If anyone is going to be on the beach from TJ to SAN JUANICO ... SAT, SUN or MON nights ... there should be loads of GRUNION for everyone to see. HIGH
TIDES in Ensenada are around 9:30, 10:00 and 10:30PM for the three nights.. I guess that would make BAHIA TORTUGAS and BAHIA ASUNCION and farther
SOUTH, an hour later at 10:30, 11:00 and 11:30PM.
The HIGH TIDE in SAN FELIPE and farther SOUTH on the Sea of Cortez ... is during the day and is a different type of GRUNION.
Sometimes the second hour is better than the first ... in fact I have seen these little guys run for the whole two hours here in ORANGE COUNTY.
Since I won't be able to do any viewing SOUTH of the border this year ... You guys can be my eyes for me. Anything you might see that could help
understand the GRUNION would be appreciated. Either post it here or send me an E-mail at
grunion1(at)hotmail(dot)com
Things like: lenght of run ...
amount of grunion ...
location ...
any predators ..??? birds, stingrays, people?
MAY is the best month to see these little guys so this could be fun ...
I will pass anything you post along to the people doing the research.
Muchas Gracias ...
Cypress - 5-7-2009 at 01:07 PM
cristobal, Thanks for the info.woody with a view - 5-7-2009 at 01:23 PM
grab one, hook it on with an egg sinker and toss it out about 10 yards. the halibut will thank you.BajaWarrior - 5-7-2009 at 06:36 PM
We get them during the day below San Felipe...
No need to stay up late...
Paulina - 5-7-2009 at 07:21 PM
When we lived in Punta Banda we camped out on the beach for the Grunion run. It was fun, local families were out in numbers, everyone had campfires,
music playing, buckets at the ready. As it got later in the evening headlights were turned on and pointed at the shoreline.
It was late, but kids were running up and down the waters edge filling sand buckets, plastic bags, using the front of their shirts to collect the fish
and run back to the family blanket to dump them out and start all over again.
It was a fun homeschool lesson for Cody to learn the cycle. We didn't eat any, so I guess we didn't complete the lesson, but it was a wonderful
evening.
P<*)))>{roundtuit - 5-7-2009 at 07:45 PM
what about mulege anyoneDavid K - 5-7-2009 at 09:29 PM
Grunion make excellent bait to catch calico bass, croaker, corbina... any surf fish!Packoderm - 5-7-2009 at 10:39 PM
Are they any good?fishbuck - 5-8-2009 at 12:49 AM
We use to catch the Grunions when I lived oceanfront in Newport.
We actually cooked some once. We boiled them in a pot. They taste kinda fishy as you might expect.
Plus you eat them guts an all. They're a bit small to clean or fillet.
Mostly, we just got drunk and chased them. They are very fast surprisingly. And they can see you coming. They try to haul tail back into the water.
If you catch one just toss it back into the water. It's funner that way.
And don't use a flashlight. They won't land on the beach if they see it.
[Edited on 5-8-2009 by fishbuck]
Grunion .....
cristobal - 5-8-2009 at 04:10 PM
Woody ... if you are going to use these little guys for BAIT ...
wait a couple of minutes until the females finish unloading ALL of her eggs.The youngest GRUNION drop about 1500 eggs while the 3+year olds unload
about 3500.
BajaWarrior ... Great PIC ......
Cypress ... You are more than welcome ... I've been watching these little guys for some 5 years now.
One more thing ... 90% of the GRUNION run in SD, OC, and LA counties. But that could change if there ends up being lots of reports from BAJA. They are
not sure what happens SOUTH of the border.
These GRUNION along the PACIFIC coast DO have scales and probably would taste better if they were removed.
Bajahowodd - 5-8-2009 at 04:17 PM
Grunion read the paper? fishbuck - 5-8-2009 at 04:18 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Grunion read the paper?
Ya, there smart little critters!woody with a view - 5-8-2009 at 05:50 PM
i'm all for picking the males out of the crowd after they do their thing.
would someone please point out a male, or a female for that matter.
