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

I take my hat off to anyone that goes out fishing today. It is freezing and the wind chill is going to make it feel even colder. It is one of those days that I wish I could stay inside and write some more articles, instead I am going to be working outside all day. The cold is really not helping the fishing at all. This time last year we were seeing plenty signs of fish returning from their winter feeding and breeding areas. Fishing reports from the weekend were not great. Plenty of anglers were out on the beach and not a lot was caught. Apart from the odd Ray and a few Plaice, one which was just short of 4lb, most of the rest of the fish were small Pout, Whiting and Rockling.

I met up with my friend down at the Landing Craft on Saturday. I was surprised at how much of a swell there was. It was quite scary at times as the fog made it difficult to see the large waves that were smashing into the shore, forcing us quite far up the beach. We could see Bass in the breakers but the under tow made it too difficult to keep a bait in close.

Sea Conditions: 

Water temperature 7*c

Chesil Beach: Calm with a large swell sometimes exceeding 3m. Water still has a bit of colour to it.

Portland: 1.5m swell and almost clear water

Portland Harbour: Small surf with clear water.

Weymouth Bay: A lot of surf running to almost 200m out with a slight colour in the water.

Chesil Beach forecast: If you are going to fish Chesil today, then be careful. The large swell is creating a very dangerous back tow. If it cals a little it would be worth dropping a large bait in very close to try and get a Bass. Early Plaice and some Dabs will be around in patches, especially from Cogden.

Portland: The normal small Wrasse and some Pollock are the most likely daytime targets, with Conger and large Rockling at night. Mackerel baits for all te species except the Wrasse. Use Ragworm or crab for them.

Portland Harbour: Reports from the harbour show that it is still very quite, but it should not stay that way for long. As soon as the water temperature starts to rise that is one of the first marks to start to liven up.

Weymouth Bay: With North Easterly winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour, I would not be anywhere near the Piers or Preston beach today.

Boat and Kayak Fishing: We might not be having great catches from the shore but some of the Weymouth Charter Fleet are having some fantastic fish, both from the Shambles and from the offhore Wrecks. Chris Caines, skipper of Tiger Lilly has been putting his customers on some great double figure Pollock and some lovely Brill. I am going to be adding a link to the Deepsea website giving details of boat availability.

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]