The Chinese fishing nets — fixed to long bamboo poles and counterbalanced with stones — line the waterfront at Fort Kochi in a row of elegant cantilever frames. They are the defining image of Kerala, and at dawn, when the nets are being worked against a rising sun over the backwaters, they are genuinely spectacular. Most visitors photograph them in the day from the promenade; arriving at first light is far more rewarding.
Fish caught by the nets are sold on the spot by vendors at the base of each structure. You can buy fresh fish and walk it a few metres to one of the small cooking stalls, which will fry or grill it for a small fee. The experience — fish out of the net and onto the plate in under an hour — is one of the more vivid food memories Kerala offers.