Mexray - 5-8-2009 at 08:54 PM
scoop em' up with a bucket....
toss em' in some batter...the whole fish...
and throw em' in a hot pan of oil....
drain em' on some newspaper....
twist the head and pull the entire bone structure away...
pop the rest in your mouth for a really delicious treat...50 years ago we didn't think of wrapping a warm tortilla around em' with some fixin's, as
we'd probably do today!
don't forget the ice cold Pacifico....just plain yummy!
Up here in Northern California, they're called 'Smelt', and the night running variety seemed to have the best taste - we'd do an 'all nighter' on the
beach with a big bon fire and some liquid to keep us going...we used fine meshed nets with poles on each end, wade out in the freezing water and snare
em' as they were washed back into the sea...take what you're going to eat, and leave the rest for the big fish to snag off shore...
we used to take some and load em' in an old wash tub - take em' home and cover with fresh water and put the whole thing in the bottom of the chest
freezer to then thaw and enjoy in a couple of weeks!
Now that a FISH fry!cristobal - 5-9-2009 at 02:26 PM
A couple of years ago there was a report of GRUNION spawning around MONTEREY BAY ... then they found some inside SAN FRANCISCO BAY ...
I was watching a handful of GRUNION on the beach a couple of weeks ago and thought ... when the next wave comes in ... they would be heading out to
sea. But when the next surge came in and covered these little guys ... several of them went tail down in the sand to deposit their eggs. Apparently
there wasn't time on the FIRST wave ... so they just waited around for the next one.
Maybe they were not in the mood tonight. Went to the beach close to Home Depot from 10:00 to 11:00 with 15 kids and it was a no show. Maybe better
tomorrow night. It was fun anyway!
Baja Grunion..same fun as Smelt
Pompano - 5-10-2009 at 05:53 AM
What fun...This thread brings back some fond memories of our Midwest 'grunion runs'.
Where I grew up we have smelt, which are just freshwater counterparts to Baja grunion. The smelt are found all over the inland
landscape, including the Great Lakes and midwest river/lake regions. Very similar, they reproduce in almost exactly the same way as grunion..with
spring runs up the rivers, creeks and bays. People also react exactly the same way as they do in Baja...families on the beaches, nets out, scooping
with buckets, bonfires and hot dogs/fish frys on the shorelines, children laughing, dogs chasing sticks, guys barfing, excitement in the air, a
really fun social event...and not a thing to miss if you could help it.
In our teens from high school and into freshmen/sophmore college days, our favorite place for smelt/grunion was Silver Bay on giant Lake Superior's
northwestern shore. Mi compadre, Bajanomad aguaholic, and I would finish classes on a Friday, throw a couple garbage cans, a
long-handled dip net, and a set of chest waders into my beater station wagon..and then haul burro for 300 miles through the iron range of northern
Minnesota. We had made that trip often enough to get to know some cute waitresses along the way.
The lakeshore drive was alive with fishermen from all over doing the same thing. The Smelt were running! It was a real hoot. The
lakefront drive from Duluth, Mn to Silver Bay was thronged with the wildest collection of fishermen the world has ever known. Everyone was out
getting smelt..and getting them in thier own personal ways. The beach was dotted with campfires and parties..you saw some very strange apparitions
framed in firelight as you drove by..like a gypsy convention. There was a feeling of comradarie amongst all..city and country, foreigners and locals.
We all needed our smelt fix.
What fun that was...naturally, it was pitch black by the time we arrived, and we would have to check a few creeks with our flashlight
to see if any smelt were running there yet..if not, on to the next one. Our cooler always kept a few cold ones handy for those confabs around the
campfires. I also recall some tummy-warming Buttershots to ward off the chilling affects of wading into the 38 degree water.
(Buttershots are equal parts of Grand Mariner and Butterscotch Schnapps..do try this at home.)
My compadre (also named Roger) and I would quickly find a good creek run and set up our mini-camp. Rog was in charge of shore duties...set out our
coolers, got the smelt cans ready, made a campfire, and rolled a couple logs over for our seats. I jumped into a set of chest waders, grabbed the dip
net and gingerly explored the creek for the best place to get the most smelt.
