Water Temps, Seasonal Sand Loss, and Grunion

We’ve got lots to talk about today, but first off, Happy Easter to everyone! This week was fairly eventful for me. Not purely in the catching sense, but just in terms of “surf fishing stuff”. I started the week off on Monday night with some friends from work for an attempt at the grunion run and man, was it cool! Later during the week, I made my way over to a beach I hadn’t yet been to this year (2021) and noticed some interesting changes in terrain. Then, on Friday, I fished once more at another spot and had a solid perch session even through the seaweed. All the while, I noticed a really favorable swing in terms of water temp (as well as air temp).

Grunion Run

I hit Mission Beach on Monday of last week for a grunion session with some friends for work. The run was predicted to begin at 10:40 pm and it couldn’t have been any more accurate (for us at least). I had shown up about an hour and a half early to try to fish the run, but the seaweed was just too thick so I gave up on that shortly after beginning.

When everyone arrived, we began walking along the beach, and literally just as the clock hit 10:40 pm, the first grunion (we could see) scurried across the wet sand. From that point on, we’d see grunion up and down the beach, as big groups would get swept onto the shore and then swept right back into the water as some would remain trapped for a while. Occasionally, we’d see more than a hundred little silver fish flopping on small sections of the shoreline at a single moment.

Video of the Grunion Run Linked Below

I tried my best to get some good footage, but it was still one of those runs where they weren’t everywhere and my light definitely spooked a lot of them. When I fish a run or try to gather bait during a run, I try my best to not use my light, and if when I do use a light, I make sure I only shine it when a big wave has already washed some grunion ashore. Then, I only point the light up towards the sand, not towards the water. That way, the ones that have yet to come ashore, won’t be spooked.

I ended up capturing a really cool moment on video where a female grunion burrowed her back half into the sand as she laid her eggs in the hole she created. The male then squirmed around her as he fertilized the eggs within the sand. These eggs should remain in the sand until likely the next run. When the tides come up equally as high as the last run, the eggs will be agitated by the flow of water and they will hatch: Here’s the footage from last week’s grunion run.

Seasonal Sand Loss at Black’s Beach

I mentioned earlier that I made it out to a beach that I’ve yet to fish thus far in 2021. That beach was Blacks Beach and since my last time there, I noticed a drastic change in the sand level. I showed up at a tidal height of 2.8-feet and from what I remembered about Blacks, there should be plenty of sand to support even a 6-foot high tide. Well, this 2.8-foot tidal height was already pushing me back towards the bluffs.

The tidal height reached 3.9-feet that day and at some parts of the beach, water was reaching the bluffs. To make matters worse, the surf height and all-around conditions were great! What I’m saying is, if the surf height had been even 2-3-feet, Blacks (at least the part that I was fishing) likely would not withstand more than a 4-foot high tide right now (safely). I didn’t test the whole stretch so other sections might have had more sand.

After reading a little on the topic, I found this article on Southern California’s “seasonal sand loss”. I thought it was a very interesting read and it very well could be that this happens every year and I just hadn’t ever noticed. Maybe in the next month, all the sand will be back.

So Cal’s Water Temps on the Rise

Finally! We’ve been waiting a while for this. The water temp has creeped up to an average of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. When I felt the water this week, I thought it was 60 at the lowest and likely closer to 62 or 63. That’s just my guestimate, but it’s entirely possible as Scripps pier (which is just the location I use for reference) recorded temps varying even just over 63.

This rise in water temp is hopefully here to stay through summer. The above chart shows three things, but only two of them are significant in my opinion. The first is the water temperature (if that wasn’t made clear already). Although the chart displays only a slight increase in water temp, it’s still very meaningful. The next variable, however, is a natural and normal occurrence that almost always happens as the water begins to rise. It’s what it leads to though, that could possibly bring some minorly bad news.

Is a Red Tide Coming in 2021?

In reading the chart above, you’ll see that along with a slight rise in water temps, chlorophyll levels skyrocketed for a little while. In 2019 and 2020, this resulted in red tides. 2020’s red tide specifically, was one of the worst we’ve experienced. They aren’t all bad unless they last longer than a few weeks and/or they’re more dense than usual. Whether we’ll see yet another red tide in 2021 is still to be determined, but if we do happen to see a red tide headed our way, be sure to read this article on red tides in So Cal and this article on sea foam and why it’s important.

Save and Subscribe

In the spirit of Easter, Full Bend Fishing Apparel is going to save everyone 20% off their next purchase. In fact, I’m going to offer the same discount on Surf Fishing In So Cal’s Shop page. Use the coupon code, “Easter Savings” at check out to save 20% on either shop page.

Below is a list of my set-ups (Light Tackle and Sharking Gear). Remember that shopping through any affiliate links on my website supports quality content like this article.

Shark Set-Up

• Rod: Fiblink Moonsniper (12 or 13 feet)
• Reel: Penn Battle 6000 or 8000 (II or III)
• Mainline: 50-pound braid
• Top shot: 100-pound nylon coated mono
• Shark Rig: (Buy Here)
  • Wire: AFW 90 lb Nylon Coated Wire Leader Line
  • Hooks: 7/0 Circles
  • Swivel: 3-Way Barrel Swivel
  • Crimps: AFW #6 Crimps
  • Weight: 8-ounce pyramid or 6-ounce sputnik

Light Tackle:

• Rod: Okuma Celilo (8’6″ MA) or the Okuma SST (8’6″ MA)
• Reel: Penn Battle II or III 4000 series
• Mainline: 15-pound monofilament
• For Bait: Carolina Rig:
  • Leader Line: 15-pound fluorocarbon
  • Swivels: 15-19mm barrel swivels
  • Hooks: size #2 or #4 owner mosquito hooks
  • Weights: 1-oz egg weight
  • Beads: 8mm fishing beads
• For Lures: Lucky Craft FM 110 and Shimano WM 115 SP
• Other best surf fishing rods and best surf fishing reels