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

Strong Easterly winds are going to take quite a few marks out today, but it will open out a few more. Chesil will be pretty flat, the calm conditions and lack of rain will soon see the water clearing. Which is what I am hoping for because reports coming in say that there are quite a few decent Bass being caught down the Portland end of the beach, including several Bass up to 6lb.

After the initial reports of Plaice coming from West Bexington, it seems that it has gone a bit quite now, with mainly small Whiting and Rockling being caught.

Sea Conditions:

Chesil Beach: Small waves, and very little swell. The water  has a lot of colour in it still but it is clearing slowly.

Portland: A 1m swell with slightly coloured water

Portland Harbour: Wavelets with clear water.

Weymouth Bay: Small surf clear water areas away from the harbour entrance.

Chesil Beach forecast: Get down to Chesil with some live Peeler Crab for the best chance of a Bass. If you take the same bait to the Western end you could well get a big Plaice or Ray. Black Lug seems to be doing very well for the Plaice and Bads.

Portland:Wrasse are the top target today on Portland, with clearer water allowing them to see the baits. Hardback Crabs will sort out the bigger Wrasse that are still around. Tides are not great for Pollock today, but it might be worth a go at Church Ope Cove over high water this afternoon.

Portland Harbour: The harbour is still very quite, with only the odd Flounder worth targeting.

Weymouth Bay: Whiting, Pollock, Pout and Flounder are being caught from the Stone Pier. With a bit of surf running at Preston, there is always an outside chance of a Bass in the surf on Peeler Crab.

Boat Fishing: The Weymouth charter fleet having been having some great wrecking trips with plenty of double figure Pollock coming on most trips. Small boats have also been having success from the Hood entrance.

Species Hunt: I think I will create an album to show the different species that I catch this year and see how many different ones I can catch. I know that species hunting is very popular on a number of forums. Why not join me and see what different fish you can catch over the year. I am going to set myself a target of 30 different species. Drop me an email and let me know your targets and how you get on throughout the year. I especially want to see your pictures of some of the more unusual species that you catch.

Guiding & Lessons: I know it is the heart of winter, but now is a good time to think about booking a 1 to 1 lesson or get on one of my fishing workshops. This will give you plenty of time to practice the techniques you learn before the fish turn up again in the spring. Have a look on the guiding link at the top of the page or drop me an email for more details to [email protected]