Ah, the wading and netting! That was the really fun part. The creeks are swollen and running fast towards to the lake shore..the creek bottom is
never level and easy wading, but always has jumbled large rocks that try to snag your feet. Plus that water is just above freezing, so you
DON'T want to fall in! It usually only took me about 5 minutes to find out what that particular smelt run was like. You waded out
into the dark, freezing cold water, feeling your way with the felt-soled waders, trying not to slide off the slippery rocks..until you got almost
chest level of the waders...careful not to let any of that COLD water into the waders. You knew you were in the right spot when
you felt the little 5-7 inch silver fish hitting your legs and stomach through the waders. (this got somewhat kinky with less serious fishermen who
were out there with no nets.)
Okay, you found the best spot with the most secure footing. You turn your back to the fast current, brace yourself as much as possible, and say a
prayer to the smelt gods.
Now you take the long-handled dip net, which you had just been using as a wading staff, make a long...hard...deep...and quick sweep.
Downstream...WITH the current.
(Now THIS is where you separate the sober smelt fishermen from the not-so-sober. A few greenhorns and some known barflys will scoop 'against' the
current, upstream....for what reason is completely unfathomable?..because the smelt are running 'up' the river, not 'down'....duh? Well, okay, it's
just as much fun 'without' smelt, so maybe reason enough. Those guys always had a big dumb smile going on, so who knows..??)
Anyway, usually I would get too large a scoop on that first netdip into the creek...just because it was so damn much fun! But all
mid-stream dipnetters quickly learn that half-a-netful is best...because dragging 50lbs of wiggling smelt back to the creekbank over those slippery
rocks is going to get you dunked...and that snowmelt water is very COLD.
Well, I never could resist the bulging netful and always fell in the water within the first 15 minutes.
THIS is where Rog came to my rescue...the roaring campfire and the BUTTERSHOTS.
This happened so often my feet became webbed...and I am still addicted to Buttershots to this day.
We could fill those two trash cans in about 10 scoops and figured that was enough for our trip. We usually just needed enough to have a fish fry for
our engineering class back on campus. Now it was time to relax and swap yarns with the other smelt-lovers out here on the lakeshore
creek runs. We made some lifetime friends on those fun trips.
One well-found amigo. Early on we met a charming English professor from UM named Venetta. He was dressed like a country lord in
natty tweeds & tam, always smoking his pipe. He had a small telescoping dip-net that he used to scoop one or two smelt at a time from a creekside
campchair..no patched waders or huge dip net like us. We were enthralled at his finese with the smelt. He'd take the 1 or 2 smelt from the net, open
his spotless cooler, and carefully arrange the smelt in rows next to the others already in there. They looked like silver jewels laying on the shaved
ice. We were impressed...and somewhat ashamed of our smelly station wagon full of fish scales and 2 huge buckets of smelt, but Professor Venetta was
not one to hold airs..or voice any criticisms on our 'style.' And, like us, he grew to love those tasty Buttershots. For many years, our creekside
mentor was with us at Silver Creek for spring smelt and thereafter joined Rog and me at our ND ranch for fall pheasant hunting. A fine gentleman.
Smelt could also augment our pocketbooks.
A couple times we went completely overboard and took a pickup loaded with a 500 gallon cattle trough. We would fill that sucker to the brim with iced
fish and sell smelt to Safeway & Red Owl grocery stores back in Fargo for 10 cents a pound..paid for our fuel, beer, Buttershots, and dates with
the 2 lovely waitresses. The stores sold the fish for 45 cents, so we were all happy.
All hail the grunion...and smelt!
.
SKIDS - 5-10-2009 at 07:44 AM
WOW POMP, BADMAN AND ROBIN AND SMELT MOBILE.cristobal - 5-10-2009 at 04:19 PM
ROGER ..... great story ... engineering class will never be the same ...
Lizard lips ... Thanks for checking last night ...you went down the second night after the FULL MOON ... These little guys make the highest showings
on the THIRD and the FOURTH nights.
