The Grunion Are Running! Where To See Them In The South Bay Before The Season Ends

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Don't miss the last few and best chances this year to see one of the most unique experiences Southern California has to offer.

The grunion, a small fish that rides ocean tides onto beaches to lay their eggs, are running Thursday night through the weekend, marking one of the best summer weekend runs of the season, according to the California Department of Fish And Wildlife.

The grunion, which are exclusive to Southern California, may be an ordinary-looking silver fish, measuring only six to eight inches in length. But what makes them so special is that they're the only fish that come out of the water to dig into beach sands and lay their eggs during mating season.

The small fish ride the tides around new and full moons, with the female grunion laying about 3,000 eggs at once and 18,000 in a mating season. The male grunion then rides the tide to the eggs and fertilizes them before catching a ride back into the ocean several minutes later through the tides. This event is known as a grunion run.

When the grunion run, the California coast looks like it's boiling with silverly fish flopping in the waves by the hundreds of thousands.

The grunion mating season starts in the spring and ends in the summer. These are good places to see them make their run for the last few times until mating season begins again next spring:

• Surfer's Knoll (Ventura County)
• Malibu Cove (LA County)
• Santa Monica Beach and Pier area (LA County)
• Redondo & Torrance Beach (LA County)
• San Pedro area beaches (LA County)
• Cabrillo Beach (LA County)
• Seal Beach (Orange County)
• Cherry Beach (Long Beach, LA County)
• Huntington State Beach / Huntington Pier (Orange County)
• Newport Beach / Balboa Peninsula (Orange County)
• Capistrano State Beach / Doheney Beach (Orange County)
• Carlsbad State Beach / Tamarack (San Diego County)
• Cardiff-by-the-Sea Beach / San Elijo (San Diego)
• Coronado Ferry Landing Beach (San Diego)

Grunions make their runs in two-hour intervals. These are 16 dates on which the grunions will make their runs between July and August:

• July 10 — 9:25 to 11:25 p.m.
• July 11 — 10:05 p.m. to 12:05 a.m.
• July 12 — 10:45 p.m. to 12:45 a.m.
• July 13 — 11:25 p.m. to 1:25 a.m.
• July 24 — 9:35 to 11:35 p.m.
• July 25 — 10:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.
• July 26 — 10:55 p.m. to 12:55 a.m.
• July 27 — 11:35 p.m. to 1:35 a.m.

• Aug. 9 — 9:55 to 11:55 p.m.
• Aug. 10 — 10:35 p.m. to 12:35 a.m.
• Aug. 11 — 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
• Aug. 12 — 12:05 to 2:05 a.m.
• Aug. 23 — 10 p.m. to midnight
• Aug. 24 — 10:35 p.m. to 12:35 a.m.
• Aug. 25 — 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
• Aug. 26 — 11:50 p.m. to 1:50 a.m.

"Typically, the second hour of an expected run is usually better than the first hour, so be patient," the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement Tuesday.
It's currently open season for the grunion, meaning people hoping to take some can as long as they are 16 and older with a valid fishing license. They can also only be taken by hand, no holes may be dug in the beach to trap them and they are limited to 30 per person, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"While grunion spawn on many beaches in southern California, CDFW does not recommend any particular beach because of changing safety conditions and local curfews," the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said. "If you don’t attend an official event, one of the best ways to find out which beaches have had recent runs is to call the state and county beach lifeguards, who can often tell if spawning has taken place."

For more tips to avoid missing out on the grunion, click here.