Every day of the week, the Queen Mary pulls away from the dock at 6:30 a.m. for a striped bass trip and gets back at 1:30 p.m. The Dauntless sails at 7:30 a.m., and it does that every day of the year. On November 1, the Gambler's posted fall striper trips join that early-morning lineup. Up on the boards, South Beach Arcade is already closed for the season, and Martell's has moved to its post-season menu.
In Point Pleasant Beach, November doesn't empty out. Activity moves inland a few blocks, from the oceanfront to the inlet docks, and what stays on the boardwalk is a smaller set of fixed anchors that are easy to plan around. Tonight is the last downtown event on the summer pattern before that shift.
Halloween week closes out the summer pattern
Witches Walk runs on Arnold Avenue downtown this evening, Thursday, October 29, from 4 to 8 p.m., according to the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce. It's a weeknight event built on downtown storefronts, and that format doesn't come back until the holidays.
On Saturday, October 31, Halloween moves to the skate park. The Point Pleasant Beach Recreation Department's Grom O Ween runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with skateboarding and a costume contest. It's daytime, it's for younger skaters, and it wraps up hours before trick-or-treating.
The next day is November 1, and the calendar's focus moves to the docks.
November 1 is when the boats switch
The party boats on and around Channel Drive don't all switch to fall fishing on the same day. Their schedules do bunch up around the start of November, though, and that's what makes the month feel different on the waterfront.
| Boat | What's posted for fall | Departure and length | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gambler | 3/4-day striped bass trips starting November 1; 3/4-day sea bass trips also listed | Seven-hour trips | $95 |
| Norma-K III | Striped bass from late October through November; night striper dates "to be posted soon" | 3/4-day sea bass, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Not posted |
| Queen Mary | Daily striped bass trips; Point Princess runs "Lazy Man Stripers" | 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | $105 weekday, $125 weekend |
| Dauntless | Sails daily, year-round | 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | $100 |
The fares make the most sense side by side. On the Queen Mary, a Saturday striper trip costs $30 more than a seven-hour Gambler trip, and its weekday adult fare is $10 more. The Queen Mary also posts senior fares of $95 weekday and $105 weekend, child fares of $70 and $75, and a $15 rod rental. The Dauntless charges $95 for seniors and military, $50 for children under 16, and $6 to rent a rod, so a family trip there costs noticeably less than one built around weekend fares.
The Dauntless also posts recent catches. Its October 13 report covers sea bass and porgy, and its monthly species calendar lists black sea bass and tautog for November. If you'd rather book the whole boat, the Queen Mary takes fall private charters for September through December.
The rules change twice before Thanksgiving
New Jersey's 2026 recreational fishing summary from NJDEP Fish & Wildlife changes two limits on dates that fall right in this stretch:
- Black sea bass: 10 fish at 12.5 inches from September 23 through October 31, then 15 fish at 12.5 inches from November 1 through December 31.
- Tautog: one fish from August 1 through November 15, then five fish from November 16 through December 31.
- Striped bass: one fish measuring 28 to 31 inches, with no closed season in the Atlantic Ocean within three miles of shore.
Striped bass have one more change this year. As of July 14, 2026, NJDEP adopted a total-length measuring standard: mouth closed, from the tip of the jaw or snout to the end of the tail, with the tail fork squeezed together. The details are in the state's marine regulations digest. This is general information, not legal advice, so check the current NJDEP rules or ask your captain before you keep a fish.
Taken together, the higher sea bass limit, the later jump for tautog and the start of striper trips put the waterfront's busiest weeks after Halloween, just as the boardwalk is cutting back.
What stays open on the boards
Here's what's running, according to Jenkinson's posted hours:
- Jenkinson's South, Jenkinson's Pavilion and Frank's Fun Center: open daily at 11 a.m. Closing times can change with the weather or the crowd.
- South Beach Arcade: closed for the season.
- The Fun House: weekends at noon, $8 single and $14 double.
- The Sweet Shop: open year-round, including gift baskets and online orders.
- Jenkinson's Aquarium: open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., from October 12, 2026, through April 23, 2027.
At Martell's Tiki Bar, the Tiki Bar has a "Post-season 2026" menu, and the Lobster House, Jake's Crabhouse and Sushi Bar are closed until spring 2027. Martell's hasn't posted regular November hours, so check before you head over for a weekday lunch. Its events calendar still lists live music into late November.
That calendar points to the busiest boardwalk day of the month. On Saturday, November 7, two events land on the boards at once.
Jenkinson's Aquarium holds Polar Bear Day from noon to 4 p.m., with educational displays, crafts and activities included in general admission.
A few doors down, the Chamber's Beers on the Boards takes over Martell's Tiki Bar at 308–312 Boardwalk from 2 to 5:30 p.m. The festival includes local craft beers, spiked seltzers, hard ciders, a buffet and live music by So Shot. Tickets are $65 for drinkers and $25 for designated drivers, plus the TicketSpice fee. Martell's own events calendar lists the festival from 7 to 10:30 p.m., so confirm the time with your ticket before you plan the day.
The aquarium has two smaller programs coming up for families with little kids. Tiny Tides & Tunes is a parent-and-child music class for ages newborn to 5, on Thursday, November 12, from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Wake Up with Wally is Saturday, December 5, from 9 to 10 a.m., with a pajama-themed sloth visit, a story and a craft.
Arnold Avenue picks back up on Black Friday
Downtown's biggest off-season night comes on the day after Thanksgiving. The Chamber's Tree Lighting and Santa Arrival is set for Friday, November 27, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. There will be a DJ, horse-and-carriage rides, refreshments and kids' activities, with Santa photos at Ocean County Music. With Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, the tree lighting falls on a night when many people already have the day off and family in town.
Arnold Avenue also has a newer dinner spot this year. NJ.com reported in May that Gourmand, a chef-driven modern American restaurant, opened at 641 Arnold Ave. in the historic Gottlieb Building as a 70-seat, reservation-only dining room. Gourmand's website lists dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. On Black Friday, that means you can catch the tree lighting and walk to an Arnold Avenue dinner reservation in the same evening.
Here's the full stretch in order, starting tonight:
- Thursday, October 29: Witches Walk on Arnold Avenue, 4 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, October 31: Grom O Ween at the skate park, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Sunday, November 1: Gambler's 3/4-day striper trips are posted to begin; the black sea bass limit goes from 10 to 15 fish.
- Saturday, November 7: Polar Bear Day at Jenkinson's Aquarium and Beers on the Boards at Martell's Tiki Bar.
- Thursday, November 12: Tiny Tides & Tunes at the aquarium.
- Monday, November 16: The tautog limit goes from one fish to five.
- Friday, November 27: Tree Lighting and Santa Arrival downtown.
- Saturday, December 5: Wake Up with Wally at the aquarium.
Many of my clients stay in Point Pleasant Beach long after the summer crowds leave, and November is the month that shows what the town is like the rest of the year. If you're thinking about what a year-round life near the inlet or Arnold Avenue would look like, or you just want to compare notes on the off-season, I'd love to talk. Samantha Vallone Verwey is always happy to share what she knows about this stretch of the shore. Let's Get You Home.
