Fishing forecast for Chesil Beach, Portland & Weymouth. 26th October 2012

Some pretty strong winds for the next couple of days, but as they are from the NE they will make Chesil Beach almost flat and certainly help with casting. The downside is they will push the bait fish offshore quite a bit, which is likely to have a knock on effect on the Cod and Bass that are feeding on them. Long casts will help get to the fish so make sure your baits are as streamlined as possible. The wind will switch back to its normal SW direction on Sunday, which with a better sized tide will make it the better of the days to fish this weekend.

Water Temperature: 14.2*c             Weymouth High Tide: 5.09pm, 1.95m

Wind: E 28mph gusting to 35mph

Sea Conditions:

Chesil Beach: Calm but with a small swell. The water is clear.

Portland: Rough on the East side, and around the Bill Point, but calm on the West. The water has a green tinge to it.

Portland Harbour: Wavelets and clear water, except Castletown where the waves will be much larger with a bit of weed and coloured water.

Weymouth Bay: Small waves that will turn into a larger surf as the wind picks up this afternoon. Water has some colour to it, especially nearer the harbour.

Chesil Beach forecast: Cod will be the main target species again this weekend. I would think that they will appear all along the beach, but recent weekends have shown that Cogden is producing the larger ones. As with Cod fishing anywhere along the beach, the bigger the bait the better. Lugworm and Peeler or Hermit Crab will give you a much better chance of a Cod than anything else. Use single hook size 4/0 or 5/0 rigs either as a pulley rig or long up and over rigs, but make sure they are clipped down to get the maximum distance. There are still plenty of other species around including Mackerel in large numbers. If you want a big Bream then head down towards the Ferrybridge end of the beach and fish the wrecks of the Landing Craft and the Royal Adelaide. You are quite likely to pick up a large Pollock at this time of year whislt targeting the Bream. Long traces with Ragworm and tipped with Squid. You only need to cast about 60yds on both of those marks.

Large catches of Garfish and Mullet are possible using small strips of Mackerel on a size 4 hook fished on a float set to no more than 12 inches. Using ground bait will help get them into your area. The best ground bait is some old bread mixed with a bit of Mackerel and some old crab.

Portland: Wrasse. Pollock, Garefish, Mackerel and Bass all coming to lures and Mackerel strips fished on a float. If you fancy a decent sized Conger then a night session at Blacknor or Chine may produce one. Church Ope Cove should produce Pollock, Bull Huss, Dogfish, Pout and Bass from Dusk onwards. The Pollock are getting larger now so it is quite possible to catch one over 4lb, especially at dusk.

Portland Harbour: Now the tides are increasing in size the Harbour will come back to life again. Sandsfoot Castle and the sailing club should produce some nice Bass and Flounder. Lure fishing and bait fishing will work well for both species, but lures will be more effective especially for the Bass. Try using surface lures such as Seaspin Pro-Q for the best experience.

Weymouth Bay: Preston Beach may well produce some good Rays this weekend whilst the wind is from the NE. The wind will push food round the tip at Red Cliff and into the bay at Bowleaze. The piers are likely to be quite uncomfortable.

Boat and Kayak fishing: I am guessing that most of the charter fleet will stay at home again today and tomorrow, but check with the skipper you are booked with and don’t take my word for it. I was speaking to Ivan Wellington, skipper of Top Cat III on Chesil yesterday, and he told me that on Wednesday they managed 12 different species in one trip. Portland Harbour is the only real safe option for small boat owners and kayakers. Fish the northern end of Portland Harbour and use the breakwater as shelter to find Bass, Thornaback Rays, Black and Gilthead Bream and rare Red Band Fish.

Guiding:  Due to changes in my schedule I do have dates for most of next week. I have a couple of more sessions available in October mainly for Bass fishing but I might be persuaded to do a bait session for Cod or a late Plaice. I am taking bookings for both Bass and bait guiding sessions for November. Don’t miss out on the best months fishing. These can be tailored to your requirements including mixed days of bait and lure fishing. Drop me an email for more details [email protected]