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

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Whats the best fishing conditions to fish Chesil Beach? Well they might be the ones that we should experience over the next couple of days. Strong SW winds will be with us for a good few days. This will make the beach difficult and at times even dangerous, but for those that take care and are prepared to battle the elements, the rewards can be fantastic. The two main target species will be Bass and Cod. In the past couple of years this set of spring  tides has brought the first of the main run of Cod. I am not really interested in the Cod, but that Bass that could turn up in the rough surf. This is one of the best times of year to get a big Bass. Large baits cast close to the shore, will pick out the biggest fish. If you cast more than 30yds then you are out of the zone. I know it is hard to get your head around the fact that the Bass can be no more than a rods length out, but believe me that is where they are. I have had hundreds of Bass within 5m of the shore. Over 80% of the Bass I have caught have come within 10 yards of the shore. Have confidence and keep it close.

Don’t worry if you don’t want to stay close, because if you do start hitting it out a good bit further, then you will be in Cod territory. Peeler Crab or live Hermit Crab are great baits for this time of year, and they are easier to cast out than a large Squid or Mackerel bait. I keep my terminal tackle simple. I use a 4/0 or 5/0 pulley rig for the crabs baits, or a pulley pennel rig for the larger squid and fish baits.

The downside to this blow is that it might move the Black Bream offshore, but we might get lucky and as the water temperatures are still fairly high they could hang around for a few more weeks.

I mentioned on Monday that I was going out on Offhore Rebel after Blonde Rays. I won’t sy too much about the trip as I am going to write a separate post on that one. What I will say is I had a great day and landed some nice Blondes, but not as Nice as the 30lb fish Bob landed.

Bob ray

Sea Conditions: 

Water temperature 15.4*c.

Chesil Beach: Rough with wavs exceeding 3m at times. The water is coloured

Portland: Rough with colour and weedy water

Portland Harbour: Wavelets with clear water

Weymouth Bay:  Calm with clear water

Chesil Beach forecast: The fishing will be tough, with big waves and a strong head wind. The only species that you will be practically targeting are Bass and Cod. Be very careful if you do decide to fish Chesil.

Portland: The area that are safe to fish around Portland seem to be full of weed. The Wrasse don’t normally feed when there is a big swell, or if they do then they must move into deeper water to do it. Bass are always a possibility, if you use a large bait and keep out of the weed.

Portland Harbour: Hamm Beach and Ferrybridge are good back up marks in this type of weather. Go light and you will have a good chance of getting a Bass or a Flounder. Use lures all along the shoreline and you might be surprised at what might be out there. At this time of year there are plenty of Garfish, Mackerel, Scad, Pollock and bass in the harbour. The best lures are surface lures, or ones that fish just under the surface.

Weymouth Bay: Stone Pier or Preston beach are normally y back up marks when Chesil is too rough to fish. Small Bass, Flounder, Dabs and Plaice are the normal species to be found from Preston. Stone Pier can throw up just about anything at this time of year.  Willem Louman recently visited Weymouth with two of his friends from Holland. During the week that they stayed here they managed to catch 18 different species, with most of them coming from the Stone Pier. He sent me a picture of an unusually marked Tub Gurnard.

weymouth stone pier ed z'n poon 01-10-2013 IMGP0476

Guiding & Lessons: Despite October being one of the best months for lure fishing for Bass, I still have quite a few days left.  Have a look on the guiding link at the top of the page or drop me an email for more details to [email protected]

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