Gordon Higa always finds someone to help during the Nawiliwili Yacht Club’s annual Father’s Day fishing tournament.
Himself an avid angler, Higa first helped two youngsters from the Mainland participate, when they did not have sufficient funds for the registration.
That experience was so much f fun for Higa that he has returned year after year to find youngsters to help.
“I’ve been doing this since they started,” Higa said. “This year, I have my boss’s son, Jory Mahi. We ended up with a papio that we had to throw back because it wasn’t the minimum size.”
The pair’s second papio met the minimum requirements and ended up snaring the Longest Fish award, measuring 14 inches in length and 10 inches in girth.
More than 65 young fishermen, including Cub Scout Pack 148, sponsored by the Lihue Christian Church, took advantage of the hot, sunny weather to try their luck at Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor.
“This is a really good event,” said Bobby Thompson, whose daughter Ashlei is part of Pack 148.
“Normally, it’s the moms who come out to do things with the kids. This is good because it brings the dads out to spend time with the kids.”
Ashlei, one of three young girls who signed up for the Boy Scouts of America program after it was allowed this year, ended the day winning the Best Angler Boots award.
The prizes were made possible through the generosity of community sponsors including Costco, the Fun Factory, Holo Holo Charters, Kmart, Kim Chee No. 9 restaurant, the Lihue Fishing Supply, Maka Imports, Matson Navigation, Pepsi Co., Walmart, Ken and Jan Martinez, and Jim Saylor, the normal Fast Company skipper who donned a special fish hat to interview anglers along the shoreline and at the weigh-in station.
Zayden Higashi-Mancia livened up the weigh-in with his black-tipped reef shark. Not only did it attract the attention of nearby anglers, it finished by winning the Biggest Fish award.
Another winner in his camp was Chasen Fujii, who won the Fattest Fish award.
In addition to the many awards, special yacht dawgs and cold drinks were cranked out by the Bonjolea II crew.
Results
Ryker Espiritu (Most Fish Caught by Hook), Zayden Higashi-Mancia (Biggest Fish), Koniton Sanchez (Next Biggest Fish), Jory Mahi (Longest Fish), Arianna Sugimura (Next Longest Fish), Chasen Fujii (Fattest Fish), Landon Szegda (Next Fattest Fish), Noah de la Pena (First Fish Caught), Gabrielle Basilio-Valdez (Prettiest Fish), Bandon Callejo (Biggest Shrimp), Kasen Goias (Biggest Crab).
Judges’ Special Categories: Kylie Morioka (Most Dangerous), Kekai Texeira (First Eel), Sarah Morioka (Most Beautiful Pattern Eel), Ryker Espiritu (Fastest Nenui), Laa‘e Torio (Wily Barracuda), Kanakoa Sugimura (Angler with Best Haircut), Taylor Tagavilla (Prettiest Fins), Kyanna Sugimura (Yellowest Perch), Ashten Gonzales (Laziest Perch), Hailey Silva-Louis (Squirmiest Eel), Summer Estacio (Sharpest Fins), Kelsen-Jay Sam Fong (Second Fish Caught), Mia Vincent (Only Rainbow Fish), Ceegan Soares (Bubbliest Rock Crab), Ashlei Thompson (Best Angler Boots), Kaaina Texeira (Most Active Crab), Skye Bensaid (Best Fish Story), Peyton Tagavilla (Quickest Brown Sturgeon), Taizlee Lovis (Last Fish Caught), Trevan Goias-Arzadon (Smallest Gobi), Kahekili Texeira (Cutest Barracuda), Nathan Callejo (Only Jellyfish), Lytron Shinuo (Jumpy Silver Fish), Phoebe Gonzalez (Most Beautiful Crab), Chloe Coscarella (Hungriest Crab).
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com
