Manasquan River

The Manasquan River runs 26½ miles from Freehold Township to the ocean at Manasquan Inlet, but most of the saltwater fishing happens in the last three miles, from the inlet up past the Route 70 bridge to the Narrows. It's a small, quiet tidal river that a boat can cover in a few hours, and every spring it fills with some of the biggest bluefish of the year, sometimes well into the teens of pounds, feeding in only a couple of feet of water.

When to fish

• Spring: bluefish arrive around the second week of April and quickly spread up the river from the inlet. Early-season stripers also move into the back of the river.
• Late afternoon on the outgoing tide: the mud flats warm by several degrees, and that's when the shallow-water blues turn on.
• High tide above the Route 70 bridge runs about an hour to an hour and a half behind the inlet, so adjust the tide tables.

Where to fish

• The inlet channel to the railroad bridge: boaters drift this stretch. The short piece between the railroad and Route 35 bridges doesn't hold bluefish.
• Above the Route 35 bridge: the river opens up, with a deeper channel along the south side and broad mud flats on the north.
• Treasure Island: about a mile above the Route 35 bridge, where the island splits the river, is the most productive spot for spring blues. Drift the 2- to 3-foot flats beside it with the tide.
• Behind Treasure Island: a narrow but deep cut on the north side leads behind the island, where a sandbar makes a rip that bluefish work along. It's sheltered in an east wind and fishes well on the incoming tide.
• Up to the Route 70 bridge: the channel stays on the south side with flats to the north.

How to fish it

Cast poppers. On calm days you'll see blues finning on the surface, and strikes on topwater are explosive and visible. Drift with the tide across the flats and cover water until you find them.

Getting there

Public launches include the Point Pleasant Canal Fishing Access ramp, and some municipal ramps on the river are limited to town residents. Several ramps can run short of water at low tide. Farther upstream, NJ Fish and Wildlife's Manasquan River Wildlife Management Area off Ramshorn Drive in Allenwood has a primitive launch for small boats, canoes and kayaks. Anglers 16 and older must register with New Jersey's free Saltwater Recreational Registry.