Shark River Inlet

Shark River Inlet is the narrow gap in Monmouth County where the Shark River meets the ocean, between Avon-by-the-Sea on the north side and Belmar on the south. Every fish entering or leaving the river has to pass through the channel between the jetties, so the rocks on both sides act like a funnel for bait and the stripers, bluefish, fluke and tautog chasing it.

When to fish

• Spring and fall: the striper runs.
• Late spring through fall: bluefish, often in good numbers.
• Summer: fluke.
• Early spring, fall and into winter: tautog on the rocks.
• September and October: the prime months, with a real shot at blues, stripers and tautog on the same trip. Bluefin tuna have occasionally been seen breaking just off the jetties in fall.

Where to fish

• Shark River Access WMA (north side, Avon-by-the-Sea): about an acre of state fishing access along the inlet and under the Shark River/Neptune bridge. Hook-and-line and spear anglers regularly catch winter flounder, blowfish, tautog, bluefish, fluke and stripers here, and many throw cast nets for bunker to use as bait.
• The Belmar jetty (south side): roughly 1,000 feet of rock off the end of the Belmar boardwalk, fishable out to the tip.
• The jetty tips: where the channel meets the ocean. Walk out only with proper footwear and in calm conditions.

How to fish it

Local tackle-shop advice for the Belmar jetty: green crabs for tautog, bunker for stripers, killies for fluke, and topwater plugs for blues and bass. Diamond jigs are the go-to lure for bluefish and swimming minnow plugs for stripers. Fish around sunrise and sunset, ideally on an outgoing tide.

Getting there

For the Avon side, take Garden State Parkway exit 105 to Route 18 South, then exit 8A onto West Sylvania Avenue. Turn right on Main Street, left on Washington Avenue and right on First Avenue, and follow it to the water; there's ample parking. The Belmar jetty is off the Belmar boardwalk. Neither jetty is paved or fenced, the algae-covered rocks are slippery, and waves wash over them in rough weather. Wear studded boots, bring a friend and a headlamp at night, and stay off the rocks in storms. Fish and Wildlife officers regularly check catches here, and anglers 16 and older must register with New Jersey's free Saltwater Recreational Registry.