In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Jersey’s beach towns were flooded with millionaires, billionaires, and commercial builders gobbling up all the land, tearing down small beach bungalows and building multi-million-dollar mansions along the shorelines. Yet, at the northern end of Ocean County, Point Pleasant Beach has managed to buck the trend with its resilient old-school charm, beachy bungalows, and a gritty blue-collar vibe. Like a throwback to a simpler time, Point Beach has a maritime spirit that still calls to children of the salt.
The Manasquan Inlet splits Monmouth and Ocean counties, and Point Beach is nestled on the south side of the inlet. The soul of a local’s beach lifestyle bleeds through the area with fishermen, surfers, divers and baymen throughout the community. Anyone in the East Coast fishing industry knows the name Bogan, as they were the first fishing family to truly build up the New Jersey area with the first party boat fleet. Today, many of the Bogans and their cousins own a big portion of a fleet that includes boats like the Gambler, Dauntless, Norma K III, Queen Mary, Mimi VI, and the Voyager.
My first experience on the party boats was in grade school, hopping on the Queen Mary to target bluefish with my friend Lido, which developed our love for saltwater, keeping us coming back to Manasquan Inlet to fish the concrete wall for fluke as soon as we got our driver’s licenses.
Both tourists and locals congregate there on any given day, spring through winter, fishing with family and friends for fluke, stripers, bluefish, and false albacore. It’s a communal gathering place to catch dinner or just shoot the breeze with a line in the water.
The rocks and jacks at the mouth of the Inlet are a blackfish haven, and tog fishermen will perch on the jacks like blue herons, dunking crab baits to pull on tog that can sometimes exceed the 5-pound mark. The tip of the south jetty in the pocket congregates summertime speedsters such as Spanish mackerel, false albacore, bonito, and even king mackerel some years. Anglers load up at the local tackle shop Fishermen’s Supply or pop into Jersey Hooker’s Inlet Bait and Tackle right on the inlet to grab fluke rigs or Ava jigs.
Phenomenal striper fishing occurs inside the Manasquan River system at spots like the Route 35 Bridge, off the sod banks of Dog Beach, or at the railroad bridge, with topwater poppers crushed by feeding bass in the morning hours while night shifters toss eels in the Point Pleasant Canal for larger bass. In summertime, the river is loaded with recreational boaters drifting the river off Treasure Island sniping blues and bass off the sandspits with poppers, or bouncing bucktails through the Intra-Coastal-Waterway for doormat-caliber fluke. Early-season winter flounder and fluke are targeted way back by Crystal Point and the Clark’s Landing flats.
The overriding culture of commercial fishing at the co-op permeates Point Beach, and many times you can walk into the Broadway Bar and Grill just off the inlet for wings and beers at 7 a.m. and see a full bar filled with commercial anglers, still with deck boots on, playing shuffleboard and generally gabbing about after packing out from a night’s scallop trip. Savvy locals sometimes barter or buy the scallops in a 1-gallon bag shucked right off one of the boats.
It’s not just salty anglers that dominate the area. When a swell comes through, the south Pocket at Jenkinson’s Beach is lined with surfers catching a “trip to the green room” in overhead barrels of Jenk’s famous shore-break waves. The North boardwalk at Jenkinson’s is more family friendly than its raucous southern Seaside Heights counterpart, with games of chance, a full aquarium experience, and a small but eclectic section of rides and cotton candy kiosks. But make no mistake, when the sun goes down it’s counterbalanced with a debaucherous nightlife at Martell’s Tiki Bar and Jenkinson’s nightclub.
Food options abound for the freshest seafood right off the commercial boats at locales such as Broadway Bar & Grill, Spike’s Fishmarket, Atlantic Seafood, and Point Lobster. Do yourself a favor for lunch and grab a chunk lobster roll, drizzled in butter on a soft bun at any of those spots. For a more pub feel with burgers and fries, pop by Amendment 21 Brewery or Frankie’s Bar and Grill. To start a day fishing, pick up a breakfast sandwich. In New Jersey, there’s only one option—the legendary pork roll, egg, and cheese—at the Beach Shack, and of course coffee and donuts picked up at Dunkin’ or Top That Donuts.
Point Beach has a thriving community through the winter months with local hellmen chasing surf swells or bundled-up beach walkers searching for sea glass. Summertime tourist season is general mayhem, but good times can be found all around in a boisterous, breezy realm of the local drinking establishments. During the autumnal months, the crowds leave again and the beach beckons to hoodie-wearing locals who fish, clam, crab, and surf in the relative peace and serenity of the salty air and the ocean’s simple vibe. Point Pleasant Beach is a year-round salty gem; give it a visit this year, but always leave more than you take from it.
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