Catch report & fishing forecast for Dorset including Chesil Beach, Portland & Weymouth

At last a weekend that has seen a lot more fish caught than has been for some time. It seems that the Plaice were all along Chesil Beach and not just down the Western end. The Chesil Flatfish open had a very good turnout with over 150 anglers. Over a third of them caught flat fish. Winner of the event was David Nicholls with 5 plaice and 1 dab for a total lengh of 198cm. It was great to see that the event organisers encouraged a catch and release policy for the fish. Most of the fish came from Cogden and West Bexington.

It was nice to see some clarity in the water. If the weather continues as forecast, the temperatures should start to rise this week. It wont be long after that before the Mackerel start to turn up in decent numbers. There was a few caught down at the Ferrybridge end of Chesil over the weekend, but they are still very thin on the ground.

Sea Conditions: 

Water temperature 6.3*c.

Chesil Beach: Calm. The water is finally clearing especially at the Portland end of the beach.

Portland: Calm and clear

Portland Harbour: Calm and clear.

Weymouth Bay: Calm but the water is a bit coloured.

Chesil Beach forecast: Conditions look pretty good for Plaice this weekend. The tides are picking up from the neaps and the water is much clearer than it has been for ages. There is still a bit of colour in the water, so if you are targeting Plaice then think about using beads to give yourself a bit of an advantage. This time of year normally produces some early Ray’s. My favourite bait for Rays are Peeler Crabs and Sandeels.

Portland: With the water now clear around Portland the Pollock and Wrasse fishing should be pretty good. It is still very cold for the Wrasse but the warming sunshine should hopefully induce them to feed. They can be caught on soft plastic lures as well as worm and crab baits.

Portland Harbour: I have noticed a bit of bird activity as I have been driving past. This could meen that the bait fish have started to arrive. This is the first sign that the Mackerel, Pollock and Bass will not be too far behind.

Weymouth Bay: The Stone Pier will be a nice easy mark to fish and a great starting point for those wanting to get their kids into fishing. It can often be the one spot that produces fish when all other fail. It is mostly small fish at this time of year, but the number of species you can catch can give you some variety. Float fish with worms or mackerel baits, or simply drop a worm down the side of the wall.

Boat Fishing:  A lot of the Weymouth charter fleet will be out today, as will lots of smaller private boats. Most will be heading for the Shambles to see if the Plaice and Turbot have moved in. Try the Hood entrance for Pollock, early Mackerel and Bass.

Guiding & Lessons: Normally I would be looking to book guiding sessions for the next month, but with the water being so cold, I am going to limit the guiding to bait fishing for April and I will start the Bass guiding in May. I am still happy to give lessons in both bait and lure fishing during April, but don’t expect to catch too much on lures until nearer the end of the month. I am starting the first of the River Cottage Shoreline course from the 4th of April.  Have a look on the guiding link at the top of the page or drop me an email for more details to [email protected]