The Grunion Are Coming, The Grunion Are Coming!
The totally low-tech event is coming to California! It’s the annual grunion run season and people are ecstactic! While these little fish (silversides family) show up on the beaches of California all the way from Baja to the Central Coast, one of the most popular places to hunt for them is in the L.A. area and greater Southern California.
There is such a fan-base and following for grunion that there’s even a program where you can train to be a Grunion Greeter, or attend the grunion run night sessions where you go out with a docent, flashlights in hand, and look at grunion arriving on the beach. Here’s the 2012 grunion run schedule which lists the open and closed seasons for hunting them (fishing license required for age 16 & older).
Grunion Q & A:
Q. Can you eat grunion?
A. Yes, you can fry them like fish or cook them in casseroles, for example.
Q. Can anyone catch them?
A. Yes, but you have to use your bare hands to catch grunion.
Q. Do you need a fishing license?
A. Yes, if you are 16 or older, you must purchase a fishing license – see dfg.ca.gov
