Piranha - Deadly and Delicious
Larry M. Lynch
They had it even before we knew what was happening. My rod bowed
in prayer to something below the tea-colored water’s surface. The
six-pound test line danced like a cat on a hot pavement. All hell
had broken loose. Beads of sweat rolled down Doris' back. Her
clothes were now a second skin, clinging to her every move. We
panted for breath. We had fish on. The silvery oval-shaped body
and red belly of a Piranha broke the surface. I reached for it.
"Don't let a finger get near their mouths or you'll lose it", our
native guide barked.
Minutes earlier, I shuddered from a breeze escaping from
somewhere up ahead despite 85 degree-plus heat. The double-digit
humidity didn't help either. A maddening buzz filled my ears, but
thanks my coating of Vick's Vapor Rub, the blood-suckers wouldn't
feast on me. My eyes burned. My nose dripped. A
coffee-table-sized leaf or hanging branch slapped into me every
few steps. Curses burst from my lips even with my best efforts to
become as one with the rainforest, as the indian had.
Our fishing rods extended from 18" to five and a half feet. I'd
hoped the light mono would suffice, although I'd squirreled away
spools of twelve and twenty pound test as an afterthought. If we
tagged into a 50-plus pound Tambaqui even that wouldn’t be
enough. Vines as thick as my wrist dipped into light
coffee-colored waters making little ripples as it slid past roots
and fallen branches. Tangled growth matted the gentle slope of
the bank into tea-with-milk colored wetness. I’d flicked a
thumbnail-sized chunk of bloody chicken liver on a barb-less hook
with a split shot into a dinner plate-sized swirl just beside a
snarl of mangrove roots jutting upwards through the surface.
Minutes later, his tanned skin gleaming with moisture, our guide
demonstrated the efficiency of the scissor-like teeth. A green
leaf held near the gaping mouth instantly sported a neat,
crescent-shaped bite. Three heavy blows to the head prepared the
killer for cleaning. After cleaning, the Embera made a series of
diagonal cuts along each side of the fish. Into these he
carefully rubbed a mixture of salt, garlic, and ground roots from
a small gourd he carried. A simple shaved branch frame held the
fish over a smoky fire of glowing coals. The firm toasted flesh
tasted smooth and a bit earthy, like a seasoned and mellowed
catfish. With a wink and a sly nod towards Doris he said. “Make
these heads into soup and you will need many wives”. She glanced
at me with a puzzled look. I smiled.
The Perfect Killing Machine
The Amazon is filled with danger. Soldier ants march by the
millions devouring all life in their path. Submerged up to the
eyes, Crocodiles lie in wait for the unwary – whatever or whoever
that may be. Undulating its 20-foot length beneath the surface,
the Anaconda, one of the world’s largest snakes, uses
heat-seeking guidance to find its next meal. The barbed stinger
in the tail of platter-sized stingrays can inflict a wound that
takes months to heal. But none of these carry the fearsome
mystique of the voracious Piranha. Ranging through South America
from Brazil to the lowlands of Peru, they also inhabit waters in
Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. In the Amazon
and Rio Negro rivers of Brazil and the Orinoco River in
Venezuela, no creature is safe from the Piranha’s razor-sharp
teeth and powerful jaws. The serrated teeth fit together like
scissors, enabling Piranha to cut the flesh from their prey. Like
a shark, a Piranha’s teeth are replaceable, when one breaks off a
new one grows in its place.
The Yagua Indians of Peru often use the sharp edges between the
teeth of a Piranha jawbone to sharpen the point of their blowgun
darts. A fish that is dying or swimming erratically will be
quickly attacked by a large school. Piranha will also attack
without warning to defend their eggs and territory. A wounded
animal that strays into the water will be stripped to the bone so
quickly it seems almost to “dance” on the surface as it’s ravaged
from beneath. A bird that falls into the water will be gone,
feathers and all, in three minutes or less. A trapped fish
struggling in a net will be chewed clean to the head in a matter
of seconds. Attacks on large animals and humans are often
dramatically portrayed, but are rare. In some regions Piranha are
known as "donkey castrators".
"They will rend and devour alive any wounded man or beast.” U.S.
President Teddy Roosevelt said, adding, “Piranha are the most
ferocious fish in the world." Piranha, also called Caribe or
Piraya only furthered their fearsome mystique when Roosevelt
encountered them during his exploits in 1914. There are about 35
known species of Piranha but only five species represent a danger
to man. Species range from the Red-Belly Piranha (Pygocentrus
nattereri) with its characteristic red belly to the largest of
the carnivorous species, the Black Piranha with its demon-red
eyes and a 17 and a half inch long dark body weighing up to ten
pounds. It could remove a man’s hand in two or three bites.
Most species dine on fruit or seeds that fall into the water from
overhanging trees. The fish are not always aggressive. Women wash
clothes in knee-deep water where men spearfish while children
bathe or swim in these same Piranha-infested waters without harm.
Further adding to the Piranha’s mystique, Indian men with half a
dozen wives and up to a score of children attribute their potency
to Piranha-head soup, although no scientific justification for
the soup’s potency yet exists.
Fishing for Piranha
Piranhas are usually part of indigenous peoples diet in the areas
where the fish are found. All you need to go Piranha fishing are
lines with a metal leader next to the hook so the fish doesn't
bite through the line, a supply of red, raw meat (worms or cut-up
fish will do too) and a bit of luck. Piranha swim in large
schools and are attracted by movement and blood. In May of 1999,
hundreds of anglers armed with rods, reels, and raw steak flocked
to the Brazilian town of Aracatuba near Sao Paolo for a
one-Sunday piranha fishing tournament. The townspeople had
declared open season on the flesh-eating fish, which had
decimated other species in the local river. The prize for the
tournament was an outboard motor. But “most fishermen were
content to go home with plenty of the reputedly aphrodisiac
piranha”, claimed then town spokesman Nelson Custidio.
Piranha, earning their notorious reputation by reportedly killing
1,200 head of cattle every year in Brazil, is some of the best
eating in South America. Whatever name you call them and no
matter where you try them, when cooked in a variety of ways,
their firm light flesh with its smooth, slightly nutty flavor, is
a taste you’re sure to enjoy.
Larry M. Lynch is a writer and photographer specializing in
business, travel, food and education-related writing in South
America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South
American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil
magazines in print and online. He travels researching articles
throughout Latin America and teaches at a university in Cali,
Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content for
your newsletter, blog or website, contact him at:
lynchlarrym@gmail.com
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Index of All Hunting & Fishing Articles
Index of All Sports Articles
