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Fishing after a storm

By Sean McSeveny On May 21, 2021 · 1 Comment · In Reports
With the latest Atlantic storm battering the South West you could be excused for thinking that it might be a good idea to just stay at home this weekend and give fishing a miss. If you do then you could well miss out on a great fishing opportunity. The wind on Saturday is due to [...]
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Are we allowed to fish in the new lockdown in 2021?

By Sean McSeveny On January 18, 2021 · 4 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Plymouth, Reports
The latest advice as of the 7th of January is that yes we can go fishing locally. This information has been released by the Angling Trust, whom have fought very hard for anglers to be able to resume fishing after the government initially decided to suspend angling in the third national lockdown. However the resumption [...]
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Winter Sea Fishing

By Sean McSeveny On December 15, 2020 · 2 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
Winter sea fishing is all about Cod, Whiting and Flounder right? Wrong!! They are certainly the species most anglers automatically think of when the last flushes of autumn have gone and we face months of cold and wet weather. However it certainly doesn’t have to be that way, there are still loads of other species [...]
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How to catch Exotic fish on lures in the UK!

By Mohammed Assi On August 25, 2020 · 2 Comments · In Reports
August is the month that normally throws up a few exotic fish around the UK waters and this year is no exception. We have heard reports of an unusual species that as a Mediterranean fish that I am familiar with as well as some other fish that have reached UK waters. One of these species [...]
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Where to fish on a windy weekend?

By Sean McSeveny On July 3, 2020 · 2 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
We have some strong south westerly winds heading our way this weekend, but that doesn’t mean I am going to be sat at home! I love it when the wind stirs things up. It can really improve fishing for certain species, especially Bass at this time of year. Yes it can muck up some of [...]
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Why Are You Not Catching Bass?!

By Mohammed Assi On July 1, 2020 · 8 Comments · In Reports
    Have you ever had those moments when you are fishing and see someone hooking into bass while you are blanking with every single cast? People assume that other anglers are just lucky. Well, it is true that luck does play a part, however, understanding both the behaviour of bass and using the correct [...]
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Fishing forecast and Catch reports for Chesil Beach, July 2020

By Sean McSeveny On June 30, 2020 · 2 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
What can I catch on Chesil and other South West fishing marks in July? This year I want to look ahead at what we can expect to catch from Chesil Beach in July. I always look forward to July as it marks the start of the better fishing. Most of the summer species have moved [...]
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Shark fishing in the UK

By Sean McSeveny On June 22, 2020 · Add Comment · In Boat Fishing
Over the past few years Shark fishing has had a resurgence of popularity. Back in the70’s and early 80’s I used to read in awe about the shark fishing from ports out of Cornwall. Unfortunately in those days you would often see the sharks strung up as trophies, rather than released as is the usual [...]
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Where are the Mackerel?

By Sean McSeveny On June 18, 2020 · 11 Comments · In News, Reports
Early indicators are that the mackerel have arrived at the usual time of year, with marks such as Chesil Beach producing good numbers of fish over a short period of time. Does this mean we are seeing a return to normal for mackerel fishing or have the super trawlers all but wiped them out? Over [...]
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If only I had a better rod – the best £150 you will spend

By Sean McSeveny On June 13, 2020 · Add Comment · In Reports
Perhaps you’re new to fishing, or have been doing it for a while and not having as much success as you would like. Maybe you are like hundreds of others  and look in envy at other anglers posting great catches in various Facebook groups and timelines. A lot of these anglers will often proudly mention [...]
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Tackle shops open from the 15th of June

By Sean McSeveny On May 27, 2020 · 2 Comments · In Reports
The one shop that I have missed visiting during the lockdown is my local tackle shop. The good news is that from the 15th of June most of the tackle shops will be open, subject to them being able to provide social distancing. So what have you missed most about your tackle shop? For me [...]
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Fishing – The opening day

By Sean McSeveny On May 14, 2020 · Add Comment · In Reports
How many of you were as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve the day before yesterday, counting down the hours until we can get out and fish again? I know I was and as luck would have it, I was able to get out on the first day.  The question was, where to go? [...]
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Can we go fishing again? The answer is yes.

