So long as Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor isn’t locked in ice, there’s always a couple of party boats ready to sail to these grounds for a day of midwinter fun.

“It’s cold fishing,” laments Capt. Don Hager, Jr. of the Sea Fox. “But the rewards are sizeable blackfish.”

SHARK RIVER INLET
“Last winter the water temperatures were moderate,” noted Capt. Chris Heuth of the Belmar-based party boat Big Mohawk III. “As a result, the fish hung in the 60- to 70-foot depths throughout most of the winter.

“Our biggest problem has been the commercial pots and traps being placed on the prime fishing grounds, but hopefully this will be resolved soon, as this constant pressure can’t be sustained by the fishery.”

Capt. Heuth is confident he’ll be able to put his anglers into good catches because he has a huge log of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Loran coordinates, with some hotspots being barely the size of his boat.

MANASQUAN INLET
The Paramount and Jamaica II from Brielle, and the Gambler and Dauntless from Point Pleasant Beach, sail daily throughout the winter from the Manasquan Inlet. Good bottom for finding blackfish exists from close to shore to well into the deep.

These skippers can pretty much judge where the fish will be by the water temps -- the colder it is, the farther offshore they are.

Capt. Willie Egerter Jr., who with his dad is at the helm of the Dauntless, alerts anglers to dress warm for this fishing. “If we get a strong northwester, it can bring temps around the freezing point. But the blackfish don’t mind, and it usually isn’t too difficult to put together a limit, while spicing the cooler with a bonus of ling, too.”

BARNEGAT INLET
During the summer months, Barnegat Inlet is one of the busiest inlets along the Jersey coast. But at this time of the year, many of the private boats and charter boats are snugly under wraps for the winter.

The commercial draggers continue to probe the depths, targeting squid, surf clams, and scallops.

There are also the party boats Doris Mae IV, with Capt. Charles Eble at the wheel, and the big charter boat Searcher II, skippered by Wayne Eble. Both of them make the trek to the blackfish grounds, weather permitting.

Charlie always smiles when the subject of blackfish angling comes up. “These are dedicated fishermen who are much like the postman’s motto: ‘Neither rain, wind or snow deters them from putting together a catch of these fine bottom feeders.’

“They’ve got all the comforts of home on our big boats, including a galley with a hot chowder to take off the chill.”

ATLANTIC CITY
It’s noted for its casinos, but a sizeable fleet of party boats heads seaward during the winter months from Atlantic City, where the chance of scoring with a good catch is better than winning at the slots.

This section of the coastline enjoys slightly warmer winter water temperatures than to the north. The Atlantic City area also has miles and miles of choice bottom. For the local skippers, the key is their logbooks of bottom coordinates -- often of patches just a 100 or 200 feet in size, where the blackfish find plenty of food to sustain them for the winter. Most of these fish will be found in depths ranging from 60 to 100 feet.

SEA ISLE CITY
Anchoring is the key to successful blackfish action. The 70-foot Captain Robbins, with the good skipper of the same name at the helm, has a new two-anchor system that enables him to pinpoint even the tiniest piece of bottom when he’s seeking the blackfish. His two-anchor method allows the captain to stay put over the smallest bottom structure. This lets his anglers drop their bait right into the lairs of tasty blackfish.