“Take a good look around…”
My Hometown isn’t just a banger song from Bruce Springsteen; when you turn back the pages of history, you can learn to better appreciate that town where you first cut your teeth.
As a history buff myself, I like to know where things came from, where and how it all started. From the history of fishing lures, to the harvest of a species in coastal towns, I want to study it all. Of course there are dozens of books about New Jersey towns out there, but I wanted to do my own research and see what made my hometown into what it is today.
I’m a shore girl, born and raised in the sandy, salty, fishy town of Point Pleasant Beach. When you live here full time and observe closely to its roots, you can see that it’s more than just a shore-town; it has a rich history of growth, maritime innovation, and a lot of fishing nets. A town battered down by countless hurricanes, it’s tough to the core, and its history is something that can’t be swept away by any storm
Roots Run Deep
“This is a very good Land to fall with and a pleasant land to see,” was a quote by Robert Juet, a crewmember of the Half Moon back on September 2, 1609. That’s when Capt. Henry Hudson and his crew noticed Point Pleasant Beach and the entire stretch of Jersey Shore on their way north to explore the Hudson River. Quaker settlers started arriving here in the 1700s staking up land to establish farms with others using the bounty of the sea as fishermen, and a century later, tourism began in the farmhouses renting out rooms for $8 to $12 a week. Visitors would picnic in cedar groves along the Manasquan River, fished and hunted the area lands and waters, and took wagon rides to the beach.
Capt. John Arnold played a crucial role in transforming Point Pleasant Beach into a popular tourist destination in the 1870s. After retiring from a successful career at sea, he purchased land and made significant investments to improve the area. In 1870, he constructed Arnold Avenue, a road leading to the ocean that still bears his name today. Five years later, he was pivotal in the construction of the first bridge over the Manasquan River connecting Point Pleasant Beach to Brielle.
Arnold’s efforts did not stop there. He successfully persuaded the Central Jersey Railroad to extend its service to Point Pleasant Beach by offering right-of-way, land for a depot, and a substantial sum of money. Thanks to his efforts, on July 3, 1880, the first passenger train arrived in Point Pleasant Beach, bringing with it a new era of accessibility and prosperity for the seaside town.
As more tourists found their way to this northern Ocean County shore town, hotels began to spring up. First the four-story Resort Hotel which later burned down, then the Leighton on the dunes which later was dismantled and put to use in WWII, and then the Zimmerman on Bay Avenue. The first boardwalk was constructed in 1890 but later washed away, so tourists would flock to Clark’s Landing, property purchased by wounded Civil War veteran Roderick Clark, for its amusement.
Following some storms and the Great Fire of 1906, the town continued to rebuild and grow. In 1918, the Point Pleasant Beach Fishing Pier located off of Martell’s was built, a solid sign of things to come in terms of a vibrant Point Pleasant fishing industry.
Commercial History
A town absolutely blessed with ocean access, the commercial fishing industry flourished. Boats would make the twisty turn out of the Manasquan Inlet and bring back their top profit fish, whiting. The Point Pleasant Canal opened in the late 1920s; however, saltwater flowed fast through from the Barnegat Bay destroying the original Manasquan Inlet and collapsing the fishing industry. By 1930, a new inlet was constructed thanks to the funding from nearby towns, pricing out at $600,000 in 1931 (which in today’s dollar would be nearly $12.5 million!) With the new inlet flowing in and out with the tide, the fishing industry was back in business.
Ships would enter day and night bringing in their ‘catch of the day’ ready to be processed and sent out to local fish markets and beyond. Luckily, inside the Manasquan Inlet, all these commercial boats could stop at one dock to make this all happen. In the 1950s, the Fisherman’s Dock Cooperative Inc. of Point Pleasant Beach established its home on Channel Drive. Originally established by 12 commercial fishermen, the overall goal for the “Co-Op” was an orderly operation for spacious docking options, easy fuel access, and space for packing out fish to sell at the market.
As the whiting population all but disappeared, commercial boats started targeting sea bass, fluke, and scallops. The Co-Op profited from selling fuel, as well as the fish they hauled, which provided many residents with ample job opportunities. From working on the boats, hauling fish on the docks, to processing their fish, the Co-Op became a staple for employment in Point, and a great place for raising a fishing family.