By Sean McSeveny On May 11, 2020 · 3 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
The question on everyones lips is can we go fishing again? Unfortunately the Prime Ministers speech last night left a lot of us scratching our heads in confusion, myself included. In all honesty it raised more questions than it answered. Facebook was flooded with differing opinions on people interpretations of what was said, so I [...]
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Baitcaster Vs Spinning reel

By Sean McSeveny On May 6, 2020 · Add Comment · In Lure, Reels, Reports, Rods
Baitcasting set ups are slowly becoming more popular with UK lure anglers, but they are nowhere near as widely used, as they are in other countries. This article looks at the reasons why you would want to choose a baitcaster over a traditional spinning or fixed spool set up and if its the right choice [...]
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How and where to dig Lugworm

By Hazel Tipping On May 5, 2020 · 19 Comments · In Bait, Reports, The Solent, Tips
Lugworm, in my opinion, is one of the most under-rated baits there is. When you think about what we all think fish prefer to eat, we think of blood, guts, smell etc and Lugworm is one of the best baits which fit all of these criteria. Couple that with the fact that Lugworm is one [...]
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Fishing after Lockdown

By Sean McSeveny On May 4, 2020 · 3 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
I used to dream about wining the lottery, now I just dream about going fishing again. All the indicators are pointing to a level of relaxation on the social distancing rules, probably in a couple of weeks time. If the government are starting to phase people back to work, there is no reason why a [...]
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How and where to catch Smoothound

By Darren Mills On May 3, 2020 · 1 Comment · In Bait, Reports
Smoothound’s are a shallow water species and so being either on the South Coast or the West of the UK, having lots of shallow coastlines, we are lucky enough to be in the most common areas where they are caught. However with more and more anglers catching and releasing these shark like fish, their range [...]
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The worlds best fishing destinations

By Sean McSeveny On April 30, 2020 · Add Comment · In Fishing Abroad, Reports
Do you want to know what the best fishing destinations in the world are? Over the next few months we will be looking at some of the best fishing on the planet. Some of these I have fished myself, others are written by people that I know and have fished with in the past and [...]
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Desperate Poppers

By Gavin Tyte On April 29, 2020 · 7 Comments · In Fishing Abroad, Lure, Lure, Reports
What do you do when you’re living by one of the best rock fishing marks in the world, you are literally thousands of miles away from the nearest tackle shop, and you have no lures? This is the situation I find myself in as I pen this article. A few weeks ago I moved to [...]
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This is going to be the best Bass fishing season for years!

By Sean McSeveny On April 22, 2020 · 4 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
I am sure most of you are like me and itching to get out fishing again. Covid-19 may be playing havoc with our social lives and preventing us getting out fishing, but it could well have some added bonuses. We are still early in the fishing year and still a few weeks away from the [...]
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Fishing during the Coronavirus lock down

By Sean McSeveny On March 26, 2020 · 17 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
“Don’t be a Kn*b, just do as you are asked for a while!” These are the words tweeted by Johnny Mercer,  Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View and Undersecretary for State of Defence. On this rare occasion, I couldn’t agree more with him. I make absolutely no apologies for what I am about to say, [...]
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Another wild weekend

By Sean McSeveny On December 10, 2018 · 3 Comments · In Reports
Once again we were battered with another Atlantic gale at the weekend. How come it never seems to blow during the week, then have a lull during the times most of us can fish? It looks like today could be a brilliant day on Chesil. We did have a couple of days this week, where [...]
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Shark Fishing Dorset – Talking Tackle!

By Paul Burridge On December 4, 2018 · 4 Comments · In Boat Fishing
So maybe you’re thinking of getting out amongst our local sharks? The question is with what? Well there are many different opinions on the best tackle for sharks. Some anglers prefer to tackle up lighter and enjoy the sport of smaller sharks where others prefer to tackle up for the monster from the depths and [...]
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Fishin Impossible

By Sean McSeveny On December 1, 2018 · Add Comment · In Chesil Beach, Reports
Fishing conditions this week have been brutal to say the least and unfortunately there seems no let up for this weekend, or at least not on Chesil, so if you are in any doubt as to whether the beach is fishable I think you can see from this impressive picture taken this morning by my [...]
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Classic Chesil fishing with double figure Cod

By Sean McSeveny On November 27, 2018 · 2 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
It was one of those weekends that could have been good, or a total blank on Chesil. The tides were dying away, the water was clearing and we still had an easterly wind for the most part. As it turned out, Chesil produced the way it was typically remembered for, by producing a number of [...]
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Big Blondes and Record Breaking Brill

By Sean McSeveny On November 19, 2018 · 1 Comment · In Chesil Beach, Reports
Once again Chesil Beach has produced a cracking weekend of fishing for some. But it wasn’t the Cod that everyone has been seeking, it has been the flat fish that have hit the headlines, with a potential British record breaking Brill and some amazing Rays. Bernard Johnson weighed in a huge Brill of 8lb 3oz, [...]
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Big Bass in November

By Sean McSeveny On November 16, 2018 · 1 Comment · In Chesil Beach, Reports
I did say on Monday that November is one of the best months of the year for big Bass and Ben Male proved exactly that, with a 12lb Bass caught at Seaton on Garfish. I have to admit to never having used Garfish as a bait, other than to catch Garfish, but I had heard that [...]
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Shark Fishing …. Around Portland ???

