For once the weather is doing what it is forecast to do, and the winds have settled down and swung round to be more Northerly. Chesil beach has already calmed down to a much safer level and it looks very good for fishing. With high water at around 10pm this evening I can see some good fish coming from the beach. Lets hope some of you manage a nice Cod or a Bass. If you can set up a rig that has a small hook tied closely to a larger hook and just bait the small hook with a bit of worm to attract a small Pout or Whiting then you will have created a Very effective live bait rig. Both Cod and Bass love taking live baits, as seen in the picture below.
I wont be joining you on the beach today, as I am off to River Cottage to take part in the River Cottage Fish course. Apart from fishing I am also passionate about cooking, so I cant wait to be taught how to prepare fish and shellfish properly then create a lovely meal from it. I will put up a full article about my trip to River Cottage over the weekend, if I am not too busy fishing.
Sea Conditions:
Chesil Beach: A big swell and coloured water.
Portland: A large swell with waves up to 2m and heavily coloured water
Portland Harbour: Wavelets with slightly coloured water.
Weymouth Bay: Calm but the water has a bit of colour especially around the harbour entrance.
Chesil Beach forecast: The next couple of days are probably one of the last chances to catch a Cod this year until autumn. Although it has calmed down on the beach, there is still a large and dangerous swell so take care and do not set up too close to the water. If I was fishing today I would be heading down to Abbotsbury, West Bexington or Cogden. Let’s hope that the Dogfish don’t arrive in plague like numbers and hoover all the bait up. I would expect to see some Whiting caught today as well.
Portland: It is conditions like we have today that normally produce the big Bull Huss on the Island. As Blacknor is too dangerous to fish because of the danger of cliff falls, you are going to be restricted to marks around the Bill or Chine. Large fish baits work best for Bull Huss and Conger.
Portland Harbour: If you just fancy a Flounder session then Portland Harbour is a good bet at the moment. It has more Flounder in it than I have known for a long time. Small Ragworm baits rigged on a three hook flapper rig and cast short should work.
Weymouth Bay: The piers are fishing well for Whiting, both during the day and at night. Plenty of Pout are also being caught with the odd Flounder and Pollock. Rockling are showing up in decent numbers for those looking for different species. Preston is good for Flounder and Whiting.
Poole Harbour: A few Flounder are still coming from Poole and for those living in that area and not wanting to be battered on Chesil then it is worth a go.
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]