Chesil Cove to Ferrybridge by Dave Chidzoy
Starting at the Cove there is excellent potential to find a mix of both rough ground species such as Wrasse,Huss,Congers,Black Bream and Pollack as well as the cleaner bottom dwellers such as Ray, there is always the chance of a treat surprise catch with species such as John Dory and Trigger fish having been taken on numerous occasions in the past.
Casting out a big distance isn’t overly important when fishing the Cove end as a 30-40yd chuck will see you in amongst the broken ground.
Useful tactics for this area would be your standard rotten bottom setup coupled with 18lb-20lb mainline as this should help you to avoid losing too much gear. Pulley rigs baited with fish/squid baits will help you to target some of the bigger species such as the Ray and Bullhuss. To target some of the specimen sized Wrasse that frequent the area a simple paternoster with good strong smaller sized hook such as the Top Gun’s or Chinu’s will be the way to go, crab or rag worm will be the top baits for these beautifully coloured fish and be prepared to hit and hold as a fish exceeding 6lb is not out of the realms of possibility. Big Pollack have been taken from this area also, they often succumb to fish/sandeel or squid baits targeting other species out of the blue.
If you would like to target the Pollock then a pop-up rig fished just behind the surf with Ragworm the best bait. Prime time to fish the cove will be from April-November for the Wrasse and Black Bream the Ray can come out any time throughout the year and as with all of Chesil that surprise catch can happen at any time.
As you move away from the cove the ground becomes cleaner and less snaggy, there is a good depth of water all along this stretch with shingle seabed interspersed with sand and the occasional rough patch. This bottom makeup lends itself well to some excellent Plaice fishing and also more recently Dab's.
This area of Chesil has become famous for it's Ray fishing and this area regularly throws up the well sort after Blonde Ray with fish over 20lb having been taken many times. There are also the odd nice Undulate Ray along with the odd Spotted and Small eyed. Scaling the size of baits down for the Ray’s can help to hit the distance and smaller worm baits can help target the flatfish.
Moving away from the flat fish species this area also is a good place for Black Bream, Smoothhound, Gurnard, Codling, Bass, Conger Eel and once again the odd surprise Pollack.
Starting out in Dec through to March the main target all along this area will be the Blonde Ray which seem to be more prevalent at this time. Its worth noting that generally these fish are taken when fishing at a fair range and realistically you will need to be able to punch a bait 80- 100yrds to be on the clean sand where the Rays seem to be. Don't worry if you can't hit that sort of distance as the occasional fish can show from any distance especially the Undulates. It is advisable to reduce your bait sizes and make sure they are shaped and whipped tightly to maximise casting range, a nice 3.5ft-4ft pulley rig is all that’s required for the ray with a good strong hook such as the Manta Extra important to cope with the weight fight of these fish, sandeel baits with small strips of fish or squid tend to be the “go to” baits amongst regulars.
If you do hook a decent fish try and keep your rod high to avoid the occasional snag. Of course, at this time of year the right conditions will also see the chance of a few Codling which can be taken again on pulleys as well as loops, up and overs or even scaled up two hook clip down rigs, Crab, squid and black or blow lug will be your best bet but they are normally willing to take most baits. Trying for a Cod these tactics will also see you landing plenty of the typical pest fish such as Dogfish, Pouting, Whiting and small strap eels, there is always the chance of a very large Eel realistically on any of the deeper marks on Chesil so don’t be surprised if you find yourself involved in a wrestling match out of the blue.
As you move into the spring attentions turn to the Plaice fishing, once again be mindful that the majority of the better fish are taken from the sandy areas at good range, two or three hook clipped down or Portsmouth loop rigs with worm baits will see you finding these spotty little beauties. Summer through to Autumn will offer arguably the best of the fishing with all of the above fish still on the cards plus the addition of the Hounds, Bream and Bass and around November time Spurdogs have shown. Small hooks with mackerel/squid or worm baits will find the bream while crab baits are the king for the hounds, once the Mackerel have arrived it is very worth while jigging a few to use as bait during your session and if you are getting a little bit of a sea building a bait cast very short may sort out a nice Bass a long with plugging and spinning.
With the relatively clear bottom there is no need to go extreme in terms of tackle selection 15lb -18lb Nite crystal line is ample with a selection of 5oz and 6 oz leads enough to do the job in any tides. It is always advisable to concentrate your efforts of fishing and put the hard work in 2.5hrs either side of high or low water when there is a nice run of tide. The slack periods between really don’t often turn many fish up and these are good times to take your foot off of the gas ready for the hopefully busy bite period to come!
This can be said for ALL of Chesil beach but with its very steep seaward banks the Cove to Ferrybridge area can be particularly dangerous during a blow with big swells and steep unstable footing, NEVER take any undue risks when landing fish, ALWAYS keep your eyes on the sea as big swells can literally come from nowhere a wipe you out! Think carefully where you set your gear up giving that sea plenty of respect and space. The best wind directions for this whole area will be from the North or Northeast, winds from these directions will see it coming from over your shoulders and will aid with distance in the cast as well as help to reduce the sea state. All of Chesil beach is a place where you really do need to plan your trips with a close eye on conditions both whilst you intend to fish but also in the days leading to your session, if you’re unsure or it looks iffy just give it a miss as the chances are aside from being dangerous the huge rolling waves will make the fishing practically impossible.