z")
It does remind me of this [lamprey trap](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oregon.gov/DSL/SSNERR/images/Pacific_Lamprey.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.oregon.gov/DSL/SSNERR/news/newsletter.shtml&usg=__NjfHVLheDZViXZtrW6OzhM-KTXw=&h=65&w=172&sz=22&hl=en&start=0&sig2=TMSbu2j2oADmnrND4wgT_g&zoom=1&tbnid=oilKtN6PFoshmM:&tbnh=52&tbnw=137&ei=68THTYCwOorCswasxMnODw&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Lamprey%2Btrap%2522%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26as_st%3Dy%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D619%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=343&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0&tx=38&ty=28). A bunch of [other lamprey traps](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cartinafinland.fi/sv/imagebank/image/67/67432/Kukkolankoski%2B-%2BTorniojoki%2B-%2BFinland%2B67432.jpg&imgrefurl=http://cartinafinland.fi/sv/picture/67432/Kukkolankoski%2B-%2BTorniojoki%2B-%2BFinland.html&usg=__MoY06XNss6R69tPYuWATI0Evh_U=&h=388&w=600&sz=111&hl=en&start=39&sig2=Zk1WpPSY_GPqMFUVWKtBHw&zoom=1&tbnid=gFAM4i-bqE8KZM:&tbnh=134&tbnw=179&ei=UMXHTaXWIMfQsgbv5tWXDw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnejon%25C3%25B6ga%26hl%3Den%26as_st%3Dy%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D619%26tbm%3Disch0%2C1425&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=428&page=4&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:39&tx=107&ty=95&biw=1024&bih=619) from the Finnish-Swedish border. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/8 "2011-05-09T10:55:02Z")
My Dad used to go eeling. He used to borrow traps that looked sort of like that. And had a nasty looking forked spear. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/9 "2011-05-11T03:04:50Z")
Kitten trap. Looks like it worked! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mystery-woven-basket-thing/581178/10 "2011-05-11T04:19:56Z")
> [@Oly](#): > > Kitten trap. > > Looks like it worked! 😃