The grunion have come flopping up on our South Bay beaches and that means that generations of folks will be out celebrating their unusual spawning ritual as well as participating in the sport of hand fishing. Grunion leave the water at night to spawn on beaches during the spring and summer months. For roughly two hours on four consecutive nights, beginning on the evenings of the full and new moons, spawning occurs. As waves break on the beach, grunion swim as far up the slope as possible. After spawning, the males immediately retreat toward the water while the female twists free and returns with the next wave.
One of the best landing spots for the grunion in all of Southern California is near 33rd Street in Hermosa Beach. While spawning may only take 30 seconds, some fish remain stranded on the beach for several minutes. They always spawn late at night and on evenings when the moon is either new or full and the ritual is fascinating to watch. Cabrillo Beach is also an excellent spot to observe spawning and the Cabrillo Aquarium has special evenings scheduled throughout the season where you learn about the sardine-size fish (from the silversides family) from an aquarium fish expert during an auditorium program, followed by guided observation at the beach. You can find schedules and information here.
Hand fishing is also popular during grunion runs but there are some strict rules. During the open season, a fishing license is required for persons 16 years and older to capture grunion. Grunion may be taken by sport fishermen using hands only and no holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. There is no bag limit, but fishermen may take only what they can use because it is unlawful (and unethical) to waste fish. While the season runs from March through August, you may not fish in April and May. The 2nd and 3rd days of the 4-day run have the most action, with the second hour usually being the best, and obeying the rules has led to the fish maintaining a fairly constant level year after year. Click on this link for the 2014 Hermosa Beach grunion run schedule.
One of the best landing spots for the grunion in all of Southern California is near 33rd Street in Hermosa Beach. While spawning may only take 30 seconds, some fish remain stranded on the beach for several minutes. They always spawn late at night and on evenings when the moon is either new or full and the ritual is fascinating to watch. Cabrillo Beach is also an excellent spot to observe spawning and the Cabrillo Aquarium has special evenings scheduled throughout the season where you learn about the sardine-size fish (from the silversides family) from an aquarium fish expert during an auditorium program, followed by guided observation at the beach. You can find schedules and information here.
Hand fishing is also popular during grunion runs but there are some strict rules. During the open season, a fishing license is required for persons 16 years and older to capture grunion. Grunion may be taken by sport fishermen using hands only and no holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. There is no bag limit, but fishermen may take only what they can use because it is unlawful (and unethical) to waste fish. While the season runs from March through August, you may not fish in April and May. The 2nd and 3rd days of the 4-day run have the most action, with the second hour usually being the best, and obeying the rules has led to the fish maintaining a fairly constant level year after year. Click on this link for the 2014 Hermosa Beach grunion run schedule.
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