MANASQUAN — Of the many draws Manasquan has to both local residents and visitors, it is no secret that the community of dedicated anglers that have made up the Manasquan Fishing Club for the past 70 years are a catch for the local community.
Since its inception in December of 1955, the Manasquan Fishing Club has served the angler community, inspiring the thrill of fishing to young and old alike through seasonal workshops, scholarships, monthly informational meetings, kids fishing derbies and more.
Club President Paul Shafer has been a member of the club since 2016, but has been fishing on the shores of Manasquan long before then. Shafer, born in 1956, said he has been to Manasquan “every year of my life” and although it might look a bit different today, admittedly he was hooked at a young age and has fished off the beach and in the inlet for just as long.
“There’s no better place than Manasquan,” Shafer said. “I really grew up here because my grandparents retired here in the ‘50s, growing up I spent all of my summers in Manasquan. It was really only after I retired that I had the time to get involved with the club. It’s just a great group of people that love fishing.”
The club was officially chartered on Dec. 19, 1955 with Al Rose, Rocky Luciano, William Conrad, John Slebodnik and William Coulter as founding members, according to a club archive. In the 70 years since its inception, the club has countless stories and memories preserved in an archived “special” cardboard box, saving the tales of some legendary Manasquan Fishing Club moments.
One epic story, witnessed and co-signed by eight club members, detailed when Luciano cast completely across the Manasquan Inlet on Friday, Nov. 7, 1975 at 3:15 p.m. Using an 11-foot surf rod, a spinning reel with a 12-pound line and a 3-ounce pyramid sinker, Luciano completed his cast standing in the Jenkinson’s lot at the South Jetty and, on the second try, hit the Coast Guard sign on the Manasquan side, 420 feet across the water.
In the club’s 70-year history, Luciano’s fabled cast and other legendary memories and stories have been preserved, along with the many fixtures of Manasquan’s fishing community from the old meeting location at Howard Height’s Boathouse on Perrine Boulevard to bait and tackle shops including Clem Danish’s Fisherman’s Cove, Paul Schmidt’s Paul’s Bait and Tackle and Joe Graziano’s Joe’s Bait and Tackle.
While the rich history of Manasquan’s fishing community is crystal clear, Shafer believes Manasquan’s fishing community and the history-filled club’s best days are ahead, evident by the exponential growth of the 55-member club.
The club’s mission is to honor the art of saltwater angling and to enhance the fishing skills of the members, something Shafer and club organizers have paid specific attention to in recent years. According to Shafer, local anglers flock to the club for their own reasons, but that generally, the club provides a setting to enhance both fishing knowledge and skills from other anglers.
At the club’s annual monthly meeting, the group invites a variety of speakers, including experienced anglers, academics from local state universities, club members, state officials and other knowledgeable guests who bring their expertise and backgrounds to talk about all things fishing.
For some, the club is more than just a group of like-minded anglers, it’s a generational family affair. Shafer, his brother Bill and son Chris are one of seven generational groups of family members who are registered members of the Manasquan Fishing Club.
With two grandchildren and another on the way, Shafer said, “For me, this is also an opportunity to try to preserve all this for future generations, and you see that a lot in our club.”
In recent years, after Manasquan Recreation Director Erik Ertle approached then-president Bill Beck about teaching youth fishing courses, Shafer, alongside club member Jack Pongracz, began teaching spring and fall fishing classes, in addition to a summertime children’s youth clinic.
“It’s a universal truth, children don’t care what they catch, they just want to feel a tug at the end of the line,” Shafer said.
In its robust history, the Manasquan Fishing Club has hosted a variety of contests, tournaments and derbies for members young and old. Partnered with the Manasquan Police Benevolent Association, the club assists in annual fishing derby at Mac’s Pond every May, in addition to hosting a fishing contest at the town-wide celebration, Big Sea Day. In addition to kids fishing contests, the club has recurring yearly contests, all of which award the club angler that reels in the biggest fish.
On behalf of the group of volunteers that dedicate their time on behalf of the Manasquan Fishing Club, Shafer said, “We do it because the future of fishing lies in the future generations of anglers. There’s nothing that brings more joy to a fisherman than seeing a young child with a big smile when they catch a fish.”
According to Shafer, in honor of its 70th anniversary, the club set two major goals for the year: put an emphasis on fish tagging and preservation and, secondly, to give instruction, attention and opportunity to the club’s newest members through basic instructional tips.
To join the Manasquan Fishing Club, members of the public must attend two meetings – and at the second attended meeting, the club will determine by majority if an individual can join the club. Dues cost $75 a year per member, or as Shafer called, “the price of one spot on a party boat.”
“During the pandemic, we were drawing six people to a meeting. At our last meeting we had around 50 people in the room. There’s a buzz, there’s excitement. It’s really gratifying to see that our efforts are making a difference in the fishing community. We feel we’re on a roll and that the club’s best days are not behind us but in front of us,” Shafer said.
For more information on the Manasquan Fishing Club, its calendar of events and how to get involved, visit manasquanfishingclub.com
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