Pirana in Stockport !

[Ken L]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...89-1702,00.html

 

Good job it died or the EA would have poisoned the whole water !

[Guest Ferret1959]

Well if it was dying because of the cold why was it still feeding?

 

I'm sure the stress of all the lads mates having a prod and poke finished to poor thing off.

[gozzer]

I'd like to see a picture of the 'piranha', because if I remember correctly, back in the 60s or 70s, there were a lot of cichlids in the nearby St Helens canal. Escapees from a pet shop I think. The warm water outlets on the canal made it possible for them to breed. Matches were won with them. I also think that many a hook length was cut through by their teeth.

[Steve Walker]

Story:

 

http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/news/s/2...anha_alive.html

 

Camera phone shot of it alive:

 

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2039399.html

 

Found dead, some days later:

 

http://www.reddishvale.moonfruit.com/jaws

[jeepster]

the fish he's holding is clearly dead and stuffed, look at its eyes!

[gozzer]

the fish he's holding is clearly dead and stuffed, look at its eyes!

 

If it's a Red Bellied Piranha, it's certainly lost it's colour.

 

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navc...bellied+piranha

[jeepster]

i've got a couple of stuffed pirhanas and they look remarkably similar to that one!

 

anyone who could read the quotes on the ananove piece and not smell some kind of rat is a bit of an idiot too! the kid comes across like some kind of stockportian pirhana expert

[Vagabond]

If it's a Red Bellied Piranha, it's certainly lost it's colour.

 

Yes, I have caught both black piranha and red-bellied piranha, and the Stockport fish looks nothing like a red-bellied, but more like a black - although black piranhas vary a lot, and there are numerous other species of piranha also.

 

However most species only grow to a pound or so - AFAIK the black is the biggest of the piranhas

 

Here is a pic of a black for comparison - The blacks I have caught had red eyes, but the Stockport fish hasn't

 

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/black-piranha.htm

 

Hope to tell you a bit more about piranhas when I return to the UK next month.

 

BTW As to the circumstances surrounding this fish, I would give the lad the benefit of the doubt.......

 

The fins look OK in the first pic, but have shredded a few days later.

 

...as for the lad being a piranha expert, anyone catching one goes into a steep learning curve when they see the teeth - I wrapped my first in a towel - catching and releasing piranhas is like changing sparking plugs whilst the car engine is running

Edited October 18, 2006 by Vagabond

[rob.imk2]

I'd like to see a picture of the 'piranha', because if I remember correctly, back in the 60s or 70s, there were a lot of cichlids in the nearby St Helens canal. Escapees from a pet shop I think. The warm water outlets on the canal made it possible for them to breed. Matches were won with them. I also think that many a hook length was cut through by their teeth.

You are quite right gozzer the place where the cichlids bred was known locally as the hotties. my son in law and his dad used to fish there

[Newt]

For some seriously fun fishing, you might want to try the Florida Everglades where there is now a very healthy breeding population of Oscars.

I haven't been down there yet but I'm told they are lots of fun on light tackle.