Recreational Evolution
In 1932, John “Jack” Kennell, Sr. bought waterfront property soon to be known as Ken’s Landing; it was taken from his last name, just shortened. Soon after, Jack bought his first charter boat named after his sister Ruth. His second purchase was named after his daughter Norma and included her middle name, christening it the Norma-E. Following this all boats were called the Norma-K for Norma Kennell. The original or “the little” Norma-K was purchased in 1957 and was the first boat in the Norma-K fleet to sail as an “open party boat.” This brought eager anglers from all over who didn’t have their own boats onboard to set sail targeting a variety of species based on the season.
| FISHY BUSINESS |
| Learn more about the following Manasquan Inlet area (Point Pleasant and Brielle) recreational fishing businesses including hours of operation and/or sailing schedules in our Report Section throughout the ’25 season.
BAIT & TACKLE Fishermen’s Supply Co. – 69 Channel Drive, Point Pleasant Beach (732-892-2058) Jersey Hooker Inlet Bait & Tackle – 9 Inlet Drive, Point Pleasant Beach (732-903-7698) The Reel Seat – 707 Union Avenue, Brielle (732-223-5353)
FOR-HIRE (Charter) Canyon Runner Sportfishing (732-842-6825) Dauntless (732-892-4298) Jersey Nutz Sportfishing (609-354-2734) Miss Magic Sportfishing (732-547-0104) Mushin Sportfishing (609-228-3080) Sligo Sportfishing Charters (908-432-7447)
FOR-HIRE (Head Boat) Big Jamaica (732-528-5014) Gambler Fishing (732-295-7569) Jamaica II (732-458-3188) Norma K III (732-496-5377) Paramount Deep Sea Fishing (732-528-2117) |
In my opinion, it’s way more fun to hook and fight your dinner than to just point to it in a case at the fish market. A good day out meant plenty of fish for dinner and enough to share with friends and family, so business was soon booming. The 45-footer was captained by a 21-year-old named Ken Keller. This boat signified the beginning of the party boat fishing out of Point, sprouting new party boats such as the Miss Point Pleasant II; today if you fish out of Ken’s Landing, you fish on the flagship, 95-foot Norma-K III as Capt. Kenneth James Keller and Norma Keller’s legacy lives on, watching down on you as you reel in the day’s pool winner.
Nestled in right on Channel Drive, Fishermen’s Supply was later established in 1948 by the Stensland family, and after 77 years in the business, it’s a go-to tackle shop that has expanded to cater to the vast range of fishermen who reside in the area and beyond. Originally up the street, back in 1948, they catered solely to commercial fishing as was the norm for the town. Every property on the street was in the commercial fishery one way or another, with only a few for-hire party boats sailing from there at that time. In 1988 the expansion project started due to the never-ending battle with the overregulated commercial industry, so Fishermen’s Supply kicked off catering to recreational fishermen.
To target the recreational anglers, Fishermen’s Supply started selling bait to cater to the giant bluefin market which at that point was not yet regulated, meaning a lot of fishermen were going out and trying to make a fishy buck. In 2002, the shop moved down the road to the 4,000-plus square foot store it is today. Not only with this expansion did they have access to supplying all things fishing, they also established their own fuel dock and christened the 100-foot party boat Voyager there in their “backyard.” A true one-stop-shop, for example a tuna fisherman can pull up to their dock, get fuel, and while fueling up, walk up the dock and purchase some bait, rigs, or any other gear they may need which is the proof in the pudding of why this family-owned shop has been booming for almost 80 years.
A town with as much salt in its blood as the ocean, Point Pleasant Beach is a historic town with deep roots in all aspects of the fishing industry. From its commercial roots dating back over a hundred years to finding an SP Minnow in the hottest color of the 21st century, the town’s fishing roots run deep. Next time you’re hopping on one of the Point Pleasant based party boats or stopping off at Fishermen’s Supply to get geared up, take notice of the hustle and bustle of the still thriving Channel Drive fishing industry.
It doesn’t matter what time of year, commercial or recreational, that street is always alive with charters, sales running out the door, and fresh fish for those days when you may not have done as well as you’d have like yourself.
