‘In shock, nervous,’ Kekaha fisherman hauls 81-pound ulua from Waimea river bank

HONOLULU (KHON2) — It was an eventful Saturday for one Kauai fisherman after he pulled an 81-pound ulua from the Waimea river bank.

Kainoa Kali of Kekaha reached out to KHON2 to share the “one-of-a-kind fishing tale.”

According to Kali, the ulua was not the initial target. Kali, his girlfriend and others went to the river to catch crabs.

It wasn’t until he and his girlfriend’s brothers spotted the ulua feeding on small mullets and tilapia. Locals in the area said ulua is a deep sea fish, so seeing one in the river was unusual.

Kali took action quickly, grabbing his speargun to take a shot. When he went back, the fish was gone. Reports said Kali waited around two hours for the ulua to show up again.

It wasn’t until a tilapia was thrown in the air that Kali ran and took the shot.

“I was all in shock, shaking, like nervous. I was like this must be one big fish for ulua to be yanking me this hard,” Kali explained.

He attempted to bring the ulua in but kept losing line; he jumped into the river to bring it to shore.

“My girlfriend’s little brother Kimani came in with a kayak and then I jumped in the water and started headlining it, swimming it to shore. From there, we pretty much dragged it to shore,” Kali added.

Kainoa said he cut the fish up to share it with his family and friends.