Piranha: Eat Them Before They Eat You

Vern.

Fishing for Piranha in the Amazon. The logic is simple:  eat them before they can eat you.   

We settled into ‘the perfect spot’ along one of the Amazon's tributaries.  Our trusty guide Goseis (ho-see-us) got each of us set up with a fishing pole – a simple stick with string, a hook and a weight - along with raw meat for bait.   Our patience was tested, but after an hour I pulled a small piranha from the river.  However, as with a number of our other near-catches, it detached itself from my line while still over the water.  Not about to give up, I reached over in a reflex reaction and batted the falling fish into the boat.  The piranha was not about to give up either, however, and sunk its teeth into my pant leg in passing.  Goseis, who had seen the whole thing, was in stitches at the front of the boat.  The fish held on long enough for Carolyn to get a picture of my unwanted hitchhiker before it fell to the floor.  The half dozen or so piranha that we brought in made for a tasty lunch.

To see more pictures from our world trip so far, click this link: Trip Photo Album  (more pics from the Amazon to be added soon)