Ray time

As forecast last weekend, the May water has had a negative effect on a lot of the fishing on Chesil. However it does not seem to have put the Rays and Smoothound off. Wests Sea Angling club had a match on Chesil on Saturday, which they reported was hard going. However they did manage to get a couple of nice Thornback Rays with the best going to Gary Cook from Trowbridge, weighing in at 9lb 2oz.

The same mark produced another 8lb Thornback once the sunset. People say that Chesil is a difficult mark to fish, and this can be true, but I have found over the years that very specific marks continually produce. If you find a good mark, make sure you can identify it when you return in the future.

There seems to be a large number of Smoothound around. They are not very big with the biggest going around 5lb, but a 5lb Smoothound will give a great fight even on a beachcaster. The best bait for them is undoubtedly Peeler Crab.

Sea Conditions: 

Water temperature 12 °c.

Chesil Beach: Rough with a 2m swell and fairly coloured.

Portland: 2m waves with  lightly coloured water

Portland Harbour: Wavelets with lightly coloured water

Weymouth Bay: short surf with  lightly coloured water.

Chesil Beach forecast: Not much chance of any Mackerel or Plaice for the next week, as the wind will be picking up until at least the early part of next week. However the rough conditions mean that Bass may well move in closer to the shore. If you can get a decent cast off in to the wind you have a fair chance of a Ray or Smoothound with Peeler Crab. Night time will produce Dogfish and Pout.

Portland: Rougher conditions are never good for the Wrasse or Pollock fishing on the Island. However it does encourage species such as Bass and Bull Huss that prefer these conditions. Large fish baits on a rotten bottom rig work well.

Portland Harbour: Always a chance of a Bass and Flounder at this time of year. It is one area that is open to lure fishing with good water clarity.

Weymouth Bay: Weymouth bay is always a good back up mark in westerly winds. FLounder, Dabs, Rays and Bass are always on the cards at Preston. The piers will produce Pout, Pollock, Wrasse and Scorpion Fish. Reports suggest that this is one of the better marks for Mackerel at the moment. Remember that feathering from either of the piers is prohibited. However use a float fished strip of Mackerel for Garfish, Pollock and Mackerel. 

Still very little sign of Mullet.

Boat & Kayak fishing: I will post a full boat and kayak report tomorrow, as I had a good trip out at the weekend.

Guiding & Lessons: With the fishing season well under way I am taking bookings for lure and bait fishing guided sessions. I am also offering 2 hour long fishing workshops, for those wanting to learn some of the basic techniques.  Have a look on the guiding link at the top of the page or drop me an email for more details to [email protected]