Richard Bloschock knows his days are numbered when he steps on sugar sand.
The serenity of Island Beach State Park is where his father taught him how to surf fish as a boy. Years later, he brought his own sons here to teach the next generation of Bloschock men how to cast a line far into the surf.
“There’s no place where I don’t have memories,” says Bloschock, 55, as the waves lap his black snow boots on a chilly December morning.
But Bloschock won’t be making new memories here next year because of a controversial state decision that will kill his access, he says. And he knows exactly what his late father, Richard Bloschock Sr., would say about New Jersey allowing out-of-state fishermen to take its place.
“Bulls—,” says Bloschock, miming a sharp inflection.
Bloschock, a Princeton resident who grew up in Lakehurst, is one of 3,609 losers in a new state lottery for parking permits, which are essential to fish on the secluded beach. The denial of a small sticker has ignited a massive scandal that underscores how special fishing holes are to New Jerseyans — and how upset they are when one is ripped off.
Beach access is now the source of curse-filled tirades hurled at out-of-state anglers. Long social media ads from heartbroken anglers. Allegations that the “bennies” show up just to hang out on hallowed fishing grounds, stealing access to land that many New Jerseyans see as a key to their way of life.
“It’s like losing a little piece of heaven,” said Mark Dzindzio, 70, who has been licensed for 47 years so far.
Fishermen rise up after NJ installs lottery system for coveted shore vehicle permits
Parking proximity is everything in surf fishing, which requires long rods, heavy weights, lures and special rigs used to move the water. Anglers park on the beach and target the areas where the fish are feeding, often moving all at once.
Previously, the state used a first-come, first-served system to grant the 8,000 available permits, which cost $195 for residents and $225 for out-of-state residents.
That’s worked well for many like Bloschock, who makes dozens of trips a year in his black Toyota Tundra, unloading his gear just a short walk from the water. He had obtained an annual pass for nearly a quarter of a century.
But competition for permits has grown exponentially. They first went on sale in 2021, and demand has continued to grow ever since. New Jersey introduced a new random lottery system for 2026 that was supposed to be fairer, officials said.
“We’re trying to keep this as fair as possible, to give everybody a chance,” said John Cecil, the Department of Environmental Protection’s deputy commissioner for state parks, forests and historic sites.
Instead, the results have been devastating, said Dzindzio, president of the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association, an 800-member beach preservation group that includes many surf fishermen.
About 900 out-of-state residents, about the same number as in past years, won passes in the online lottery, according to the state. But the major difference for 2026 is that many New Jerseyans who set out to get their permits early in the first-come, first-served process have come up empty.
Some passes may remain unclaimed and be won in a later lottery. Otherwise, the state offered no solution, infuriating those who were rejected.
“It’s our beach,” Dzindzio said. “And the people who run it are there to run it for us.”
No fishing policy change in the past 50 years has sparked so much outrage, said John Bushell Jr., who owns Betty & Nick’s Bait & Tackle, a popular Seaside Park shop.
“People who have been fishing there for decades are very upset,” he said.
Island Beach State Park fishing
Growing demand
It all started with a small sticker.
New Jerseyans loved fishing in Island Beach State Park long before the state bought the land in 1953. But fishermen had to get a parking permit from the mayor of what was then Island Beach Borough.
The state bought the land and continued to issue the permits, often decorating the colorful rectangular sticker with a fish or sea creature.
The system has worked without problems for decades.
Until COVID-19.
As the pandemic wreaked havoc, New Jersey residents and their neighbors longed for time outdoors. Fishing. The hikes. Bird watching. Island Beach, a hotspot for everything, was in demand like never before. Photos and videos of trips to the barrier island spread on social media, according to Caryn Shinske, DEP spokeswoman.
Permit applications rose from 7,900 in 2020 to more than 10,000 in 2024. The state created an online system in 2021 — after the number of applicants topped the 8,000 cap for the first time — to try to streamline the process.
