Fishing forecast for Chesil Beach, Portland & Weymouth. 28th July 2012

So the Olympics have finally arrived and Weymouth is packed with people all crammed in to watch the events! NOT!! To be honest its like a ghost town. I drove into Weymouth yesterday afternoon and it was the quickest trip in I have ever had. Yes parking in Weymouth town centre is a problem, but with loads of buses running and everyone staying away it is a dream. I went over to look at the beach at both Ferrybridge and further down at Abbotsbury. I can only remember seeing less Anglers on the beach when we have had force 9 storms. It was empty bar a few who were enjoying loads of space. Even the normal summer holiday mackerel bashers were absent. I had a chat with some of them and witnessed quite a few fish being caught, including Bream and Smoothound

Water Temperature: 15.5*c             Weymouth High Tide: 1.09pm, 1.63m

Wind: W17mph

Sea Conditions:

Chesil Beach: Small wavelets and barely any swell. Water is clear

Portland: West side has small wavelets, East side is calm the water is  very clear.

Portland Harbour: Calm. Water is clear

Weymouth Bay: Calm with the water clear.

Chesil Beach forecast: Mackerel are around in abundance and caught be caught at any state of the tide and anywhere along the beach. Plenty of the larger Mackerel are falling to spinners such as Dexter Wedges. Portland end of the beach is producing Gurnard, Bream and Pollock, with Wrasse closer to Chesil Cove. Ragworm tipped with Squid has been taking most of the Bream. At the Abbotsbury and West Bexington end of the beach there have been good catches of Dabs and Gurnard and Smoothound on Peeler Crab.As dusk approaches the Scad move in. You have a short period of great sport if you target them on float gear with small strips of Mackerel. Night fishing is turning up Dogfish, unless you are using Crab baits. Still some decent Conger being landed from West of Bridging Camp.

Portland: Gill nets have killed most of the fishing with the exception of Wrasse and Garfish. A few Pollock have managed to get through and past the nets, but it is not the normal quality of fishing that I have come to expect from the Bill..

Portland Harbour: Wrasse and small Pollock are being caught around Ferrybridge. The shallow flats in front of the Rodwell trail down to the Sandsfoot sailing club have produced Flounder, some School Bass and small Bream.

Weymouth Bay: The centre of Weymouth will most likely be pretty busy and getting parking anywhere near the two piers is going to be difficult. Preston end of Weymouth Beach and Bowleaze Cove will produce some fish including Rays and Smoothound. I have often thought about taking my lures and trying the headland to the East of Bowleaze Cove. It looks very good for Bass.

Boat & Kayak fishing: The Weymouth charter fleet have plenty of spaces available for anyone wanting a trip out to the Shambles and round the West side of Portland. Where the fishing is currently excellent. Ivan Wellington on Top Cat III has lots of spaces this summer. I can highly recommend Ivan as a great skipper and a real character. You can contact him directly on 07966 133979, tell him that you seen this information on Fishing Tails, you never know I might be able to blag a free trip from him J

Small boat owners can launch from Weymouth and stick to the clear channel that has been set up to allow unrestricted access to areas to the West of Weymouth.

Kayak fishing is possible in the area to the North of Ferrybridge within Portland Harbour. Fish the reefs around Sandsfoot and the outer harbour wall for lots of different species including nice Thornback Rays and Bass.