Some of the best parties of my life were grunion parties, because they took place in the middle of the night, at the beach during high tide. You just gotta try this.
It surprises me how many people come into my bait & tackle shop (Hook, Line & Sinker in Santa Barbara) and ask if grunion really exist. So, I sell them one of our tide books, which has grunion run days/times listed in the center of the booklet.
I tell them to Google grunion to learn more about them, and then to invite friends, relatives and neighbors to a truly wild beach party. The more, the merrier.
In Santa Barbara we are near the northern end of the geographic range of grunion. They begin to thin out north of Point Conception, but we get plenty here. I’ve seen Ellwood, Goleta Beach, East Beach, Rincon and other local spots light up with hundreds and even thousands of shiny, wiggling grunion.
They are natural surfers and ride waves up onto the beach during the high tide period late at night during full and new moon periods when the tides are highest so they can ride well up on the beach.
They wiggle into the sand and lay eggs, which are fertilized on the spot by males. Those eggs incubate for roughly 10 days until the next big high-tide event, then hatch, and the babies are wave-washed out to sea.
The trick to a successful party is to plan it so everyone is on the beach right at high tide when the action begins. Fishing licenses are required, and grunion can only be caught by hand (no fair using a net). Toss them on ice in a cooler and take home some tasty fish dinners.
Grunion aren’t big (up to 7 or 8 inches long), but they fry up quick and taste great.
Grunion are a well-managed species and only a part of their spawning season (which begins in March) is open for catching them. Thanks to good management, they are plentiful.
Even if you just go watch the amazing late night spawning ritual, you will surely be amazed at one of the most fascinating spawning spectacles of nature. It is a great reason to keep the kids or grandkids up late for the adventure of their young lives. They will be telling everyone the story for a long time to come.
Or, just make it an adults party and pull out all the stops.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
