The string of expletives directed at Cheech and me would have to serve as our “Welcome aboard” as the fishermen inside the American Classic’s cabin implored us to shut the (expletive removed) door, lest the heater’s warmth escape into the cold, December gloaming. A different breed of angler lines the rails of party boats between November and April. Gone are the smiling, sunscreen-slathered, Dramamine-popping tourists hoping to catch “whatever’s biting” on a half-day trip, replaced by Carhartt-clad, steely-eyed regulars with 100-quart coolers that they damn-well better fill or the captain’s gonna hear about it.
If you’re the type of fisherman who racks the rods when the stripers leave or turns your attentions to fresh and hard water to get you through the winter, you might not even know that headboats throughout the Northeast sail all year long. The captains and crews provide what I consider a public service, ferrying cabin-fever-afflicted anglers over the icy Atlantic swells to where schools of delicious bottom-dwelling species ride out the cold months. And while the winter headboat regulars might be a little saltier than your average angler, it’s important not to take things personally. The same guys who greeted you with four letter words will toss you a beer on the ride in and let you watch them count their pool winnings.
Here are some of the trips that the On The Water crew through the (expletive removed) winter:
When: December, January
Boats:
Yankee Fleet
Gloucester, MA
Eastman’s Fleet
Seabrook, NH
American Classic
Lynn, Massachusetts
The pollock is unique among its groundfish brethren in that it’s perfectly comfortable feeding anywhere from the surface to the bottom. Its forked tale and aggressive attitude earned it the nickname Boston Bluefish. In the winter, massive schools of pollock swim close off northern New England, in range of boats from Maine to the North Shore of Massachusetts.
The winter of 2023/2024 was a banner year for pollock, with anglers enjoying drop-and-reel action with fish that ranged up to 20 pounds.
Best of all, pollock fishing is better done with jigs, not the bone-chilling bait-and-wait. Send a heavy Norwegian- or herring-style jig to the bottom, crank it up 50 to 75 feet, and drop it back down. This tactic, known as squidding, is a time-honored way to catch these groundfish as they spread throughout the water column on their hunt for herring.
While pollock do strike a jig, most fish will fall to the teaser(s) fished above it. Any type of fly or soft-plastic teaser can work, but you’ll see most regulars using “cod flies,” simple teasers tied from synthetic hair. Favorite colors include blue, purple, and pink.
Acadian redfish usually add some color to the cooler on pollock trips, and it’s wise to have a three-hook bait rig ready in case the captain pivots to redfish on a slow pollock day.
Pool-Winning Tip:
Get to the boat early and secure the pulpit, where you’ll have more room to cast your jig underhand (always underhand on a headboat!) and probe for pollock out of reach for the other anglers.
Deep-Water Wrecks for Black Sea Bass and Porgies
When: December
Boats:
Voyager
Point Pleasant, NJ
The winter wrecking-crew trips, departing from New Jersey and Long Island ports, involve long runs with big payoffs as the largest models of each species are caught on these trips. The state record black sea bass, Steve Singler’s 9-pounder, was caught on one of these trips aboard the Voayager in December 2015.
Captains will anchor over wrecks in 150 to 250 feet of water, where sea bass and porgies dominate the catch, while bluefish, cod, weakfish, and pollock add some extra spice to the winter variety.
Pool-Winning Tip:
Skip the clams and send down a diamond jig (with a bulky teaser). The largest sea bass can be the most aggressive, and while the clam-soakers are culling through scup and shorts, you’ll be bailing knothead sea bass.
Tautog
Timing: November to February
Boats:
Norma-K III
Point Pleasant, NJ
Depending on the port of call, tog season ends as early as January or as late as March. Headboat togging can be tricky business, with the large vessels forced to focus on heavily pressured, well-known reefs and wrecks in 40 to 60 feet of water—not to mention the 30 or so other crab-baited rigs on board vying for a tautog’s attention. However, saltwater-starved anglers in the depths of winter cannot afford to be choosy beggars.
Board the boat with plenty of pre-snelled hooks on short leaders and an ample supply of lead. The easy-to-tie “Belmar Rig” was made for this type of fishing and is the fastest way to get back in the game after an inevitable hangup.
If the boat offers white-legger crabs at an upcharge, get them. These baits can provide an advantage over green crabs. Experiment with the presentation and see what’s getting the right bites—half-crab, whole crab, shell on, shell off, legs on (burger and fries), or legs off (just the burger). If short tog and bergalls are stripping your crab of the tasty vittles before a keeper can find it, try going with a whole crab. If that doesn’t get bites on a couple of drops, try cracking the shell with the sinker and sending it back down.
For your sake, and the sake of the other anglers on board, do your best to avoid bouncing your sinker. On heavily-fished structures, tog can be wary of the sound of sinkings clicking over the structure.
You may get only one shot to convert the right bite into a scales-of-justice-tipping white-chinner, so anytime your crab is on the bottom, it’s important to remain focused on feeling what’s happening with your bait and choosing the opportune time to swing the rod.
Pool-Winning Tip:
Find the edge. Most of the anglers on board will drop their rigs straight to the bottom, though there’s nothing wrong with this tactic. The captains and mates on headboats go to great lengths to double-anchor over the structure so everyone on board is over some hard, tog-holding bottom. Still, you can give yourself an edge by casting your rig (underhand, of course) away from the boat and feeling for the edge of the structure or some high points. This can help your crab stand alone among the 30 or 40 other rigs on board and put you in front of some fresh fish; however, casting away from the boat increases the likelihood of snagging
Cod
Timing: November to April
Boats:
Miss Montauk II
Montauk, NY
Frances Fleet
Galilee, RI
The waters around Block Island hold schools of cod during the winter, and headboats sail for them as the weather allows. The fishing runs hot and cold, with fish simply not feeding on some days, but most trips provide a good shot at a keeper codfish or three. Clam-baited high-low rigs and jigs work equally well, though jigs outperform clams early in the winter, when there are large schools of baitfish on the ground.
Many of the cod will be right around the 23-inch minimum size, and any fish pushing 30 inches will be in heavy contention for the pool money.
Sea bass (when in season) and some super-sized bergalls are the primary bycatch on winter cod trips. Bergalls, when large enough to yield a hearty fillet, are excellent eating, and well worth keeping.
Pool-Winning Tip:
Bundle up and stay at the rail. Winter codfishing can be a grind, but the more time your bait is soaking or your jig is jigging, the better the odds of a pool-winning cod finding your bait. Good gloves, proper layering, and a comfortable pair of waterproof bibs will keep the chill out so you can keep your line in.