I usually go down on the SECOND night ... I have for the past couple of months ... most of the time there is a good showing ...
I went to the beach last night and didnt see a thang?10pm exactlylizard lips - 5-10-2009 at 07:40 PM
I wish I could do it again tonight but I spent the day traveling to Tuxtla Guiterrez Chaipas where I am right now finally in my hotel room....DENNIS - 5-10-2009 at 07:59 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by lizard lips
I wish I could do it again tonight but I spent the day traveling to Tuxtla Guiterrez Chaipas where I am right now finally in my hotel room....
Go to bed.
grunion
BajaDanD - 5-10-2009 at 08:40 PM
If you are catching grunion in Calif here is something you should know
Cut and pasted from CFG website
A valid State fishing license is all that is required for taking grunion. The season is closed during April and May. However, this is an excellent
time for observing runs. Grunion must be taken by hand only, no appliances of any kind may be used, and no holes may be dug in the beach. There is no
limit to the number that may be taken, but grunion should not be wasted.
In Baja?????
Last night of GRUNION run .... this tide ...
cristobal - 5-11-2009 at 11:10 AM
VON ... Where was the location of the beach that you visited SAT night ..??? how many people were on the sand ..??? were there any lights used ..???
was it a fine sand beach or was it coarse ..??? was there a gentle slope or was it steep ...???
BajaDan ...Thanks for pointing out some of the rules for taking GRUNION in CALIF ... especially the one about needing a VALID fishing license if over
the age of 16 ... beginning JUNE 1 ...
Tonight is the FOURTH night after the full moon ... usually a good night ...
These little fishies were all over ORANGE COUNTY last night ...
Good Luck ...
[Edited on 5-12-2009 by cristobal]
[Edited on 5-12-2009 by cristobal]Von - 5-11-2009 at 11:17 AM
by Scripps pier fine sand i guess there should be a slope? and should be corse? where do u recommend? thanksBajaWarrior - 5-11-2009 at 03:39 PM
Pacific Beach on the south side of the pier from what I remember as a kid.
But with light pollution from the restaraunts there probably a darker spot towards Mission Beach.
[Edited on 5-12-2009 by BajaWarrior]
Which is the best beach ...???
cristobal - 5-11-2009 at 06:44 PM
Von ... I thought you were in BAJA ... woops ...
I checked on the schedule for tonight ...
Is La Jolla Shores close to Scripps Pier ..???
There are 6 people signed up to monitor that beach tonight ...
Pacific / Mission Beach ... Crystal Pier/Garnett Ave to El Carmel Place.
Nobody signed up for this beach tonight.
Mission Beach ... El Carmel Place to South Mission Jetty
Nobody signed up for this beach tonight
Since the GRUNION don't know what the schedule is ... I am going down for 2 hours tonight and if the little fishies don't show by then ... They must have had other plans
I hope that helps ... enjoy yourself tonight ...
SCRIPPS high tide ..........................at 10:47 PM tonight ...
Crown Point, Mission Bay high tide at 10:44 PM tonight ...
[Edited on 5-12-2009 by cristobal]
[Edited on 5-12-2009 by cristobal]fdt - 5-12-2009 at 04:13 PM
I had no idea but turns out that you can not "Legaly" take grunion in Baja California. I just found out that the Grupo Ecologista de Tijuana has
informed that the grunion are off season April and May. http://grupoecologista.com
GRUNION take in APRIL and MAY ...
cristobal - 5-13-2009 at 10:00 AM
ftd .... I didn't know that
thank you ...
Turned out there was lots of GRUNION .... MON night ...
In NEWPORT ... high tide was 10:37 PM ... and best to observe till 12:37 AM. First hour was very light ... then they showed up ... first the male
scouts and then the girls showed about 5 mins later ...with the heaviest run at 12:45 ... lots of females and a whole lot of males ...( I think they
call that MULTIPLE PARTNERS ...!!! ) and I even have a PIC of one of these
little guys at 1:10AM ... He must have been a straggler ...
That is it ... for two weeks ... when they do it all again ...
Thanks for ALL the interest ... and ALL the GREAT stories ...
