Big Black Piranha caught in Brazil on bait while fishing for catfish.
Piranha
Pygocentrus nattereri
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Piranha Description
Piranha need little introduction as they are a popular subject in movies and on TV. Their ferocious reputation is somewhat warranted. They have a nasty set of sharp teeth that can inflict a serious bite, and when they are taken out of the water their eyes often turn red and they sometimes emit a distinct growling sound (I’m totally serious). You have to be very careful when handling them as they will definitely chomp down if a finger or any other part of you gets too close. On the other hand, they often shy away from large animals (such as people) in the water and are a primary prey species of many Amazon fish and animals. When hooked most species of Piranha don’t put up a great fight, although some of the larger specimens are decent.
There are a number of species of Piranha. I'm not familiar with all of them but the ones I have experience with are the Yellow, White, Red Bellied, and Black. These are not the scientific names and each of these categories probably encompasses multiple species but that's how they are referred to by the locals. The Yellow are the smallest and are sometimes caught on bread so are omnivorous. The White ones are a silver color and are caught individually here and there. The Red Bellied are the dangerous ones as they travel in large schools and can go berserk when feeding on something bleeding. These are the ones they make the horror movies about and they can really eat flesh away fast when they get worked up. The Black ones are the largest and put up the best fight. See pics below for examples of the different species.
Piranha taste delicious but have a lot of small bones which make them kind of a pain to eat.
Piranha Tackle
Any size tackle should be sufficient as these things don’t really fight too hard. However, make sure you use a wire leader to avoid bite offs. They will even bite through wire sometimes. They have an incredibly strong bite for their size and obviously sharp teeth. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Piranha Techniques
Piranha obviously prefer bait but will hit lures as well. They are not usually specifically targeted by serious sport fishermen, and are generally more of a bycatch when fishing for other species in the Amazon such as the Peacock Bass. No matter what you are fishing for, if you fish in the Amazon you will catch some.
Piranha Lures
Many lures work well for Piranha, especially if they have some flash. Krocadile spoons are a good choice. If you want to target them for some reason, you generally want to fish a little slower than you would for other Amazon species. Don’t use soft plastics or bucktail jigs as these will get completely shredded very quickly.
Piranha Baits
If you really want to catch Piranha you should use bait. No need for anything fancy here, just a hook on a wire leader with whatever fresh meat you can find. You can fish with a bobber to help keep the bait off the bottom. While eating lunch in the Amazon I once caught three Piranha on one small fish eye.
Where to get the big Piranha
Piranha are found throughout the Amazon. The Guyana Shield region is supposed to have some really big ones.
Other Piranha Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Piranha. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
www.acuteangling.com - I've gone to the Amazon with these guys and they are first rate. They can put you on all the Piranha you want.
Pygocentrus nattereri
HOME
Other Species
Piranha Description
Piranha need little introduction as they are a popular subject in movies and on TV. Their ferocious reputation is somewhat warranted. They have a nasty set of sharp teeth that can inflict a serious bite, and when they are taken out of the water their eyes often turn red and they sometimes emit a distinct growling sound (I’m totally serious). You have to be very careful when handling them as they will definitely chomp down if a finger or any other part of you gets too close. On the other hand, they often shy away from large animals (such as people) in the water and are a primary prey species of many Amazon fish and animals. When hooked most species of Piranha don’t put up a great fight, although some of the larger specimens are decent.
There are a number of species of Piranha. I'm not familiar with all of them but the ones I have experience with are the Yellow, White, Red Bellied, and Black. These are not the scientific names and each of these categories probably encompasses multiple species but that's how they are referred to by the locals. The Yellow are the smallest and are sometimes caught on bread so are omnivorous. The White ones are a silver color and are caught individually here and there. The Red Bellied are the dangerous ones as they travel in large schools and can go berserk when feeding on something bleeding. These are the ones they make the horror movies about and they can really eat flesh away fast when they get worked up. The Black ones are the largest and put up the best fight. See pics below for examples of the different species.
Piranha taste delicious but have a lot of small bones which make them kind of a pain to eat.
Piranha Tackle
Any size tackle should be sufficient as these things don’t really fight too hard. However, make sure you use a wire leader to avoid bite offs. They will even bite through wire sometimes. They have an incredibly strong bite for their size and obviously sharp teeth. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Piranha Techniques
Piranha obviously prefer bait but will hit lures as well. They are not usually specifically targeted by serious sport fishermen, and are generally more of a bycatch when fishing for other species in the Amazon such as the Peacock Bass. No matter what you are fishing for, if you fish in the Amazon you will catch some.
Piranha Lures
Many lures work well for Piranha, especially if they have some flash. Krocadile spoons are a good choice. If you want to target them for some reason, you generally want to fish a little slower than you would for other Amazon species. Don’t use soft plastics or bucktail jigs as these will get completely shredded very quickly.
Piranha Baits
If you really want to catch Piranha you should use bait. No need for anything fancy here, just a hook on a wire leader with whatever fresh meat you can find. You can fish with a bobber to help keep the bait off the bottom. While eating lunch in the Amazon I once caught three Piranha on one small fish eye.
Where to get the big Piranha
Piranha are found throughout the Amazon. The Guyana Shield region is supposed to have some really big ones.
Other Piranha Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Piranha. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
www.acuteangling.com - I've gone to the Amazon with these guys and they are first rate. They can put you on all the Piranha you want.
Yellow Piranha in Bolivia caught on bread. Not all Piranhas just eat meat.
White Piranha caught in Bolivia on bait
Red Bellied Piranha caught in Bolivia on a Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow. These are the ones not to swim with if you are bleeding. Personally, I avoid swimming with them even if I'm not bleeding. I have seen the water boil with these when they are feeding on something.
