Pollock are a favorite quarry of the subzero hero crowd due to their fighting abilities as well as their taste. Photo by Nick Honachefsky.

Brrr! Boy, is it chilly outside, right? Might as well put a log in the fireplace, slip on those warm, fuzzy slippers, kick back in the recliner and wait for spring to start fishing. Horse jack! So what if your breath comes out white and the ground crunches underfoot? After all, the saltwater arena beckons in a big way! More than ever before along the Eastern Seaboard, a grand resurgence of subzero heroes have been pounding the decks of party boats all through the frigid winter months in pursuit of a variety of hard-fightin', salty fare.

Wintertime fishing for the most part is all about bouncing on bottom. Shipwrecks, reef sites and hardscrabble structure will be holding all sorts of groundfish and bottom-fish that are eager to bite despite the chilled-down waters that range from 38 to 48 degrees. There's a veritable smorgasbord of muscle-headed, big-shouldered fish that sure don't mind the cold water awaiting the saltwater hound. From Maine to Maryland, the fishing menu is magnificent.

THE 'MOST WANTED' LIST
Ling, aka Red Hake
The ling is one aesthetically challenged critter. The affable, yet tasty ling, with its bottom-feeling barbels, populate nearshore wrecks in the 10- to 30-mile range. Ling, or red hake, give wintertime anglers a real deal worthwhile ride through the winter seas, as catches can span averages of 15 to 60 fish per man per trip.

Though ling aren't known for their vicious rod-bending fights, as once you get them about 30 feet off the bottom, their air bladder pops out and they go limp; however, they will give your bait a good initial whack and a 3-pound-plus red hake will definitely give you a little jolt. Red hake mainly weigh between 1 and 3 pounds, but 4- to 6-pound "baseball bat" specimens are not uncommon and will usually take the pool money for the day.

A standard two-hook rig works best to bring up these feisty scrappers, with a snelled 2/0 hook tied right above the sinker and another snelled hook on a dropper 12 inches up from that hook. Small bits of clam work well to take most fish, but if you have sea robin, bergall or bluefish strips, cut them in 3- to 4-inch slices and lance them on the hook for a shot at a 4-pound-plus bracket hake. Red hake to 10 pounds have been taken through the winter months.

The bottom rig consists of a bank sinker on an overhand loop, two 10-inch leadered and snelled 3/0 Gamakatsu Octopus, or 2/0 beak-style hooks looped on 1 inch above the sinker, which allows the baits to rest on bottom.

Atlantic Pollock
Pollock are one of the hardest-fighting fish on the wreck scene. These tasty bottom-fish do not actually hang inside a wreck like blackfish, but above and around it, feeding on the baitfish that congregate around the structure. Pollock are more active feeders and will readily take down a metal jig or strip bait. (Continued)

Be prepared to drop a heavy 4- to 8-ounce Viking Jig down with a 4/0 teaser tied about 3 feet up to jig above the wreck, or drop down some strip baits from bergalls or herring. If a pollock or haddock is there, it will be on it. Offshore pollock usually range in the 10- to 35-pound class and tend to school and hover 30 to 40 feet above a wreck. Try dropping down to the bottom, then crank in 30 feet of line and begin jigging.

Use 6/0 baitholder-style hooks fixed with bucktail teasers and 5- to 6-inch strip baits 3 feet above a Crippled Herring jig of 8 to 12 ounces.