Grunions 2

Well, we went out grunion hunting again on Tuesday night but by 11pm they weren't coming and we called it off. Our daughter, Hannah, and my wife Lhey's sister, Rachel, had to work at 7am so we went on home.

Last night was the last night for this cycle and the fish were predicted to hit the beach between midnight and 1:30am. Hannah took off work today and Rachel's schedule is flexible, and Lhey's mother, Norma, didn't have to work until 10:30, so at 8:30pm we went to a Japanese sushi bar near the beach for dinner, then went out to the beach around 10. It was still early so we waited in the car awhile and napped a little, but our young son, Ethan, was restless and Rachel and her boyfriend, Alex, wanted to get out, so Hannah joined them and they ran around the beach.

At about 11:00 or so I checked on them. Alex is a big guy, 230 pounds, and he was goofing off showing how strong he was and tried to hold Rachel and Hannah up on each arm. A challenge a former Marine like me couldn't resist. I held them both up, one on each arm too. No big deal. Then to show I'm not as old as everyone thinks I am, I picked up Alex over my shoulders in a fireman's carry. When I first got under him I didn't think for a moment my knees were going to stand up straight, but they didn't fail me and I carried him about 30 feet across the sand before I had to put him down. (And the Navy turned me down for reenlisting as a chaplain five years ago because they said I was too old!)

There were seven of us and seven more came from the Filipino church in Spring Valley. We were surprised because only five other people that we saw were on the beach and they didn't stay long, and then only two others came later on. We had the entire beach to ourselves.

We caught a few sand crabs for amusement at first. I think Ethan was just as excited about those as the fish. One of the church members set up a small tent and when Ethan and the pastor's son got tired, they went to the tent and played games on iPads.

About 11:45 we saw our first grunion. Soon after Pastor R.J. from the church caught the first one. By midnight we were seeing more and soon entire schools were coming in on the waves together. We were scattered along the beach and whenever someone started to see them we'd be running in that direction to help. Then they'd show up behind us and we'd be running back. Grunions are thin, silver and slippery, and about 4-6 inches long. They ride in on the waves and as the surge flows back to the sea they are left exposed on the beach where they burrow into the sand to lay their eggs. If you shine a light on them they turn to flip-flop their way back to the water, so you have to be quick. Nets are not allowed! You have to catch them with your hands, and if you don't grab them before the next wave comes in they'll wash back out.

Each time a wave came and we saw them we raced to the spot diving to the sand on our hands and knees trying to grab as many as we could before they got away. We probably missed more than we caught. Many times we'd be behind them trying to grab them when the next wave hit and we were soaked from top to bottom before we were through, not to mention all the sand that got into our clothing. The water was cold, but we persevered. Everyone was screaming and laughing. We had two small buckets of fish by the time it started to rain at 2am, so we decided to call it a night. It was just plain fun from beginning to end and worth the first two frustrating nights to reach the grand finale.

While we walked down the beach toward our car Lhey wasn't ready to give up and she caught four more fish before we left the water. Strange as it may seem, one of the church members, Dan, didn't get the word we were leaving. How he didn't figure it out when everyone else was gone I don't know, but when we all got cleaned up and ready to go, he still hadn't reached the cars. I had seen him last down by the pier so we went and looked there, then walked up the beach but didn't see him. Then we drove to the far end of the beach and walked all the way back down and still didn't see him. We didn't know where else to look so we went back to the cars and there he was. He just happened to be wearing a T-shirt with a logo that appropriately said, "I am lost."

We were finally able to head for home and by about 3:30 everyone was in bed except me. Norma had a cup of coffee before she went to bed. I don't know why, but I went ahead and had one with her. With eyes wide open I finished an episode of Matlock and hit the sack at 4. Tonight we're having fried grunions for dinner.

Well, if you're ever bored and looking for something exciting to do, let me recommend coming down to Imperial Beach when the grunions are running. No matter how old you are it will make you feel like a kid again.