The Borough has three very nice piers, that are more like big docks, that can be used for fishing and crabbing. These piers are on the south side of the Toms River and are opposite the Point O’ Woods and Money Island Sections of Toms River. This area of the Toms River boasts some great fishing and crabbing with some of the deepest waters of the Toms River. Since, the Toms River side has no public shore access, this general area is not heavily fished. Two of the piers are almost identical, with identical conditions at both locations. The piers are not free and require a permit of $5. All of the piers are on Riverside Drive with the first pier being between Motor Rd and Avon Rd, the second being at the end of New Jersey Avenue and the third pier being at the end of Henley Avenue. The first pier is approximately 175 long and the two identical piers(NJ & Henley Ave Piers)are approximately 200 feet long with only about 100 feet extending into the water. The all extend out over 4-8 feet of water. The bottom is mostly muddy along this section of the River and there are many hidden snags below. Garbage, rocks, sunken moorings and cables are just to name a few, so be prepared for snags, as they will happen. The piers are very close to the water line, with only a couple of feet at low tide and a foot or so at high tide. They are open with average size pilings. They are lighted as well. At the street end of the pier there are small pavilions with benches and then about 20 steps down to the piers. Parking is free, but you have to find a spot along a side street, as there is no parking on Riverside Dr. The piers are not heavily visited and many times you can be all alone out there. The Avon Rd Pier has a swimming beach adjacent to it and docking area for boats on the other side. During peak hours this can make fishing and crabbing at this location difficult.
I spent many summer days fishing the Henley Avenue Pier back when I was a teen. I had a friend who lived in Pine Beach and we would go down day after day and give it a shot. I have caught many species of brackish and saltwater fish from this pier and many, many crabs. Snappers, fluke, winter flounder, blowfish, bluefish, striped bass, weakfish, white perch, and eels are just a few of the species you can encounter here. A variety of lures and bait can be used. Spearing(fresh and frozen), killies, bunker & peanut bunker, squid, herring, mullet, clams, crabs and worms can be used. A 6 foot to 7 foot rod with 8-10 lb test line is completely suitable for this area. If you are going to be bait fishing, you may need something capable of throwing a couple of ounces when the tide gets going. You can use just about any lures you can imagine here, including bucktailing for fluke. The tide does not affect the fishing so much here in the River and you can use the current to your advantage to drift and drag bait. By casting up current and allowing your bait to drift down current until you have to reel in, can produce some very nice fluke. Snapper and bluefish of course, are always a given to catch in the middle to late summer. Bait, snapper rigs and flashy lures will surely catch them all and are great fun on light tackle. Late Fall will have a good showing of White Perch on bobbers and worms. Don’t forget to give the crabbing a try. All methods will produce here.
Good luck and enjoy!
2010 Permit Fees
$5 per person for the season
Can be obtained at Borough Hall (732) 349-6425
Pine Beach PermitsAvon Rd MapNJ Ave MapHenley Ave Map
