NAWILIWILI — The march of crabs, shrimp and eel across the scales was interrupted as Jaclyn Nishihira upset the routine with the submission of a hammerhead shark Sunday. The 22-inch baby shark finished by gaining Nishihira top honors at the
NAWILIWILI — The march of crabs, shrimp and eel across the scales was interrupted as Jaclyn Nishihira upset the routine with the submission of a hammerhead shark Sunday.
The 22-inch baby shark finished by gaining Nishihira top honors at the 7th Annual Nawiliwili Yacht Club Father’s Day Fishing Tournament. As the climax to the holiday, Nishihira walked off with the top prize from a table filled with colorful toys and a wide assortment of gift certificates. That prize will have her dad, Jerry, taking a four-hour fishing charter for two courtesy of True Blue Charters. Tiani Wada-Sonoda was labelled the “Barracuda Queen” for the trio of Kaku she snagged using live bait off the sea wall at the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor. Wada-Sonoda finished by garnering second place overall honors for her accomplishments.
Travis Valmoja, Kainalu Nadarisay and Rachael Macatombes followed to round out the leaderboard that saw 102 keiki anglers try their luck at winning top prizes.
Sharon Gibson, secretary of the Nawiliwili Yacht Club, said this year’s registration was a big improvement over last year’s event which saw about two dozen anglers brave inclement weather in search of their catches.
Additionally, Gibson said all anglers went home with prizes due to the generosity and benevolence of numerous community sponsors whose contributions overflowed the tables and caught the eyes of keiki anglers bringing in their catches for weighing.
This year’s event featured keiki ranging from 2 years old to 14 years of age, and in many cases, the tiny anglers brought along with ‘ohana resulting in a variety of Quik Shades popping up all along the harborline as they sought shelter from the sun. Each keiki was treated to a hot dog and drink with their supporters being able to enjoy the same meal for a nominal contribution.
This year’s sponsors included True Blue Charters, Lihu‘e Fishing Supply, Kaua‘i Children’s Discovery Museum, Hawai‘i Fishing News, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, Wal-Mart, Long’s Drugs, Lihu‘e, Deja Vu/Miura Store, K-Mart, Keiki Kottage, Wallace Theaters, The Garden Island, Pizza Hut/Taco Bell and Waipouli Variety Store.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
