{"id":44347,"date":"2021-06-07T01:40:28","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T08:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bucketlistjourney.net\/?p=44347"},"modified":"2025-04-07T08:21:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T15:21:42","slug":"piranha-fishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bucketlistjourney.net\/piranha-fishing\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Piranha Fishing (& Eating) in the South American Rainforest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you hear the word piranha, what comes to mind? For me it\u2019s a little fish with ginormous teeth that can eat a person alive (at least according to the horror movie of the same name). But there\u2019s so much more to this ancient, and somewhat misunderstood, fish. For instance, not only are they a popular sight to see while traversing around Amazon, but piranha fishing is a well-liked activity to do as well (along with a trip to Kaieteur Falls<\/a>, it was one of my favorite things to do in Guyana<\/a>!). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to mention, piranhas are actually also a dish you can eat! In this guide you\u2019ll learn more about what piranhas actually are, as well as how to fish and eat them. Will piranha fishing become yet another thing on your ever growing bucket list?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Guide to Piranha Fishing (& Eating) in the South American Rainforest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Piranha Facts and Description<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What are Piranha?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The roots of piranha go all the way back to 25 million years ago, with the modern piranha, the one we know today, has been around for nearly 2 million years. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though compared to Guyana\u2019s popular Arapaima fish they are relatively small in size, ranging on average from 5-14 inches, their reputation as a predator makes them one of the most feared fishes in the world. The coloring of a piranha also depends on their species, with most of them having a silvery or golden body, and many also have red and other bright coloring in their belly, fin, and head area. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piranhas (also known as piranas) are freshwater fish infamous for their very sharp triangle-shaped teeth and strong jaws that produce a forceful bite (have you ever seen the scary movie<\/a> of the same name?). They have the ability to replace these teeth as it\u2019s also relatively common for the fish to lose some of their teeth during their life. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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Where Can you Find Piranha?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Piranhas can be found in multiple places in South America. Tropical rivers and streams are liked by piranhas, and your best bet to find one is in murky or muddy waters. Location-wise, they can be found as north as Venezuela and as south as Argentina. Especially the Amazon rainforest expanding into several countries besides Brazil, as well as the Iwokrama Forest in Guyana. Actually about 90% of the rivers and lakes in Guyana have piranha!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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What do Piranhas Eat?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most often piranhas eat bugs<\/a>, crustaceans, insects, scraps, and plant materials, as well as fish. Additionally, some piranhas live solely on a vegetarian diet. Lastly, where competition for food is high with inadequate food resources available, piranhas are known to resort to cannibalism and bite into a fellow piranha. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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How Dangerous are They? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to popular belief, in large part to the above mentioned cult classic of a movie, humans are actually not a typical part of a piranha\u2019s diet. While the occasional unlucky human or mammal may end up being nibbled on by piranhas, typically it is an already dead corpse \u2013 or a gravely injured one \u2013 in question. And if a piranha does happen to attack a healthy human being, it\u2019ll most likely only cause minor injuries in the feet and hand areas. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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How & Where to Go Piranha Fishing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Where Can you Fish for Piranhas?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you can find piranhas all over the Amazon River area, there are multiple spots around the river to find some piranhas to fish. You won\u2019t have to put a lot of effort into locating a great spot yourself, as if you travel the river on a river cruise, excursions to go fish for piranhas are included. If you, however, do wish to go by yourself, and attempt to fish the largest piranhas possible, Guyana\u2019s Iwokrama Forest region is said to be an excellent spot.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many tour operators in South America that can take you on an adventurous fishing excursion. But, my experience in Guyana was arranged by Rewa Eco Lodge<\/a> in North Rupununi, we went right on the Rewa River with staff of the lodge and wildlife specialist\/tour operator Leon of Leon Moore Nature Experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Piranha Fishing Facts & Techniques<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fishing Rods & Reels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You don’t have to get fancy with your fishing rod and reel\u2014they are small so almost any simple fishing pole with some flexibility will do. To prove my point, for our rod we walked into the rainforest to find a yari-yari tree that has a type of wood that makes the best rod because of its small diameter, strength and flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only was it made from a specific type of wood, but it also had to be just the right length of branches, an 8-foot one makes for the perfect fishing pole. Then attach a hook, and voila, your equipment is ready for piranha fishing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Collecting Piranha Bait<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can try a flashy fishing lure, which may work fine, but Pirana mostly feed off of fish, so it’s best to use some as bait. If you are equipped with a small net you may be able to catch some small fish swimming in shallow waters. On my trip we did it in a truly local way. We used live grub (a little beetle) that was found inside of a kokerit seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a kokerit nut gets buried in the ground for around a month, a tiny beetle goes inside to call it home. You can eat these beetles live for protein (our guide did!) or use them for bait to catch small fish. Once our grub was baited and in the water, it took about 3 minutes to catch the first fish. After collecting about a dozen more, we were ready to head out to the river for piranha fishing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Piranha Fishing Techniques<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Simply moving the rod up and down in a steady fashion may be enough to entice a piranha to get caught in your bait. If not, try splashing the bait on the surface to attract the fish\u2019s attention. This is supposed to make them think there\u2019s something moving in the water, coming to inspect and hopefully smelling your bait at the same time. When it seems like you may have caught something, quickly pull your rod upwards, and hopefully at the end of the line there will be a piranha!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On my adventure, I definitely lost quite a few fish in the beginning, but got better at it as the day went on. In just a couple hours, I caught 10 piranhas and one vampire (payara) fish!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pirana Fishing Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n