Catching ‘opae for bait

Small and large ‘opae

The small, translucent Hawaiian shrimp called ‘opae is one of the best baits for near shore fish.  Years ago the larger shrimp referred to as ‘opae lolo could be readily caught but now it’s hard just to find an inch long regular ‘opae.   ‘Opae are found where fresh water meets salt water, often in some slow moving brackish water.  Two well known, kinda yucky spots are the Ala Moana Beach Park lagoon and the Ala Wai canal.  Click here to read about catching the coveted `opae lolo.

There are other more closely guarded spots on Oahu that have some ‘opae.  Look for them against rock walls with brackish water algae growing.  They seem to spread out during the day and cluster on rock walls and piers at night.  Shine a light and look for a pair of eerie red eyes shining back.

Scoop up a bunch of them and keep them alive in a bucket with some aeration.  When you’re ready to use them, carefully thread one on a hook and fish with a floater.  Be ready to set the hook when your floater goes under, just about every carnivorous creature on the reef will want a taste of that offering.

There are even some salt water pet stores that sell `opae as live food for marine fish.  Those `opae are fairly small but may be great for the smaller reef fish you want to hook.  I recently saw a store selling them at 6 for $1.