Kaua‘i’s annual rainbow trout fishing season has started at Pu‘u Lua Reservoir. Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Dawn Chang participated and, with guidance from Garrick Tatsuda of the Division of Aquatic Resources, caught the daily limit of seven fish in under an hour.
Fishers lined the banks before dawn for the start of the four-month Koke‘e fishing season on Kaua‘i. Families brought children to take part in the tradition. According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, this year’s reservoir was stocked with 22,000 trout, the highest number so far. The trout are brought from California, raised on O‘ahu, and sterilized to prevent them from affecting the local ecosystem. A five-dollar permit allows each person to catch up to seven fish per day. Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Dawn Chang said, “Growing up in Hawai’i, you always heard about the Koke‘e fishing season, and I’ve really come to appreciate how important this is to the people of Kaua‘i.”
Chair Chang, who was heard chanting “come fishes, come fishes,” caught several fish during the event. The Department of Land and Natural Resources expects interest to slow after the first few weekends. While the number of participants and fish may decrease, the event continues to support recreation and resource protection in Hawai‘i. Children also took part by catching crawdads, which have no catch limit. One child showed his catch of 25 to the Department of Land and Natural Resources crew. Chang said, “I come from a long line of fishers, but I always thought it was kind of boring. But this has been really exciting. I’m really enjoying myself and seeing all the keiki lining the shoreline with their folks.”
