DOUBLE WHAMMY SATURDAY; SALMON, GRUNION SET TO RUN IN EL NINO'S WARM WATERS.Byline: Brett Pauly Daily News Staff Writer March is heralded by ocean anglers as a month of season openers, but a rare doubleheader is scheduled Saturday . . . and it features two forms of fishing that couldn't be further apart. At the crack of dawn, the seafaring-crowd out of ports south of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, city, United States Santa Cruz (săn`tə kr  z), city (1990 pop. 49,040), seat of Santa Cruz co., W Calif., on the north shore of Monterey Bay; inc. 1866. can target salmon, usually by means of trolling (1) Surfing, or browsing, the Web.(2) Posting derogatory messages about sensitive subjects on newsgroups and chat rooms to bait users into responding. (3) Hanging around in a chat room without saying anything, like a "peeping tom." a range of lures or bait from private vessels or by tossing live baitfish bait·fish n. Chiefly Chesapeake Bay & North Atlantic Coast A small fish, such as a minnow, used for fishing bait. from anchored party boats. Later, under a shroud of darkness - and without any tackle - shore-fishing fans can prepare to tangle with Verb 1. tangle with - get involved in or with get into change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" the grunion grunion: see silversides. grunion Edible Pacific fish (Leuresthes tenuis) found along the western coast of the U.S. In the warm months, it lays its eggs in beach sand during a full or new moon when the tide cycle is at its peak. as the inshore in·shore adv. & adj. 1. Close to a shore. 2. Toward or coming toward a shore. inshore Adjective in or on the water, but close to the shore: fish beach themselves in one of nature's strangest spawning rituals. The most adventurous might pursue both quarries on the same day. Now for the bad news: Because of El Nino and the grunion's fickle ways, you could be on the water all day and on the beach all night and get shut out in both games. Cold-water lovers, salmon might not take to the warm-water phenomenon transpiring tran·spire v. tran·spired, tran·spir·ing, tran·spires v.tr. To give off (vapor containing waste products) through the pores of the skin or the stomata of plant tissue. v.intr. 1. off the coast. They prefer temperatures in the low to middle 50s, and Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, waters are registering as high as 61 or 62 - 3 to 4 degrees higher than normal for late winter, according to biologists. Many experts are predicting a dismal local salmon season. Incidental catches by party boats - a preseason barometer for sport-caught salmon production - have been nearly nil. Meanwhile, it's a crapshoot aiming for grunion, which are caught for a delicately flavored dinner or for bait with which to fool calico bass, halibut halibut: see flatfish. halibut Any of various flatfishes, especially the Atlantic and Pacific halibuts (genus Hippoglossus, family Pleuronectidae), both of which have eyes and colour on the right side. and other game fish, or for just plain fun. There is no way to predict what beaches they will frequent to do their thing. Once grunion are found, rods, reels and line are obsolete and nets are illegal. ``Anglers'' must only use their hands to catch the slippery critters (although it's still officially fishing, and those 16 and older must have a valid fishing license displayed). It's kind of a salty version of a greased-pig contest. Flashlights are permitted to locate the silvery, torpedo-shaped fish that mature to a length of 7-1/2 inches, but lights also tend to scare them off or make them avoid a beach altogether. Buckets or pillow cases are also allowed for collecting purposes. With the salmon forecast so bleak, perhaps there will be more interest in grunion for a change. ``I don't think so,'' said Melodie Palmer, however biased she might be as an associate marine biologist marine biologist specialist in the biology of marine life. with the Department of Fish and Game's Ocean Salmon Project in Healdsburg. ``They taste too good not to at least try. There's just something about getting a salmon on your line and expecting a 25-pounder. Even if it's a 10-pounder, it'll still be good on the barbecue.'' Indeed, no matter the outlook, salmon is king for many anglers. In this case, king salmon - the species in question here - is king. And Southern California has had a recent history of remarkable takes of the silver-sided denizens with the distinctive black gums that are also known as chinooks. In the magical salmon season of 1995, the nearly 200,000 caught by sport-anglers south of Santa Cruz represented more than five times the previous single-season high recorded in the two preceding decades. Last year's sport