By Paul Burridge On November 15, 2018 · 4 Comments · In Boat Fishing
Everyone has seen the film right? The large reel, the guttural clicking of a Penn Senator reel before the noise becomes a scream as yards of line roll out faster than you can wind it back on! Most shark anglers live for this. For decades past, Cornwall was always the mecca for shark fishing. In [...]
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Death of a fishing legend

By Sean McSeveny On November 13, 2018 · 4 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
It is with great sadness that I hear the news this morning, of the sudden death of John Wilson, who died after suffering a stroke in his home in Thailand. John was a fishing legend that inspired so many people, myself included. I was lucky enough to meet him once and I was awed by [...]
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Whats happened to Fishing Tails? We are back!

By Sean McSeveny On November 9, 2018 · 18 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
I am delighted to say that Fishing Tails is back and will be even better than ever. I won’t bore you with the details as to why I haven’t been around, but I would like to say thank you to those who have supported me over the past few months and have persuaded me to [...]
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2018 Update – Minimum Landing Sizes (MLS) and protection status for common UK Marine fish

By Adrian Crawford On March 16, 2018 · 23 Comments · In Reports
We have updated the MLS page to reflect the new Bass rules for 2018.   The dust has now settled over the new Minimum Landing Size (MLS.) for Bass so we thought it might be interesting to test your knowledge of the MLS. and protection status of some of our most common UK Marine fish. No [...]
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Salmon & the Carp Angler

By Corsican Dave On March 10, 2018 · 3 Comments · In Fishing Abroad, Freshwater Fishing, Reports
John Gierach once wrote “…. how often do you have a chance to get skunked while casting a fourteen-foot spey rod in the shadow of a castle built two hundred years before the American Revolution?” You’ll be thinking that I quite like John Gierach. Well, I think I do. I like his writing and his [...]
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Autumn Fishing in Dorset and Chesil Beach

By Sean McSeveny On September 18, 2017 · 4 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
Autumn is without a doubt the best time for sea fishing in Dorset. We still have all the summer species around, but the winter species are now starting to show, so you never know what your next catch will be. It could easily be a hard fighting Smoothound from Seaton or a tasty Cod from [...]
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Bass and Cod on Chesil

By Sean McSeveny On September 11, 2017 · 5 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
I am guessing many of you have looked at the weather forecast for the next few days and thought I don’t fancy going out in that. I look at the conditions and it makes me almost tremble with excitement. I know that this is one of the best opportunities that I am going to get, [...]
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A Brief History of Slime: Fly fishing for Carp

By Corsican Dave On August 1, 2017 · 1 Comment · In Freshwater Fishing
At first glance, fly fishing for carp appears to be a very modern phenomenon; all deer-hair pellet flies and punk camo clothing. But you’d be very wrong! What if we told you that fly fishing for carp is probably as old as fishing itself? And the first reference to fly patterns specifically for carp date [...]
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Summer fishing in Dorset

By Sean McSeveny On June 30, 2017 · 3 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
With July only a day away we can finally start talking about summer fishing and what we can expect along the Dorset coast. Lets start with Chesil, which is everyones favourite mark. It certainly hasn’t been on fire recently, but that should start to change as the summer fish as now moving in. Gurnard normally [...]
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Turbot and flat fish surprise on Chesil

By Sean McSeveny On April 7, 2017 · 7 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
Turbot are not a fish normally associated with Chesil, but for some reason they are showing on a number of different marks along the beach. Steve Parsons landed this lovely Turbot on crab and ragworm, during a daylight session. A number of larger ones into double figures have been landed on night tides. Local angler [...]
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Mixed Fortunes

By Tom Sheffield On March 29, 2017 · 2 Comments · In Reports, South Devon
Over the past couple of weeks the fishing has remained pretty hit or miss in the South Devon area. The weather has warmed up which has made things feel more pleasant to be out in. The catch rates haven’t warmed up a lot though. Last time I reported on how scratching techniques seemed to be [...]
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LRF Profile – The Long Spined Sea Scorpion

