Boy Hooks Piranha-Like Fish From Ohio River

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio -- Kyle Owens has a fish tale straight from the waters of the Ohio River.

The 10-year-old Chilo, Ohio, boy went fishing for catfish this past weekend but caught something he was not expecting.

"I thought it was like a 10-pound catfish, reeling it in," said Owens. "I thought, 'It's a big blue gill,' and I was about to stick my thumb into its mouth and then I saw its teeth."

In fact, the fish Owens caught had two rows of teeth, top and bottom.

"I didn't know what the heck it was," said Owen. His neighbors were at a loss as well.

"I didn't know what to think," said Brian Thornberry. "I thought I was in a scene from Jaws."

Owens and his father had another idea.

"It was my first piranha I ever caught in my life," said Owens.

But local exotic fish store employees told Owens that he had probably caught a cousin of the piranha called a Pacu, a native to the Amazon. Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said someone likely dumped the fish when it got too big.

Wherever the fish came from, Owens said he has big plans for his big catch.

"We're going to stuff it," he said.

Owens' parents tried to get the Cincinnati Zoo or Newport Aquarium to take the fish, but neither would accept it.