Skylar Shim had the honor of catching the first fish Saturday when the Koloa Plantation Days “Keiki Fishing at Waita Reservoir” opened. Skylar, 3, had help from her grandpa, David Nekomoto of Lawa‘i, in landing the tilapia at the free
Skylar Shim had the honor of catching the first fish Saturday when the Koloa Plantation Days “Keiki Fishing at Waita Reservoir” opened.
Skylar, 3, had help from her grandpa, David Nekomoto of Lawa‘i, in landing the tilapia at the free event, which was put on courtesy of Koloa Bass Fishing, said Trudi Shim, Skylar’s mother, in an email.
“Many other fish were caught later in the day, some of which were bigger and more exciting, but this was the inaugural catch at the dock,” Trudi said.
Melissa McFerrin, the event coordinator for the Koloa Plantation Days, said more than 60 keiki and families visited the Waita Reservoir to participate in the new event.
“In speaking about activities keiki used to do in the old days with some of the Koloa Plantation Days board members, Niles Kageyama spoke about how he used to fish at Waita,” McFerrin said. “Arryl Kaneshiro connected with Olie Rivera of Kaua‘i ATV who currently runs a bass fishing activity up there and Rivera was happy to offer this to the keiki this year.”
McFerrin said many of those who participated in the catch and release fishing event were residents, but there were some visitors who joined in.
Josiah Singleton, 6, and Elijah Singleton, 9, are both from Beaverton, Ore., visiting Kaua‘i and caught fish at Waita Reservoir, said Eldon Wortman of Redmond, Ore., in an email.
“We had a great afternoon with the ‘ohana today in spite of the event being catch and release,” Wortman said.
During the event, keiki anglers were encouraged to bring their own bait and tackle, but for those who did not have any, poles and tackle were available to borrow, McFerrin said.
“It was great to see the keiki enjoying it together with their parents and grandparents,” the event coordinator said.
Waita is Hawai‘i’s largest body of fresh water and is home to tilapia, big mouth bass and peacock bass, also known as tucanare.
The event was one of several that launched the 10-day Koloa Plantation Days celebration, which takes place around the Koloa and Po‘ipu area, with many of the activities being free or inexpensive.
Visit www.koloaplantationdays.com for more information on the full list of activities.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
