The Keansburg Pier Is Shorter This Fall. Here's What's Still Biting Off the End That's Left

"Of course not." That was the pier's reply on Facebook this spring, when followers asked whether the broken end had been fixed before reopening. The rest of the reply said the pier "is shorter now he hopes by next year."

That's still the most recent word anyone has published about the Keansburg Fishing Pier at 275 Beachway. Now that it's the last day of September, the reply describes a fall season unlike the usual one. The far end is gone, the reopening announcement covered weekends, and every report this season that names the pier mentions small fish. The striper run that gave the pier its fall reputation is being reported elsewhere in the bay. Both the pier and the fish are still here. They just aren't in the same place yet.

The end that broke, and the half that reopened

On the night of February 2 and into the early hours of February 3, 2026, a broad ice sheet in Raritan Bay and full-moon tides kept grinding against the pier's old pilings until the far end gave way. Keansburg Mayor George Hoff told The Fisherman that about 200 to 300 feet partially collapsed, mostly at the very end.

Pier manager Kathi Smock compared it with Superstorm Sandy. "I say it's much worse really," she said. "During Hurricane Sandy, only boards got loose." This time, pilings were left standing bare out of the water, and she said repairs will probably mean pulling the old pilings and driving new ones.

The rest of the pier reopened in time for the season. The Facebook announcement read, "The pier will be open weekends starting Saturday, April 4th."

"The owners do plan on rebuilding." Kathi Smock, Keansburg Pier manager, to The Fisherman

Smock and Hoff both said it was too early for a timeline. Hoff said the borough will work with the Gehlhaus family, who own the pier, to speed up building and environmental permits once engineers finish their assessment. No published update since that spring report has named a contractor, an engineering result or a start date. "By next year" is still a hope, not a schedule.

Even the pier's original length is hard to pin down. The Fisherman put the old pier at 2,400 feet, while the amusement park's pier page says 2,000. Neither source gives the length of the shortened pier.

Every report from the planks this season has been small fish

Here is every report since June that mentions the Keansburg pier by name, in order:

• June 18: The Tackle Box in Hazlet told On The Water that "small blues are popping up around the Keansburg Pier and off Leonardo."
• June 25: "Loads of croakers and spot around the bay and at the Keansburg Pier," with snappers showing up too.
• September 10: Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box reported croakers at the Keansburg Pier and mostly short fluke in the surf.
• September 26: Fred's Bait's report listed croakers and spots at Keansburg pier and suggested small pieces of worm, clam and squid on small hooks.

That's a summer-into-fall pattern of croakers, spot, snappers and the occasional small bluefish. It suits a kid with a light rod and a handful of bait. In her 2025 profile with The Fisherman, Smock also counted kingfish, weakfish and striped bass among the pier's regular catches, along with a 49-inch striper among its most memorable fish. None of the 2026 reports so far mentions a striper, weakfish or kingfish caught from the pier.

Where the stripers are being reported instead

The striper action has been reported across the bay. As of September 26, Fred's Bait had bass following bunker in the bay, especially at night and in the morning, with fish caught at Cliffwood Beach, South Amboy Waterfront Park, Carteret and the Perth Amboy pier. The suggested baits were sand or blood worms, fresh bunker chunks and clams.

The Fisherman's northern New Jersey roundup for September 28 called the week very slow. It said the nor'easter pushed fish toward bait in the Raritan Bay backwaters, and the fall run was still expected to build. Julian's Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands reported one angler catching stripers and blues in those backwaters during the storm. In Keyport, the September 24 report listed weakfish, snappers and spot along the waterfront and looked ahead to fall stripers after the storm and full moon.

So the bass are in Raritan Bay and the run is expected. Whether they show up within casting range of the shortened Keansburg pier is the open question for October.

The all-nighter question

That question matters because of what the pier has offered in past falls. Smock is known for keeping the pier open all night during peak striper season, giving anglers what The Fisherman called access to some of the best striper fishing in New Jersey. In the 2025 profile, usual hours were 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with overnight hours sometimes added when the bass were running.

No 2026 announcement says the all-nighters are coming back this fall. Published sources don't confirm current weekday hours, the 2026 closing date or this year's wristband price either. The 2025 profile listed $12 for adults and $6 for children. The amusement park's pier page lists $14 and $6, but it's still headed with a 2024 opening date. Neither should be treated as this October's price.

The pier's own Facebook page is where its updates and fishing news get posted, and the pier's number is 732-495-1400. The bait and tackle counter at the front, where Smock hands out wristbands and advice on what's biting, is the best source on whether the bass have reached the end that's left.

The rules changed on September 25

The fall calendar on the pier also shifted under New Jersey's 2026 marine regulations. Fluke season closed on September 25, so a fluke caught this week goes back in the water. Here's what applies from here to the end of the year:

1. Striped bass: one fish, 28 to 31 inches. Check the NJDEP 2026 Marine Digest for season dates by water body.
2. Circle hooks: bait anglers targeting striped bass must use inline, non-offset circle hooks, and recreational anglers can't gaff a striper.
3. A new way to measure: as of July 14, 2026, a striper's total length is measured with the mouth closed and the upper and lower tail lobes squeezed together. A fish right at the slot edge may measure differently than it would have last fall.
4. Blackfish: one fish at 15 inches through November 15, then five fish at 15 inches from November 16 through December 31.
5. Weakfish: open year-round, one fish at 13 inches.

With fluke closed and the striper slot holding one fish, croakers and spot are, for now, the main reason to bring a bucket.

Before you head down Beachway

The nearest tackle counters reporting on the bay this fall are the Tackle Box in Hazlet, Keyport Bait and Tackle, Up Front Bait and Tackle in Keyport, and Julian's Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands. Their weekly reports have been the best clue to what's moving through the bay.

If you planned to pair a pier morning with a ride on the Henry Hudson Trail, check the route first. Monmouth County posted on September 28 that the trail is closed between Popamora Point and Atlantic Highlands Marina for storm-damage assessment and repairs. The segment between Wilson Avenue and Church Street in Port Monmouth closed on or about August 10 for roughly two years during the Army Corps coastal project, with a signed detour. Current trail notices are on the Monmouth County Parks site.

For this weekend, the confirmed plan is the one the season's reports support: small hooks, worms or squid, and a call to 732-495-1400 to confirm the gate is open before you load the car.

Living near the Bayshore means keeping track of the places that have changed, from a shorter pier to a closed trail segment to the bait shop with the latest report. If you have questions about Keansburg, or about what's changing along this stretch of Raritan Bay, the team at The Haven Group is happy to talk it through. Get in Touch.