Winter Patterns

Hi all,

I live in Western North Carolina, where the weather has been anything But
normal. It has been unseasonably warm here, and today I was going to take
the boat out, but wouldn't you know, woke up to high winds overcast skies
and a bitter cold snap in the air. Was wondering if any of you could tell
me what works best in winter. I have never really fished in winter as have
had no such luck, I have always thought, winter=Deep, and I hate fishing
deep. Is this true? I like boat docks or other structures, but hate deep,
although my tackle salesman has told me that verticle jigging was the way to
go this time of year, any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in
advance,
Scooter