5 Top Jersey Wreck Targets

Pollock hands down take the fight to the front line. These big boys of the wreck reign supreme; the broad-shouldered brutes monitor the outskirts of the structure and mainly stage 20 to 50 feet above a wreck. As you watch the fish finder, look for red upside-down Vs to appear above the wreck, as the fish congregate in packs of up to a dozen. Pollock hound baitfish schools and will aggressively pounce on any jig frantically brought up through the water co­lumn. Use a bottom-up approach with metal jigs. Drop down a jig to the desired depth first if you are marking the fish at a specific depth, or to feel them out, drop to the bottom, reel five cranks and erratically snap-jig; reel five more cranks and then snap-jig; and repeat the process up to the surface. Pollock are aggressive and bull­headed and strike with a linebacker’s mentality, punishing drags and snapping leaders. A fight with a 20- to 40-pound pollock is one you won’t soon forget.