Highlands or Shark River?

[JusGlase]

Hi Guys,

New to this forum, thanks for any advice on this! I fished NJ for years before moving my boat out to Southampton NY. Just purchased a 28' CC and looking to get back into fishing. Used to keep my boat down in the Manasquan River but now will be living in Long Branch.

I have the choice of keeping the boat in Sea Bright, Highlands, or the Shark River. What would you choose if you were me?

My thought is the shark river is ideal for getting right to the ocean, but highlands offers the opportunity to be right in the Raritan Bay, but a longer ride to the ocean grounds.

Any advice here would be appreciated, especially if you keep your boat in one of the two areas.

Thx!

[bulletbob]

It depends on what you fish for and what months you will be fishing.. April through June, , IMHO its Raritan Bay.. Stripers will start there first, and it stays good until it starts to get too warm for good daytime fishing for them.

Fluke are often thick as hell in the bay and very active early in the season, while the ocean fishing stays slow due to cold water,, So again, for early season fluke, IMHO, the choice would be Raritan Bay. Blues start showing in the bay in late April early may, and you have good fishing for them, while they are more sporadic in the ocean..

However, for April Blackfish IMHO Shark River would be your best bet.. Same with the 3 week May/June Sea Bass "season".

July/August/Sept, when the water is warm in the bay, and a lot of the big fluke have been mopped up, or are starting to move out, you are better off hitting the rough bottom from Sea Bright to Asbury Park so IMHO Shark River or MI would be best at those times.. Look ANY of those ports would be great, and personally I am envious that you have those choices... bob

[Capt. Lou]

Inshore Highlands , offshore - inshore Shark River ! Personally I would have purchased an express that I could stay on &'leave it in the Hamptons ! I fish out there all the time & it's a great area for most species , considering the bay etc.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Great advice above. If you decide to stay North and are choosing between Sea Bright and the Highlands, I'd choose the Highlands. Problem with Sea Bright is a lot of summer traffic on the road to get to the boat and most of your trip in the river to get out to the bay is no wake.

Welcome to the site!!

[NoLimit]

Keep in mind that the afternoons prevailing south wind means a rough ride if home is Shark River. Plus that wind can keep temps low along the Jersey shore while fish will be feeding inside.

I used to fish out of all the inlets from Beach Haven and north and Highlands or Atlantic Highlands offers the most days of quality fishing.

[Captain Rich]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the low water/ shoaling problems shark river has been having.

[Joey Dah Fish]

Hands down highland many more options to fish. Bay and ocean. Sometimes bay is sloppy and ocean is fine. Conversely sometimes ocean is ugly and the bay is fine. Not many option in shark river.

[bulletbob]

Yeah, I would go with Raritan Bay.. even later in the season when you want to fluke fish rough bottom off of say Long Branch, or if you want tog/seabass/ling, its no problem with a 28 foot boat from the bay.. It will just cost a few more bucks worth of gas.

it might be different if you had a 17 footer with limited range, but with the boat you describe, you have the most options in the bay.. bob

[Billfish715]

Shark River: Close to your house. Great access to the ocean and ocean fishing. Good for late season striped bass, bluefish. Close to the Mud Hole and several artificial reefs. Close to fishing places you already know. Low water in the back. Bridge traffic. Later start to striped bass season. Almost exclusively ocean fishing.

Sea Bright: Close to home. River traffic. Better access to early season stripers. More fuel docks. More access to river and bay fishing. Long ride to the ocean, Mud Hole, sharks and tuna. Good crabbing access.

Highlands/Atlantic Highlands: Longer ride to the boat. Afternoon beach, bridge and highway traffic. Closer to Raritan Bay, Staten Island, Hudson River. Traditional early season striped bass/bluefish spot.

Do you want to fish the ocean or bay most? Think about YOUR time. How far do you want to drive your car and your boat? How about cost? Security? Maintenance services? Fuel cost per trip?

Shark River: More ocean fishing with less time getting there.
Highlands: More river/bay fishing and less time getting there by boat.
SeaBright: Closer to river fishing options. Longer ride to the ocean and Raritan Bay.

[june181901]

I live in Sea Bright. A neighbor has a very nice dock but keeps his boat in Highlands. Main reason being traffic and currents.

