NAWILIWILI — Rodney Ventura of Kalaheo said there are bigger ones than the nearly five-foot shark he landed Wednesday afternoon off the loading pier at the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor. “This is the second one,” Ventura, who is an avid
NAWILIWILI — Rodney Ventura of Kalaheo said there are bigger ones than the nearly five-foot shark he landed Wednesday afternoon off the loading pier at the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor.
“This is the second one,” Ventura, who is an avid fisherman, said. “The first one was a little bigger than this one and it fought something fierce. It took a lot of effort to get it from the end of the pier to the boat ramp where we could finally drag it out of the water.”
He said they have a picture of that catch posted at Lihu‘e Fishing Supply for people who don’t believe there are “monsters” in the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor.
Using an aku head on a steel leader, Ventura said he was moved to try and catch the shark, believed to be a reef shark, after seeing them in the water.
“There are even bigger ones than this,” he said. “We’ve seen some which are about 10 feet long or longer swimming right along the pier.”
Ventura said he likes to avoid morning traffic, so he comes in early from Kalaheo so he can spend some time at the waterfront before reporting for work at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club.
He said one morning when the water was quiet, he threw a line into the water and when he saw the dorsal fin slice through the water, that prompted him to land one since people didn’t believe him. His concern is for the young children who like to swim near the ramp and by the pier.
“This one is just two inches short of five feet and weighs about 50 pounds,” he said. “But look at the teeth, it can take off the arm of a keiki.”
Ventura said he already has plans for the shark since relatives already told him they want parts of it.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
