Megan Beth Sportfishing is the best reviewed private boat in Point Pleasant, a 38 foot Henriques sportfisherman run by owner captain Dan McGivney, who has fished the Manasquan Inlet for 35 years. It carries the deepest and most consistent review trail of any charter in the port, around 203 reviews at 4.9 on FishingBooker, and the recurring note is a knowledgeable captain and non stop action on the better days. For an angler who wants a private boat with the same captain on the bridge every trip rather than a seat on a crowded rail, it is the standout in the port.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.0 the Megan Beth is a strong choice and the third boat in our Point Pleasant ranking, the highest placed of the private charters, ahead of Sligo. It earns the spot on the captain and the record: an owner who has run the inlet for 35 years, backed by the largest and most positive review trail in the port. What keeps it from ranking higher is the boat and the scope. At 38 feet it is a comfortable but smaller hull than the big party boats and the 42 foot private boat at Sligo, and it is a part time operation, so dates are limited and the longest offshore canyon runs are not its game. Book it for a private inshore or mid shore day with a captain who knows this water cold.
The boat
The Megan Beth is a 38 foot Henriques sportfisherman, powered by twin 375 horsepower Caterpillar diesels that cruise around 21 knots, and fully restored in 2018. It carries up to 6 anglers, the Coast Guard limit on a six pack boat, with an air conditioned salon, a full head, a kitchen, a live bait tank, and a full electronics package of GPS, radar, sonar, and a fishfinder. It is a comfortable, well found private boat, set up for both a day bottom fishing the inlet and the wrecks and a longer run offshore. The honest limit is size: it is smaller than the party boats and the 42 foot Henriques at Sligo, so a big group or a long canyon run is better suited elsewhere.
The fishing and what you target
The Megan Beth fishes both inshore and offshore. The bread and butter is bottom and inshore fishing for black sea bass, tautog, striped bass, and bluefish on the wrecks and around the inlet, the staples of the New Jersey coast, and on a longer day the boat can run offshore for tuna and sharks. Captain McGivney fishes the season in front of him rather than promising the same box of fish year round, and the reviews describe the better bottom days as non stop, with one regular noting more than a dozen fish an hour. The boat carries the federal permit that covers tuna on the offshore trips.
Trips and prices
The Megan Beth sells by the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only, so it works out per person when your own group fills the deck. Trips start from about $400 on the FishingBooker listing, with shorter inshore trips listed from about $200 on the operator’s own site, a difference worth confirming when you book along with the trip length. For a private boat with an experienced owner captain, that is fair value, well below the cost of the larger private sportfishers. Our cost guide sets a private charter against a party boat seat, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs booking the whole boat against a walk on.
The crew
Captain Dan McGivney is the reason to book this boat. He has held his captain’s license for 27 years and fished out of the Manasquan Inlet for 35, and he runs the boat himself with his mate Chris, so the person you book is the one on the bridge. The review record is the deepest of any private boat in the port, around 203 reviews at 4.9, with repeat customers and steady praise for local knowledge and a hard working mate. The one practical qualifier is that this is a part time charter operation, so available dates are more limited than a full time boat, and booking ahead matters more.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing. The boat runs out of the Manasquan Inlet at Point Pleasant Beach. No fishing license is needed, since the boat covers it, and bait and tackle come with the trip. Bring food, drinks, and a cooler for your catch, and book early, since a part time boat has fewer open dates than the party boats. For the other strong private boat in the port, with two larger hulls, see Sligo Sportfishing; for the cheap walk on option, the Gambler sells a seat by the person.
How we scored it
The Megan Beth scores 8.0: the best reviewed private boat in Point Pleasant, an experienced owner captain with 35 years on the Manasquan and the deepest, most consistent review trail in the port. Captain and crew and track record are its top factors. It sits behind the two big party boats because it is a smaller, part time operation, with limited dates and none of the long offshore range of the bigger boats, not because of anything on the water. See how we scored this boat, and compare it against the rest of the Point Pleasant fleet.