The mesmerizing spectacle of nature is set to reappear along the California coastline, as countless shimmering grunions are predicted to surf ashore starting Wednesday night. These small silvery fish will be performing their intriguing dance on the sand as they venture out for their spawning rituals.
This event marks the beginning of open season, allowing Californians to legally catch these elusive grunions. However, each individual is limited to a haul of 30 fish.
Renowned for their extraordinary reproductive display, grunions often draw an “I can’t believe my eyes” reaction from first-time spectators, as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife delightfully observed, recalling a highlight from Huell Howser back in 1997.
Not known for wandering far from home, grunions usually stay in the waters close to shore. These marine creatures choose the cover of night during the warmer months to leave the safety of the ocean and lay their eggs on sandy beaches.
“For four consecutive nights, beginning on the nights of the full and new moons, spawning occurs after high tides and continues for several hours,” CDFW says.
While the spawning process “may only take 30 seconds, some fish remain stranded on the beach for several minutes” before a wave carries them back to the ocean.
The CDFW has mapped out the exact two-hour windows where spawning is most likely to occur. For this week’s peak run, the forecast is as follows:
| Date | Expected Spawning Window |
| July 14, 2026 | 9:45 pm – 11:45 pm |
| July 15, 2026 | 10:35 pm- 12:35 am (next day) |
| July 16, 2026 | 11:20 pm – 1:20 am (next day) |
| July 18, 2026 | 12:10 am – 2:10 am |
Not every beach is a grunion hotspot, but the best runs usually happen on quiet, dark, sandy stretches with little foot traffic, gentle slopes and plenty of wide-open shoreline according to Surf Fishing in So Cal.
Despite local concentrations, “grunion are not abundant” and face ongoing threats from “loss of spawning habitat caused by beach erosion, harbor construction, and pollution”.
The CDFW advises people to catch these fishes using bare hands, without any tools or gears. During the open season, fisherfolk require a license to capture grunions.