Chesil in December

I did say on Friday that it would either be a Cod fest or it would be rubbish. Unfortunately it ended up being the latter. There was a lot of anglers on Chesil all weekend and not many of them connected with the Cod. It seems Chesil has returned to it’s normal December fishing, with most of the Cod now gone. It is unlikely to see any return of numbers until next year now. Thats not to say that there wont be a few around, as there will, but what we do normally get in mid and late December are the bigger Cod. I have noticed that each December we seem to be getting more and bigger Congers each year. There was a number caught down Abbotsbury over the weekend.

There are still lots of Whiting on Chesil that are well worth targeting. Some of them are near to 2lb and can be caught pretty close in. You don’t need any fancy rigs or expensive bait. You can catch them on a simple flapper rig and a small piece of Squid or Mackerel.

Talking of rigs I prefer to make my own when I have the time. That way I can custom make them to my own specification. I have just got hold of one of the Gemini Genie Rig building tackle boxes. I was fed up of having all my components scattered around in packets or in unsuitable boxes. The kit comes complete with everything you need to make loads and loads of rigs. The component list is very imresive, with items such as clips, SRT springs, swivels, rig tubing, rotten bottom release clips and even the brilliant solo splashdown clips. You can easily see when you are starting to run out of components. The case is pretty sturdy and even if you tip it upside down the components stay in place. Over the next two weeks I will be doing an article on my favourite rigs and how to make them. If you want more information in the rig box and other useful bits of tackle have a look at the Gemini website

A quick reminder for anyone looking for a Christmas present this year, I can offer gift certificates for guiding sessions for next year. drop me an email if you want some more details to [email protected]

We have loads of great articles for you this week, with at least one every day. There will be something for everyone, from boat anglers to Flounder lovers. I have finally got round to writing a review of the Avet 5.3 SX MC which will be out on Wednesday. Tomorrow we have a great article from Sam Wadman, finalist of the BBC’s Earth’s Wildest Waters programme.

Sea Conditions: Water temperature 12.1°c

Chesil Beach: 1.5m swell with coloured water

Portland: A large swell with coloured water

Portland Harbour: Calm and lightly coloured water

Weymouth Bay: Calm with lightly coloured water

Chesil Beach forecast:  Despite most of the Cod moving on, Chesil is still very much worth fishing. As I mentioned earlier there are lots of Whiting to be had and some decent Congers. Always expect a Ray to show up and it is still producing the odd Smoothound and Bass.

Conditions will be a bit difficult on Wednesday, but it should be fishable for most of the week.

Portland: My thoughts turn to trying to get one of the big Wrasse that should still be around. I will try for them on lures, but I know that my best chance will be with a big hardback or hermit crab fished hard on the bottom.

Portland Harbour: As I predicted the Bass did make an appearance in the harbour. Most of them were small though I did see a couple of decent ones hit some of our lures. The numbers are starting to reduce rapidly, so make the most of them still being here.

Weymouth Bay: As usual the piers will continue to fish for lots of different species. It also provides a good sheltered mark, along with Preston beach.

Guiding: I have now moved into my winter guiding. This can be a great time to fish with lots of different species around. We are still very much in the best part of the Bass season, especially with lures. I will also be offering Wrasse fishing both on Lures and with bait to target the Big Wrasse that we will start to see soon.