South Coast Chesil Beach Late August Advice

[SirGunner]

I'm heading down to Portland back end of August for a long weekend with the Mrs and in-laws. My father in-law and I are looking to use this trip as an opportunity to fish the might Chesil Beach. We will definitely get 1 session maybe 2 if lucky. Just looking for general advice on where to fish and tactics along with suggestions on what baits to take along. To be clear I'm not asking for anyones favourite secret spots etc just some general advice for the area to try to make the most of a short trip (can't beat a bit of upto date local knowledge and I know the forum has some great anglers down that way). Thanks in advance for any advice

 

[fishing hobbit]

Fished it for first time last September, went to abbotsbury,worm and fish bait's if I remember. Hope this helps

 

[SirGunner]

Fished it for first time last September, went to abbotsbury,worm and fish bait's if I remember. Hope this helps

Hi @fishing hobbit thanks for the reply. All information is helpful as I don't know the area at all. We will be limited as to where we can fish as my father in-law has a dodgy knee and cant walk too far so we will be fishing near to one of the carpark areas. How did you get on in that area? What species did you catch that time of year? I appreciate you taking the time to share

 

[Mushty]

Well hello Mr Gunner!
I am planning a trip down there next week and also a trip early September.
Be prepared for, Black Bream, Conger. Mackerel, dare I say it…Cod!
Take Rag, Lug, Squid and Mackerel.
I only pilgrimage there 2 or 3 times a year and it seems the locals are either busy fishing or staying quiet!

 

[SirGunner]

Well hello Mr Gunner!
I am planning a trip down there next week and also a trip early September.
Be prepared for, Black Bream, Conger. Mackerel, dare I say it…Cod!
Take Rag, Lug, Squid and Mackerel.
I only pilgrimage there 2 or 3 times a year and it seems the locals are either busy fishing or staying quiet!

Hey @Mushty firstly tight lines for your trips both next week and in September, hope you catch loads of fish mate
Thanks for the useful info, Funnily enough I was watching a video this evening of a guy catching Codling late August time. That would be great!
I have found this decent guide by Veals for fishing Chesil but not sure how recent and upto date it is?

Chesil Beach Fishing Guide - Veals Mail Order

VMO GUIDE TO FISHING CHESIL BEACH

www.veals.co.uk

 

[chesilpete]

Loads of fish down there pick a target and go for it the cod are there but so is everything else atm

 

[Angrybear]

Not fished it for years, but almost treat it as you would Dungeness, but with clear water.
One point to note for mobility issues is the shingle size, pea shingle at the western end but at the Portland end Grapefruit size.

 

[Tatunka joe]

Fisehed it Saturday just gone bream to 1lb5oz tub gurnard red gurnard only 1 Mac in daylight night bought big pout loads of hounds all pups tho straps dogs and a couple of cod but don’t get excited they are tiny fresh blacks peeler and fresh mac doing tthe damage

 

[fishing hobbit]

We stayed at freshwater, i had black bream pout, my mate dave had black bream pout strap conger and cod think he had dogs as well.
West bay angling centre were very helpful.

 

[SirGunner]

Loads of fish down there pick a target and go for it the cod are there but so is everything else atm

Thanks @chesilpete good to hear there will be a chance of a Cod. To be honest the fishing has been so shite up here in Kent lately it will just be nice to catch a few fish. We won't be fussy although I still want a Hound, a Ray would be be nice too. My father in-law likes catching flatfish too. Fingers crossed for a good mixed bag

 

[SirGunner]

Not fished it for years, but almost treat it as you would Dungeness, but with clear water.
One point to note for mobility issues is the shingle size, pea shingle at the western end but at the Portland end Grapefruit size.

Cheers @Angrybear great point about the shingle size, I will keep this in mind when we're selecting a mark to try

 

[SirGunner]

Fisehed it Saturday just gone bream to 1lb5oz tub gurnard red gurnard only 1 Mac in daylight night bought big pout loads of hounds all pups tho straps dogs and a couple of cod but don’t get excited they are tiny fresh blacks peeler and fresh mac doing tthe damage

Thanks @Tatunka joe sounds like you had a decent time with a good mixed bag, great to have some recent experience information. We will definitely have one day session and would like to fish a night tide also but as its not an actual fishing trip and both the Mrs and Mother in-law will be there I don't know how realistic that would be. Might have to wait for a second dedicated fishing trip for night fishing. Sounds like the baits I normally use should be ok (Black Lug, fish baits and Crab)

 

[SirGunner]

We stayed at freshwater, i had black bream pout, my mate dave had black bream pout strap conger and cod think he had dogs as well.
West bay angling centre were very helpful.

Thanks again @fishing hobbit sounds like you guys had a good mixed bag, we would be happy with that We will check out West Bay Angling also cheers

 

[Trampster]

Tight lines and good luck for your trip SG!

Chesil is not a mark I've fished - a bit far from me down on the South Devon/Cornwall border, but I've heard many times that West Bay Angling are great for bait & helpful tips.

 

[SirGunner]

Tight lines and good luck for your trip SG!

Chesil is not a mark I've fished - a bit far from me down on the South Devon/Cornwall border, but I've heard many times that West Bay Angling are great for bait & helpful tips.

Thanks @Trampster I've heard alot of good things about Chesil so I'm definitely excited to give it a go
I might actually call West Bay Angling and see if I can reserve some bait to pick up down there rather than taking it with me in the car

 

[chesilpete]

Better off calling Aaron at Abbotsbury in my opinion

 

[Tatunka joe]

I’m with Pete on bait west bays very hit an miss on worm quality where as abbo generally top notch

 

[Reevsey]

If your wanting fresh black lug I'd recommend pre-ordering from abbotsbury angling or chesil bait n tackle . A very good bait for the flats and cod from this beach although the cod may prefer peeler at this time of year . Planning to get a trip there on next set of big tides .

 

[SirGunner]

Better off calling Aaron at Abbotsbury in my opinion

I’m with Pete on bait west bays very hit an miss on worm quality where as abbo generally top notch

If your wanting fresh black lug I'd recommend pre-ordering from abbotsbury angling or chesil bait n tackle . A very good bait for the flats and cod from this beach although the cod may prefer peeler at this time of year . Planning to get a trip there on next set of big tides .

Now this is exactly what I mean about local upto date knowledge. That's great thanks guys really appreciate it

 

[Tatunka joe]

If your wanting fresh black lug I'd recommend pre-ordering from abbotsbury angling or chesil bait n tackle . A very good bait for the flats and cod from this beach although the cod may prefer peeler at this time of year . Planning to get a trip there on next set of big tides .

They cod ain’t worth fishing for bey unless you want live bait