I went to my reliable oama spot this week but got there when the tide was a little too high and still rising.  The oama school was huddled up against the sea wall, warily watching for predators.  A couple late eaters were caught and then the oama ignored my bait as the water level rose. Schools of 4 to 5 inch long papio and lai cruised on the outside like wolves circling a herd of deer.

At the peak 2 foot high tide, 8 inch papio attacked the school.  Even after the larger predators left, the oama still didn’t eat until the water level dropped to about 1.5 feet.  The 4 to 5 inch papio and lai were still around and when I hooked an oama, they chased it around even though the oama was just as large as they were.  These papio and lai had grown up with the oama, and now they are almost large enough to take down an oama.

The water level dropped to about 10 inches as the sun was about to set, and the oama finally spread out across the sand and fed actively.  I guess it was shallow enough to make it hard for predators to sneak up on them.

Life is tough when you’re a soft, tasty oama.  Everyone including the childhood chums who swam with you want to eat you now.