Fishing vehicle permits, issued only to 4×4 or four-wheel drive vehicles, are limited to avoid overcrowding or damage to the park’s natural resources. The number has remained steady at 8,000 — excluding additional permits issued to disabled veterans — even as applications have risen to nearly 12,000 for 2026.
New Jerseyans won 7,089 of the 8,000 permits for 2026, claiming about 88 percent, a similar number to the previous five years.
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But that’s little comfort to people like Jonas Garcia, 58, who has been visiting Island Beach State Park for 50 years and won’t be able to fish there next year.
Garcia, of Toms River, loves nightly bonfires on the beach after a day of fishing with his son and friends. Driving his silver Toyota FJ Cruiser past the beach grass and onto the sand instantly feels like being transported.
“It’s like being in a whole other world,” Garcia says.
Losing the permit is “very depressing,” says Dzindzio, who held the permit for nearly half a century before it was rejected for 2026. And it’s an especially hard pill to swallow given that residents of Oregon, South Carolina, Montana, Maine and 20 other states have received new permits.
Some out-of-state lottery winners may also have a New Jersey residence. But that’s irrelevant to locals who see Island Beach State Park as a haven that’s being stolen.
“It’s our second home,” says Dzindzio, exasperated. “A lot of guys have their ashes scattered there.”
Fishermen rise up after NJ installs lottery system for coveted shore vehicle permits
Voltage increase
The only tension Kevin Deiter used to feel at Island Beach State Park was the heavy tug of a 35-pound striped bass unexpectedly pulling on his pole.
But the friendly vibes have changed dramatically in recent years, says the South Florida fisherman.
“Go back to Florida, Mom!” someone shouted at him recently.
It doesn’t matter that Deiter grew up in Burlington Township and has been fishing the park’s beach since 1973. People see his license plate and call him or crowd his space to send a message.
“They’re sitting and fishing right next to me. They give me a dirty look, like they’re saying you’re not here,'” Deiter says over the phone.
Deiter understands why New Jerseyans might be upset with him. But they’re mad at the wrong guy, he says. The bigger problem is people who get permits with no plans to fish and then show up and break park rules, he says.
Outsiders routinely buy children’s fishing rods to signal that they are using the permits as intended, says Bushell Jr., the owner of the bait and tackle shop. Then they park several cars in one spot just to sit on the sand, usually drinking alcohol, which is prohibited by park rules, local fishermen say.
“They buy little crap and stick it in a sandbar,” Deiter says of people exploiting the permits, “and they just hang out all day and the police don’t do anything about it.”
Island Beach fishing social media pages are full of similar rants.
“Congratulations everyone,” joked one poster, who didn’t get a pass for 2026. “You’ve officially destroyed the dream of a humble, seasoned and talented generational inshore fisherman. I hope the Instagram photos were worth it.”
New Jersey is trying to address complaints from locals left out of the lottery, including those about lax enforcement, officials say. But he struggles to find a perfect answer.
A weekday pass released four years ago is no good for anyone who wants full access. And Island Beach State Park is bound to get even more attention given the latest debate over passes.
The state’s concerns that returning to a “first-come, first-served-in-person” system would stymie traffic and negatively impact the nearby community, Cecil says. Officials are still evaluating whether a lottery is the best option for the 2027 permits, says Rebecca Fitzgerald, DEP state parks administrator.
The DEP declined to comment on the proposed legislation that would provide an initial 14-day window in which only New Jersey residents could purchase fishing permits. Residents who pay taxes that cover park improvements should be the first priority, say lawmakers who proposed the bill.
But even if the new bill passes, it won’t change the fact that any New Jersey that wasn’t selected in the 2026 lottery has already lost.
The salty sea air wafts in as Bloschock steps into the frozen surf near an old beach shack where he usually begins his outings.
His 2025 sticker is still valid for a few more days.
He drops his line and goes silent.
“On December 31st, I’m pulling out the heat gun,” Bloschock says later in a text message. “To remove what may be my last license.”
Fishermen rise up after NJ installs lottery system for coveted shore vehicle permits
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