Chesil beach (first time)

paul the hairdresser · Feb 8, 2015

Hi I am Pretty new to beach fishing having only tried once before on Shorham beach catching a few very small bass and flat fish using largely tactics Id use on the tidal River trent for Barbel.I have a week staying in Burton Bradstock by Chesil beech in May and would like to make a decent shot at fishing it PLEASE I would love some advice so I can prepare. Also what might I catch.

aebitim · Feb 8, 2015

Hi Paul,
Welcome aboard, species and tactics depend on the time of year, when are you down this way?

greenie62 · Feb 8, 2015

Hi Paul,
Welcome to the mad house!
I'm jealous of you staying in BB - stayed there myself a few times in the hotel on top of the cliffs - wonderful views!
Might be worth taking a look at Paul Murphy's Blog (member = anglerpaulm) which includes a review of the local tackle shop down there in West Bay: Paul on Coarse Fishing: Tackle Store Review – West Bay Angling Centre

As Aebitm comments - the key to fishing down there all depends on what time of year it is.

Remember that Chesil Beach is a sloping rocky/pebbly beach so you need to have a think about strength of rod-rests/tripods!

Have fun - Tight Lines!

alsoran · Feb 9, 2015

Chesil Beach also gets hit by rouge waves on a very regular basis every tide, which makes it a dangerous place to be if you have never been before. Go have look at WorldSeaFishing some interesting videos/stories of rouge waves hitting anglers.

robertroach · Feb 9, 2015

If you go to the beach at the main Burton Bradstock car park and walk along the beach going west, after a couple of hundred yards, the underwater profile of the beach changes completely. There's a long rocky reef stretching along the coast for about half a mile under the red cliffs about 50 yards out. You can fish along there with plugs and lures and catch bass and pollack in the very early morning and evening. Otherwise you can just do conventional Chesil Beach fishing. Not many people know this, although a few more do now.

If you walk a bit further towards West Bay be careful not to get mixed up in the filming of Broadchurch, although they might have finished now. All the beach and cliff shots were done right there.

Alan Tyler · Feb 9, 2015

The term "May water" keeps coming back... I don't think it's good. Phone a local shop soon to see if I'm worrying about nothing; you may need to check out coarse and fly alternatives.
Sorry to be a "Jeremiah", but it's good to have a spare plan or two.

greenie62 · Feb 9, 2015

There are also some good Boat Trips out of West Bay. One of the skippers motored out to the mark he wanted, then carried out his 'ritual' - put his cassette player on, played a hymn, then encouraged all to scatter a bit of loose change in the water! Had a cracking day's fishing!
I caught about 20 Black Bream - none of them as small as the 'Sea Bream' on Morrisons slab last weekend! If I remember right I think I had 7 different species - the rest of the boat had about 5 more species - a good mixed day and a cracking skipper - wish I could remember the name of him or the boat - booked through West Bay Tackle.

paul the hairdresser · Feb 16, 2015

robertroach said:
If you go to the beach at the main Burton Bradstock car park and walk along the beach going west, after a couple of hundred yards, the underwater profile of the beach changes completely. There's a long rocky reef stretching along the coast for about half a mile under the red cliffs about 50 yards out. You can fish along there with plugs and lures and catch bass and pollack in the very early morning and evening. Otherwise you can just do conventional Chesil Beach fishing. Not many people know this, although a few more do now.

If you walk a bit further towards West Bay be careful not to get mixed up in the filming of Broadchurch, although they might have finished now. All the beach and cliff shots were done right there.

Thanks may well try the plugs as bass and pollock do realy interest me. If i bait fish do I want to be up to, on or over the reef. I will be there there second week in May

binka · Feb 16, 2015

alsoran said:
Chesil Beach also gets hit by rouge waves on a very regular basis every tide, which makes it a dangerous place to be if you have never been before. Go have look at WorldSeaFishing some interesting videos/stories of rouge waves hitting anglers.

I've just spent the last fifteen minutes reading the entire five pages of that thread and very interesting too, certainly sound advice and something to be very wary of.

sumtime · Feb 16, 2015

I've fished Chesil a couple of times at Cogden, loved it, both times the surf was relatively calm. The shingle beneath can be dodgy I imagine on rough surf so yes, be wary and like fishing from rocks don't get too complacent.

Have your tripod set up well back, we had a tent set up away from the beach area we fished. Went for a walk and spotted a body in the ditch on the top road, immediately we heard a car screech we legged back to the bend of the road and was gobsmacked as a car careered out of control across the field with two occupants being thrown out of the rear window.

We attended to the injured until the ambulance and police arrived, we informed a PC of the body in the ditch, when we arrived at the ditch, the officer jumped in and told us it was a "drunk" from up the road.

Happy days eh?

robertroach · Feb 16, 2015

paul the hairdresser said:
Thanks may well try the plugs as bass and pollock do realy interest me. If i bait fish do I want to be up to, on or over the reef. I will be there there second week in May

I think you might find its a bit early in the year for bass along here. I usually fish it later on, but I have never used bait, always lures. You might be better going East instead of West if you want to bait fish, its a clean bottom there.

As someone said, your best chance of a fish is to book yourself on a boat through one of the tackle shops in West Bay. I used to go out on boat trips regularly and always enjoyed it.

Chesil beach (first time)

paul the hairdresser

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aebitim

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greenie62

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alsoran

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robertroach

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Alan Tyler

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greenie62

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paul the hairdresser

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binka

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sumtime

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robertroach

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