Fishing forecast for Chesil Beach, Portland & Weymouth. 9th August 2012

I am going to pick up my Kayak this morning. After months of drooling over a number of Kayaks, I finally took the plunge and bought one. So my mission for today will be to get out on it and get a feel for it. I have fished Portland Harbour a lot in boats, but I know that fishing in a Kayak is going to be very different. I will need to learn to use the wind and tide to my advantage, far more than in a boat with a motor. I just know that it is going to open up so many more fishing opportunities for me. To say that I am excited is an under statement. Only problem is I am now going to have to kit myself out with a different set of kit for the Kayak; or at least that is my assumption. I will be writing about the different stages and progressions (hopefully) as I learn.

Water Temperature: 16.4*c             Weymouth High Tide: 11.56pm, 1.63m

Wind: less than 5mph

Sea Conditions:

Chesil Beach: Calm with clear water.

Portland Calm with clear water.

Portland Harbour: Calm with clear water.

Weymouth Bay: Calm with the water clear.

Chesil Beach forecast: With very calm conditions today I would expect to see a lot more people on the beach. Mackerel should be in abundance. This will mean that the predators that follow them will also be plentiful I hope. Dawn and dusk will be the best time to target a Bass. Expect Bream, Gurnard, Smoothound and Garfish from the Portland end of the beach. Car parking is plentiful and there is so much space on even the most popular marks such as the Royal Adelaide and the Landing Craft. I have heard that Moonfleet has been producing congers over 20lb again. These have all come at night. The main problem there is you need a small boat to get over to the mark. Heading west to easier parking and West Bexington and Abbotsbury are producing some nice Rays at the moment. They have been coming during the day as well as at night, Mackerel and Sandeel are the best baits. Night fishing has been producing a lot of Dogfish and Pout which can be a nuisance sometimes. During the day there have been a few Plaice and dabs caught. With the smaller tides that we have over the next couple of days then make sure you use a simple long flowing trace and use plenty of beads to give it an added attraction. Plain leads the lightest you dare go,  are best for finding small indentations in the sea bed that hold fish. Remember as the  tidal flow increases you may have to change your weight to get it back into the same holding area, or cast from a more up tide position and let some slack line out.

Portland: The fishing on Portland has improved over the past couple of days, with some nice catches of Wrasse and Pollock. They have come from float fished Ragworm or Mackerel and lures. Portland Bill has been the best mark and is the easiest to access.

Portland Harbour: The harbour does fish better for the Bass on the larger tides. I would not expect too many Bass to be caught from Portland Harbour over the next few days. Having said that I would expect to see some nice Bream, both Black and Gilthead, as well as some flounder and Mullet.

Weymouth Bay: Lots of different species coming from the Stone Pier, but nothing of any great size. The harbour is full of Mullet, both thick lipped and thin. Bread or cheese paste for the Thick lips and a small Mepp with a size 4 or 6 hook and a small piece of Ragworm.

Boat & Kayak fishing: As I mentioned earlier I can’t wait to get out on my Kayak. I will be exploring all the little areas that I have been dreaming of for months. I wont be able to fish the areas to the South of Portland Harbour until the Olympics are over. I am still waiting for confirmation as to whether the area will be opened up again in between the end of the Olympics and the start of the Paralympics. I was very surprised that I had no takers for the boat trip that was organised for today. If anyone is interested there will be another one next Thursday morning. A 5 hour trip on the local banks and reefs for only £25. Email me if you are interested [email protected] The local charter boats are having a fantastic time on the banks at the moment, with some lovely Plaice and Turbot.