By Ben Bassett On March 23, 2017 · 1 Comment · In Reports, Species
Certain fish species are just icons for their respective scenes. The bass is the poster boy for heavy rock fishing, the carp for specimen coarse fishing and when it comes to LRF, one species is synonymous with the technique, the long spined sea scorpion. It’s easy to see why this species is so popular, it’s [...]
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Scratching in the surf

By Tom Sheffield On March 15, 2017 · 2 Comments · In Reports, South Devon
Now certainly is the time of year when the fishing around South Devon can be particularly tough. The whiting have all but gone leaving the main targets relatively small, not easy to find and you simply have to put the hours in to get great results. This is not exactly an inspiring time for the [...]
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Chasing Winter Silver

By Ben Bassett On March 7, 2017 · 5 Comments · In Plymouth, Reports
On a blustery and damp Monday night in February, I find myself searching for silver. The ‘Tamar Tarpon’ (I unfortunately can’t take credit for that excellent nickname) aka the Atlantic herring, rumoured to be in the river in huge numbers. An LRF angling opportunity on my doorstep I’d be a fool to miss. Not one [...]
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A rough weekend ahead

By Sean McSeveny On February 24, 2017 · 1 Comment · In Chesil Beach, Reports
The UK is currently being  hit by storm Doris and it looks like it will continue throughout the weekend and into middle of next week. As you can see from this vide shot by Izzy Ismet of Underwater Explorers, conditions on Chesil are pretty rough. Chesil Cove 23.02.2017 Early afternoon scenes from Chesil Cove in [...]
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Whiting Wonderland

By Tom Sheffield On February 16, 2017 · Add Comment · In Reports, South Devon
My fishing trips have been rather one dimensional through January. Following a successful trip first out finally locating a few winter flounder I decided to head out to the open coast for much of the month in search of dabs. These little flatfish have become scarce in South Devon in recent years. A few decent [...]
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LRF Profile – The Giant Goby

By Ben Bassett On February 15, 2017 · 3 Comments · In Reports, Tips
With the continued popularity of Light Rock Fishing, it perplexed me that there are not more detailed guides on mini-fish species. Having spent all of 2016 species hunting, I wanted to put my own mini-guides out there for the intrepid LRF angler, starting with one of the biggest and, in most places, rarest rockpool predator. [...]
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Late winter fishing options

By Sean McSeveny On February 10, 2017 · 6 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
February can be one of the worst months of the year for fishing, especially on Chesil Beach. It is hard to get motivated and leave the warmth of your home, to sit on a windswept and wet beach, just to catch a few Rockling and the odd undersized Whiting. Having said that, I would rather [...]
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A huge Bass and the Flounders are finally in!

By Leo Toms On January 19, 2017 · 5 Comments · In Poole Harbour, Reports
Since  my last post I have devoted all my fishing time to floundering, sadly the catches have not been good. Despite the many hours I’ve dedicated to this pursuit the fishing for myself and others has been dire! Over the Christmas period I fished my first ever match,  “The Hangover Open” run by Steve Lawrence  Expectations were [...]
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Finally Flounder

By Tom Sheffield On January 11, 2017 · 1 Comment · In Reports, South Devon
Long time no post! Apologies for the lack of reports leading up to the New Year. My first little one was born just before Christmas so becoming a new dad has taken up a lot of my time. I’m back out fishing again now and here are some reports from sessions before Christmas and the [...]
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‘Eel’y bad fishing

By Leo Toms On December 22, 2016 · 2 Comments · In Poole Harbour, Reports
Since my last post all my fishing time has been devoted to flounder fishing in the harbour, normally by now I would be  telling anybody that will listen that this time of year is one of the best times of year to be doing this. However for the last month I have been fishing at least [...]
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Whiting Everywhere

By Tom Sheffield On December 9, 2016 · 1 Comment · In Reports, South Devon
Journeying around the South Devon coastline visiting different venues, the fishing has become pretty tough in the past couple of weeks, typical of this time of year. The weather certainly hasn’t helped matters. East winds have buffeted the coast for nearly two weeks, not a friendly wind direction for most of the open coastline in [...]
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Cod fishing has gone flat

By Sean McSeveny On December 5, 2016 · 3 Comments · In Chesil Beach, Reports
Well what can I say? Another weekend with very few codling on Chesil and the few that were caught were all pretty small. I would love to know what happened to all those fish we had for the past two years . I expected to see a good number of Cod in the 8-10lb range [...]
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