catch was a remarkable 84,400. Many landings are designating a party boat specifically to track salmon on Saturday, especially those in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. counties, where any migration of salmon from the north will show first. (Call ahead to landings for specifics and be sure to bring light tackle - a light rod with 12-pound line tied via barrel swivel to two or three feet of 10-pound leader and a size No. 2 to No. 1/0 hook are recommended for fly-lining live bait.) ``With warmer water temperatures, I would probably not expect it would be a particularly robust year for salmon in Southern California,'' said Alan Baracco, a DFG DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council) DFG Department of Fish and Game DFG District Factor Group DFG Data Flow Graph DFG Difference Frequency Generation DFG Diode Function Generator DFG Dog Faced Gremlin fishery biologist with the Inland Fisheries Division.``But then again, fish have tails; they go where the food source is, so you never know.'' And there is a lot of the bait in local waters, mostly huge sardines to 14 inches and miniscule min·is·cule adj. Variant of minuscule. Adj. 1. miniscule - very small; "a minuscule kitchen"; "a minuscule amount of rain fell" minuscule specimens smaller than two inches - ``eyes and a wiggle,'' as the sub-``pinheads'' are dubbed. Unfortunately, salmon prefer their sardines in the four- to six-inch range. Salmon will likely be finning deep to get to colder water, Palmer noted. Some recent scientific catches have been recorded as deep as 600 feet seven to eight miles out of Morro Bay, while fish finders have detected schools in 100 feet of water out of Santa Barbara. If the party boats turn up few kings Saturday, skippers will probably move on to the normal fare of shallow-water rockfish rockfish, member of the large family Scorpaenidae (rockfishes and scorpionfishes), carnivorous fish inhabiting all seas and especially abundant in the temperate waters of the Pacific. Rockfishes are found among rocks and reefs. and the not-so-normal-but-still-hot-hitting yellowtails that are basking in El Nino's tepid tides. Fear not, ye grunion hunters, you have not been forsaken for·sake tr.v. for·sook , for·sak·en , for·sak·ing, for·sakes 1. To give up (something formerly held dear); renounce: forsook liquor. 2. . Grab your gunnysacks and head for the nearest sandy shore for the year's first run, predicted to last from 10:05 p.m. Saturday to 12:05 a.m. Sunday. The process continues from 10:30 p.m. Sunday to 12:30 a.m. Monday; from 10:55 p.m. Monday to 12:55 a.m. Tuesday; and from 11:25 p.m. Tuesday to 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. The fish follow a bizarre lunar cycle of spawning that this year happens to fall on the salmon-season opener. Last year's initial grunion run was March 10; salmon anglers first hit the seas March 15. ``The grunion is the only fish that buries its tail in the sand,'' said Cal State Northridge marine biologist Larry G. Allen. ``It's the ultimate example of beach spawning.'' Those new to the activity can visit the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in San Pedro, California, a community within Los Angeles. It concentrates on the marine life of Southern California. In addition to its displays, it also offers school and group programs. , 3720 Stephen White Drive in San Pedro, for a grunion program that begins at 9 p.m. Saturday. (Doors open at 8 p.m.; reservations are not required.) The evening features a series of short slide shows, a question-and-answer period and trip to the beach to observe the real thing. The cost is $2 for adults, and $1 for seniors and children 12 and younger. Information: (310) 548-7562. SALMON BY THE NUMBERS The amount of sport-landed salmon south of Santa Cruz during the past four years: Year Total 1997 84,400 1996 44,800 1995 198,900 1994 24,000 Note: The previous high over the two decades prior to 1995 was 37,000 in 1989. Source: Department of Fish and Game Ocean Enhancement Project. PREDICTED GRUNION RUN TIMES 10:05 p.m. Saturday to 12:05 a.m. Sunday 10:30 p.m. Sunday to 12:30 a.m. Monday 10:55 p.m. Monday to 12:55 a.m. Tuesday 11:25 p.m. Tuesday to 1:45 a.m. Wednesday CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 Boxes PHOTO (Color) Tom Van Voy of Thousand Oaks nailed this 16-1/2-pound king salmon out of Ventura while fly-lining anchovies anchovies a cause of diarrhea, vomiting, salivation, lacrimation, depression, miosis, polypnea, tachycardia, hypothermia in cats. during the 1997 salmon-season opening weekend. Brett Pauley/Daily News BOX: (1) SALMON BY THE NUMBERS (see text) (2) PREDICTED GRUNION RUN TIMES (see text) |
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