A Young Boy’s Astonishing Catch in an Oklahoma Pond – Definitely Not a Bass

Janna Clinton, a resident near Oklahoma City, was accustomed to catching the occasional bass or catfish in the pond behind her family’s house. However, her son Charlie’s recent fishing trip yielded an unexpected surprise. Charlie’s screams of excitement suggested something out of the ordinary, and Janna initially thought he was just being melodramatic. According to NPR, Charlie had reeled in a pacu, a South American fish closely related to piranhas, complete with its defining feature: human-like teeth. The appearance of a pacu in a pond near Oklahoma City raised concerns among wildlife officials, as it is an invasive species that shouldn’t be there.

The presence of a pacu in such a setting is typically the result of individuals owning the fish as pets, only to find that it outgrows its environment. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation cited that pacu can grow up to 3½ feet long and weigh as much as 88 pounds. In a Facebook post, the department emphasized the harm caused by individuals releasing unwanted pets into waterways, as pacu can cause damage to local ecosystems. CBS News reports that pacu have been caught in various states across the US, including Pennsylvania and Indiana.

Upon catching the pacu, Janna Clinton and her family notified a game warden, shared a photo online, and then released the fish back into the pond. Regrettably, they later learned that releasing an invasive fish is not the recommended course of action. “We made a mistake there,” Janna admitted. Now, Charlie is putting in long hours attempting to catch the pacu once again, following his initial success using a piece of bread as bait. Janna expressed pride in her son’s perseverance and credited him for doing an excellent job. (Read more pacu stories.)