Woman catches Pacu fish, South American relative of Pirhana in a Michigan lake

The Department of Natural Resources confirms a metro Detroit woman caught a Pacu fish in Lake St. Clair last week.

Tom and Holley Luft were fishing when Holley says she caught the 14" South American relative of the Piranha in Harrison Township near Shook and Jefferson, on July 9.

At the time she said they weren't sure what it was and the it sort of looked like a Blue Gill. However, it wasn't until they got it under a better light that they saw the teeth. That's when Tom thought it was a piranha.

Authorities think as the fish is tropical it wont survive a winter, so I expect the great lakes will be overrun by piranha like fish in a few years, authorities never get it right.

Don't flush your unwanted pets down the toilet folks.

A source

Pretty teeth

Oh and Pacu wont eat your testicles...

Just when you think it is safe to go in the water. I bet it would be a good sporting fish. We could have a tournament and there could be a prize of ten bucks for each one of these caught. I'll go, I'll use my wife to attract the fish and net them as they bite her.

I hope she doesn't read this.

That, is one ugly son of a fish.

Those teeth really do look human, very bizarre. Are there more of them or just a random, mutation one off i wonder.

a reply to: Indigent

If there is more than one, maybe they'll take a few Asian Carp with them before winter kills them off.

a reply to: Biigs

all pacu are like that, cant have pointy teeth and be omnivorous



Don't want a kiss?

a reply to: Indigent

No thanks, keep your fishy kisses to yourself cheers

2

I used to have a few piranhas in a tank

Worst thing I did

They stink like hell eat like hell then when they get big enough they'll bit your fingers off!

I got rid of mine by giving them to the local aquarium

a reply to: Thefarmer

not sure why you would have fingers in a fish tank anyway

Fish are friends not food!

a reply to: Biigs

Umm I didn't say I put me fingers in the tank I was just saying that what they can do...

And I wasn't planning on eating them, I love fishing and any fish I catch goes back in the lake

They probably taste like ass anyways

It won't make it through the winter, especially not if we have winters like the last one ... unless they find an area where the water is kept artificially warm.

They tested it on piranha in River Monsters to see if they could winter over in Lake of the Ozarks, and they couldn't.

But yes, the simple lesson is to never, ever buy that cute little fish for your fish tank without knowing what exactly it is and how big it will get. Pacu are commonly sold in just about every store because they're cute when they're little, but they get big fast. They're just one of several tank busters that shouldn't ever be offered for sale in stores that routinely are.

Just never, ever buy fish for your aquarium without doing research first. People think if one lives for a year it's had a ripe old life, but honestly most fish ought to live for at least two to three years and more commonly five, 10 and sometimes as long as 15 or more depending on what they are. The sad truth is that most aquarium fish are doomed to a nasty, brutish and short life because the people who buy just don't know.