[Gerry Zagorski]

I live in Sea Bright. A neighbor has a very nice dock but keeps his boat in Highlands. Main reason being traffic and currents.

Yes, depending on where you are at in the Sea Bright area, boat wakes while in the slip can be an issue and when the current is cranking, docking can be a white knuckle experience.:eek:

[Billfish715]

I fish with a friend whose boat is at a marina just off the main stem of the Shrewsbury. There is ample protection from the wind and has minimal current for docking. It is a long ride from there to the Hook however. The no wake/ speed restrictions on the river from SeaBright to just past the Highlands Bridge can really add time to your trip. The return to your dock in the PM especially on the weekends bucking an outgoing tide can get frustrating in that same stretch. There are a few spots near you in Long Branch in that part of the Shrewsbury. Oceanport, West Long Branch, Monmouth Beach areas are worth looking into if you want the boat to be close to home and don't mind a long boat ride. By the way, those tides can be as fierce as those in the Bay Head Canal especially under the SeaBright bridge when there's boat traffic.

[courbeco]

If Shark River, try and find a slip east of the Rt. 71 bridge.

[Capt Sal]

I think you would get more trips from the Highlands.Easy trip to the back of Raritan Bay and a short run around Sandy Hook or to Breezy Point. If you are a tuna finatic i would go to Belmar. If you are going to take the kids and the wife on a regular basis i strongly suggest the Highlands as there is almost always some calm water close to home.

[rikard.froberg]

I keep my boat in Seabright. I feel it is more protected than Highlands in a Noreaster. Just make sure it is one of the first marinas after the Highlands bridge, otherwise you will be in for a long ride to the ocean.

Second the comment on Shark River for offshore and Raritan Bay if you are more into inshore. The best thing about RB is the variety throughout the season, and most of the time you can find protection from weather.

Either way, you can't go wrong, Good luck!

[NoLimit]

I keep my boat in Seabright. I feel it is more protected than Highlands in a Noreaster. Just make sure it is one of the first marinas after the Highlands bridge, otherwise you will be in for a long ride to the ocean.

Second the comment on Shark River for offshore and Raritan Bay if you are more into inshore. The best thing about RB is the variety throughout the season, and most of the time you can find protection from weather.

Either way, you can't go wrong, Good luck!

Atlantic Highlands Marina can take a beating from the North East. I think Leonardo might give you more protection plus a short ride to the fish and then there are several marinas on the Shrewsbury River before the Highlands Bridge that will give you protection and a fast ride to the fish. Keep in mind that there is good fluke fishing in the river from time to time - and crabbing too.

[Capt. Debbie]

I've been in both.

Shark River is the better choice if you go offshore primarily. Like shark. Tuna. mudhole fishing, Etc. The Shark River absolutely sucks to fish inside of, unless you are a fan of sea robins. Most of the water west of the Rte 35 Bridge is a mud flats at low tide and useless.

If you are primarily an inshore fishing guy Raritan Bay is the way to go. The Bay and Shrewsbury/ Navesink Rivers do have a large area on windy days that are worth buying bait for. Then and again, if it's crappy weather and windy why are you going out in the first place? Do you HAVE TO GO OUT? I understand if you are married... it is a must. :)

I cant say that I have ever intentionally loaded up the boat in Shark River to fish IN Shark River.

Usually slip prices are higher the closer to NYC you get.

[Capt. Debbie]

Not sure about that wind direction- NE & AHMM? The AHMM has a 6-10 foot high wall facing that North and East. However, from the SE winds plenty of fetch from the park across a mile of water and right through the bug light entrance and down the chute.



Atlantic Highlands Marina can take a beating from the North East. I think Leonardo might give you more protection plus a short ride to the fish and then there are several marinas on the Shrewsbury River before the Highlands Bridge that will give you protection and a fast ride to the fish. Keep in mind that there is good fluke fishing in the river from time to time - and crabbing too.

[NoLimit]

Not sure about that wind direction- NE & AHMM? The AHMM has a 6-10 foot high wall facing that North and East. However, from the SE winds plenty of fetch from the park across a mile of water and right through the bug light entrance and down the chute.

