On the Shark River, Avon's Fall Season Runs on a Drawbridge Schedule

"Boats are unable to leave the marina." Mayor Bonanno said it during public comment at the Avon-by-the-Sea Board of Commissioners meeting on Sept. 28. The minutes record that the Main Street bridge had to stay in the closed position and that boats in Belmar, Avon and Neptune/Neptune City were affected.

The problem lasted four days, and the bridge has been working for three weeks now. Those four days still matter for anyone on the river this fall. They showed that a single moving span decides who can reach the ocean from the upper Shark River. For the next several months, the rules for that span are the loosest they get all year.

Four days without a way out

The New Jersey Department of Transportation closed the Route 71 bridge between Belmar and Avon-by-the-Sea to marine traffic on Sunday, Sept. 27, after the nor'easter flooded the bridge's mechanical and electrical room. Crews pumped out the water, dried the parts that had been sitting in salt water, and then tested them. Cars and pedestrians could still use the bridge the whole time. Any vessel that could fit under the closed span's eight feet of clearance at mean high water could also still pass.

Most of the charter and party fleet is too tall for eight feet. News 12 New Jersey reported that charter boats docked at Belmar Marina could not get to the ocean. New Jersey 101.5 talked to Bill McKim, who runs Jersey Shore Whale Watch. His 120-foot whale-watching boat, the Jersey Girl, had passengers booked for trips it could not make. McKim told the station that fishing operators see this stretch of the calendar as an especially profitable start to striped bass and sea bass season.

On Oct. 1, NJDOT announced that testing was complete and that the bridge had reopened to all marine traffic at 11:30 a.m. The department said it had worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to keep mariners informed about the channel closure.

Two bridges that open as one

The closure reached so far because the Route 71 span does not work alone. The federal rule for the Shark River's South Channel, 33 CFR 117.751, covers both the S71 bridge at mile 0.8 and the railroad bridge at mile 0.9, and places both of them "at Avon." The two draws operate as one unit. Their signal systems are linked so that either operator can alert the other, and the operator of the first bridge a boat reaches coordinates the second opening.

A tall boat leaving the upper river needs both bridges open, one right after the other. If the road bridge can't move, the railroad bridge has nothing to open for. That is how a flooded equipment room on one span stopped boat traffic for three towns. The same rule requires painted clearance gauges on each bridge, which show the vertical room under the closed draw at every stage of the tide.

After Sept. 30, the draw opens when a boat signals

The same rule explains why the bridge is easier to deal with now than it was in August. From May 15 through Sept. 30, the draws keep a restricted schedule. On weekdays other than federal holidays, from 4 to 7 p.m., they open only on the hour and half hour if a vessel is waiting. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, the same limit applies from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The rest of the year, the draws open on signal.

The nor'easter hit on Sept. 27, three days before the summer schedule was due to end anyway. By the time the bridge reopened on Oct. 1, it was on the off-season rule. A boat coming back from the inlet on a Saturday afternoon in late October can signal and get an opening without waiting for the half hour, and that holds every day until May 14.

What the river was giving up in mid-October

Fall fishing on this part of the coast changes week to week, so the reports below describe the week of Oct. 12. Treat them as a snapshot, not a forecast.

• Stripers. The Fisherman's Belmar report on Oct. 12 had surfcasters catching striped bass of mixed sizes north of Shark River, with occasional fish moving through the inlet. On The Water's northern New Jersey report for Oct. 15 said bass were in the Shark River. It described adult bunker pods from Sandy Hook to Island Beach State Park but only scattered stripers along that stretch, with most catches coming from the surf at night and from the rivers.
• Blackfish. The same On The Water report called blackfishing at the inlet good. The Fisherman reported tautog coming off the inlet jetty on green crabs.
• Sea bass and porgies offshore. Ocean Explorer, a Belmar boat, reported decent sea bass on most drops on Oct. 14, though anglers had to sort through fish, along with some porgies and pollock. On The Water said the Skylarker had a strong sea bass day with porgies and keeper blackfish. The Golden Eagle was starting its mornings on stripers, and the Big Mohawk planned to switch to stripers that Sunday.

Weather still decides a lot of this. In its Oct. 16 update, Ocean Explorer canceled Saturday's trip because of a gale warning and said northeast winds made Sunday uncertain.

The Avon side of the inlet

You don't need the drawbridge to fish from shore. The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife manages the Shark River Access Wildlife Management Area, about an acre of Green Acres-funded angler access on the north side of the inlet in Avon, beneath the bridge. The state's directions bring visitors in by First Avenue and say there is ample parking.

The division lists tautog, bluefish, summer flounder, striped bass, winter flounder and blowfish as the common catches there. Anglers can walk out to the tip of the inlet jetty. The division recommends studded footwear because the rocks are slippery. The green-crab tautog in the Oct. 12 report came off this kind of jetty.

The Avon Marina Building is at 2 Main Street. The borough handles questions about marina slips, boat slips and kayak storage through the Borough office at 732-502-4510, extension 234. The building also hosts community meetings. The Avon Historical Society holds its next monthly meeting there on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and says all are welcome.

The November dates in the state regulations

The bridge rule changed on Sept. 30. The next changes come from the state. The 2026 New Jersey marine regulations digest sets limits that change partway through the fall for two of the species in this month's reports.

The digest also requires non-offset circle hooks when fishing for striped bass with bait, and it prohibits gaffing them. Bluefish are open all year with no minimum size. The limit is five per person for shore anglers and seven per person aboard a qualifying party or charter boat.

The jetty's best fall species stays at a one-fish limit until Nov. 16. The sea bass limit goes up on Nov. 1. Fish & Wildlife notes that rules can change after the digest is printed. Its seasons and regulations page links the current digest and the season chart and is the place to check before keeping a fish. This post is general information, not legal advice. Anglers and boat owners should confirm the current rules with the state or with the right professional for their situation.

Main Street in Avon is also getting ready for the season. At the Sept. 28 meeting, the borough said holiday banners and lights will be up in time for the Borough Tree Lighting and Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28. The Shark River bridge stays on its off-season schedule until mid-May.

If you keep a boat on the Shark River, or are thinking about owning a home within walking distance of the inlet, Clayton & Clayton has spent nearly a century helping families along this coast with waterfront property and the seasonal details that come with it. Schedule a confidential consultation, and we can talk through what matters along this stretch of the river.