Gear Deep Dive: Winter Cod Party Boat Loadout (Sand Eel Jigs)
Capt. Mike's winter cod jig bag for Northeast party boats, matched to tide, wind and depth on Coxes Ledge.
A cod on a Hogy jig and teaser.
Winter party boat cod fishing keeps growing in the Northeast. The same boats that fish a summer day reduce their head count in winter so anglers can stay warm in the cabin on the long runs, and it is a great way to make your fishing a year-round habit. No airline tickets required.
There is a bonus: many of the tuna spots our customers hit in summer are the same ones the winter cod boats fish, so a day of cod jigging teaches you a plan B for summer days when the tuna are not biting.
Bring Hogy Sand Eel Jigs in several weights so you can match tide, wind and depth: about 6 oz for slack tide and shallower water, 8 oz at peak tide in most areas, 12 oz when tide and wind peak, and 16 oz for deep water. Add a 5/0 Jig-Biki Crystal teaser.
Coxes Ledge
I often see the Rhode Island winter boats cod fishing, and sometimes sea bass fishing, on Coxes Ledge, a favorite early-season bluefin spot of mine out of Cape Cod. It is roughly equidistant for boats from Cape Cod, the South Coast of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York, and it is reachable from New Jersey; I see boats from all of those ports out there. Coxes sits due south of Block Island and covers a big area, 115 to 130 feet deep, with varied terrain, lots of humps and drop-offs. That means it is almost always holding fish.
Structure: OS1300 Offshore Ledges & Humps.
What to bring
| Conditions | My list | Today's Sand Eel Jig |
|---|---|---|
| Slack tide, shallower areas | 6 oz Sand Eel Jig | 6.5 oz |
| Peak tide, most areas; slow drifts in deeper areas | 8 oz Sand Eel Jig | 8.5 oz |
| Peak tide, most areas, fish keyed on herring | 8.5 oz Flutter Pitch, no longer made | 8.5 oz |
| Peak tide, peak wind, all areas | 12 oz Sand Eel Jig | 12 oz |
| Peak tide, deep areas | 16 oz Sand Eel Jig | 16 oz |
Teasers: the 5/0 Jig-Biki Crystal. The 5/0 Jig-Biki Tube on my list is no longer made.
Approach: OA650a Groundfish Test-Drift Campaign (Cod / Pollock).
Winter cod boats
From my 2022 list. Schedules and prices change every season, so call first. I have not fished the two Rhode Island boats myself, but a number of friends have fished both, and both get great reviews.
| Boat | Departs |
|---|---|
| Seven B's | Point Judith, RI |
| Island Current (90' x 24' Super Current) | Snug Harbor, RI |
| Viking Fleet | Montauk, NY |
| Big Jamaica (Bogan's Deep Sea Fishing Center): jumbo porgies, cod, pollock | Brielle, NJ |
| Paramount: ling trips | Brielle, NJ |
If you go, send pictures, especially with a Hogy Sand Eel Jig as a cod mustache. And if you know a winter cod boat we missed, tell us at info@hogylures.com and we will add it.
Questions anglers ask
Where do winter cod boats fish?
Often Coxes Ledge, due south of Block Island, 115 to 130 feet with humps and drop-offs.
What jig weight at peak tide?
8 oz in most areas, 12 oz when wind and tide peak, 16 oz in deep areas.
What teaser for cod?
A 5/0 Jig-Biki Crystal teaser.
Cod on Coxes Ledge, filmed in summer: the same ground the winter boats fish.
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