There was a noreaster in the 90's with a moon tide that destroyed dozens of boats in AH plus now they have those lightweight floating docks which would make it worse IMHO

[EddieG]

Like other guys have said it depends what you like to target.. I am bias towards wreck fishing and the species that goes along with that... and by far leaving from shark river your not going to go far to find sticky bottom holding fish..

[JusGlase]

Thanks so much for all of the help guys! Had no notification of responses!

So heres my deal. I will be living in Long Branch and dont want to have to deal with horrible traffic getting to the boat.

I would say I do a mix of fishing. Mostly I just want to be able to jump on the boat and do some fishing. I do a lot of business in the neptune area so figured being in the shark river would let me get on the boat most often.

I was thinking Shark River Yacht Club, has anyone had any experience there?

The big downside for me doing Highlands is that from where I will be living in Pier Village its a long drive up along the ocean and in the summer I think that will be a pretty annoying drive.

I also was thinking if I did keep the boat in Shark River and wanted to go up to the raritan bay to do some fishing the ride isnt too horrible.

the one great thing about keeping the boat in Highlands is the ability to fish the bay when the ocean is nasty.

I am shipping the boat up from Florida so have about a week to decide. There really are such pros and cons with each. I used to be in the Manasquan River which was ideal but that just doesnt work anymore for me.

Again I thank you all so much for your suggestions!

[Capt. Lou]

I kept a boat there for several years , nice marina however they may have a water depth issue, plus back channel from what several were saying dredged improperly !
The municipal is excellent nice floaters , good storm protection, private access plenty of water .

[bassnbucks]

I,m at Shark River Yacht Club. Most of the time we have clearance under the north channel bridges. Very short ride to the ocean.There are issues with low water at low tide closer to the bulkhead.The current does move pretty fast but not too bad once you get used to it.Very nice group of people that always help each other out.

[JusGlase]

bassnbucks, how far out would I need to be do you think to always have 2.5-3ft? I am going down tomorrow to see Seth. Nice to hear from someone who slips there! Just really dont want to do something and then regret it. I figure if the fish are in the raritan bay I can run up there, not the end of the world, but that being in shark river will give me the opportunity to do some trolling offshore, head to the reefs etc

[bassnbucks]

On my dock you need to be halfway to the end of the dock..Your best bet is to check it out at low tide to be sure.

[Billfish715]

Pleasure Bay or Oceanport Landing. Google them for directions.

Both are about 10 minutes from you. Good crabbing, river fluke ( Shrewsbury and Navesink, close to Sandy Hook Bay. It's worth a look. If you want to be close to your boat, that's where I would look.

[Sharkyispy]

Shark River Municipal Marina is a nice marina, very clean, nice floating docks, new clubhouse Water levels fairly decent unless at back end of areas. Channels are normally OK and hoping dredging made better. Fairly quick access to inlet and ocean, also have options of heading north up to Shrewsbury/Rocks and structure or south to Sea Girt area or others that have good fishing also. As mentioned Mudhole is @ 12+ miles out at beginning from Shark River.

[EddieG]

You will spend most of your time in mud at the SRYC.. I remember many of days waiting for the tide to rise in order to get into the slip.. sea view Marina is right down the road from there and you will have no problems with getting the boat in or out..

[stugots]

Check out oceanport landing or pleasure bay yacht club in oceanport or Patten point yacht club. All very close to you in the Shrewsbury and you don't have to deal with the ocean Ave traffic.

[JusGlase]

So I went to check out Gateway Marina today in Highlands and think I am going to go with it. Current can get pretty nasty but the staff were super nice, plus theyre great Yamaha techs. Looked at Shark River Yacht Club todya, was dead low tide. Looked like less than a foot of water halfway out the docks, wont work for me.

Was also a quick drive from Gateway to Pier Village and being there gives me the ability to stay in the bay when the ocean is rough etc, few restaurants to tie up at, etc. So i think thats my move! I want to thank you all again SO much for the help. Awesome message board I look forward to returning the favor sometime

[stugots]

That's where we dock, pm me

[NoLimit]

Gateway is good - also check out Captains Cove which is downstream where the river opens up and there is no ripping current. They have a couple slips with lifts too so you dont have to worry about storms.