As part of the south’s stunning Jurassic coast, Dorset is one of the UK’s premier angling destinations. The county boasts some of the best fishing spots the UK has to offer. From the wild, rugged cliffs to shallow, shingle beaches that stretch further than the eye can see. Chesil Beach – Dorset’s most renowned fishing hotspot – sees thousands of budding fishermen descend on its shores every year to catch the biggest and brightest specimen.
The fish are big – Dorset still holds the shore caught record for brill, pollock, rockling, weever and wrasse – and bountiful in the right conditions. Bass, mackerel, conger, wrasse, and flatfish are all – excusing the pun – commonplaice.
So fill your boots with the best beaches, coves and bays. With family-friendly locations and notoriously challenging marks, Dorset’s best shore fishing spots are some of the best in the UK. Learn how to find your own fishing spots here.
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Lyme Bay
With numerous harbour walls to shoot from around Lyme Regis and long, flat beaches to choose from, Lyme Bay offers plenty of accessible fishing opportunities. Mackerel fishing is incredibly popular with a number of companies operating in the area. if you can fish even a hundred metres or so offshore, your chance of bumping into a chunky bass or pollock increases tenfold. Although this same logic is true at the mouth of the River Char, where bass come to feed in the estuary on the incoming tide.
Like much of the shallow Dorset coast, it’s a breeding ground for pollock, bass and other predatory fish. The harbour walls and bays in the area are great for family fishing, particularly the sea defence wall around Lyme Regis. The Cobb is a great fishing spot for beginners as the shallow, rough ground is home to smaller bass, pollock and wrasse that can be caught on spinners or floats, with multiple LRF opportunities. Mackerel fishing with feathers is pretty commonplace all around The Cobb, whilst the nearby shingle beaches are decent spots for bass, wrasse, codling, flatfish and huss.
Further east around Charmouth Beach, the ground cleans up and the area is a better spot for rays and dogfish and fishes better with beachcasters. The long, shallow beach is like Chesil Beach light and is bookended by rocky ground, pools and gullies that fish better around high tide given how shallow the marks are. It can throw up some surprising bass and wrasse in the right conditions.
Almost all of these areas tend to fish better around high tide given how shallow the marks are. The rough ground and shingle banks dotted around the area make lure fishing scintillating in the right conditions. But these areas are pretty transient, particularly for bigger fish. So when conditions aren’t perfect don’t expect much, if anything if you’re lure fishing.
West Bay
On the westerly edge of Chesil Beach, you’ll find West Bay. Obviously. West Bay has a number of really accessible marks – the harbour, both the East Pier and Jurassic Pier and from the beach itself. The beach is very shallow, but there are a number of groynes you can target. Particularly if you can cast more than 50m out to sea where the water can be 3-4m deep.
The harbour itself is busy and lure fishing for bass and mullet are top of the list. Salmon and sea trout run through the River Brit and out of the harbour at the right time of year and spinning or lure fishing with surface baits are essential as the sea is only 1-2 metres deep. Again fishing on either side of the high tends to be most effective here.
West Bay is a great option for beginners, particularly if you’re looking to target some smaller predatory fish on LRF tackle from the rocks. For serious fishermen, Chesil Beach tends to throw up some bigger cod and rays and both tend to fish better at night. Which has the added benefit of being away from the crowds.
Chesil Beach
‘Chesil’ is derived from the Old English ‘ceosel’ or ‘cisel’ meaning gravel.
One of the UK’s most famous fishing marks, Chesil Beach is an 18-mile-long shingle beach stretching from West Bay to Portland. As one of the UK’s major shingle beach structures, it’s a stunning sight that is really at the mercy of the elements. The body of water that looks like it separates the beach from the mainland is known as Fleet Lagoon and is one of the few remaining brackish lagoons in the world.
Fishing-wise Chesil is one of the UK’s most notorious spots. With arguably the greatest diversity of species available on these shores, the beach is so large you need to split it up into different sections to fish it effectively. Portland fishes differently to West Cove and everything in between.
At the easterly end, Chesil Cove’s bottom is rough and snaggy. Littered with gullies, rock formations and rig-wrenching snags it’s best fished off the bottom. West towards Ferrybridge you’ll find a location made famous thanks to the Royal Adelaide. A wreck just 150m offshore that’s home to some giant triggerfish. However like with so many areas of Chesil Beach, its notoriety and angling legend make it incredibly busy at peak times.
Further west you’ll come across Abbotsbury, one of Chesil’s most famous marks, particularly for its cod and whiting. The water is deeper and the crowds busier, particularly in the winter months. Abbotsbury is one of Chesil’s ‘specimen’ areas thanks to the deeper water. And West Bexington isn’t to be dismissed. A mark still famed for its fishing in the right conditions, West Bexington is known for its mackerel shoals and the predators that chase them in towards the shore. Bass, rays, cod, tope et al.
The western end of the beach tends to be fished a little less than others as the water gets so shallow that marks like West Bay and Freshwater are largely accessible from the cliffs.
Fishing Chesil is an experience and not for those without patience. Thanks to the similar topography and array of marks fishing Chesil is a real challenge. The shingle marks and steep dropoff throw up specimens and the beach fishes as well as anywhere in the right conditions. But unfortunately, you’re more reliant on the elements here than almost anywhere else in the UK.
Portland
Bookending Chesil beach on its easterly side, the isle of Portland is Dorset’s most southerly point and offers some of its finest rock fishing and LRF opportunities. Whilst Chesil Beach itself and marks like Abbotsbury and West Bexington are renowned for their beach fishing, Portland offers some fantastic lure fishing opportunities from the shore.
Rich in rough ground lovers like wrasse, pollock and bass are regular visitors or inhabitants to the area. Pulpit Point was the spot where a record 9lb 1oz ballan wrasse was caught in 1998 and that’s not the only spot worth fishing as long as you don’t mind some rock scrambling. Church Ope Cove is another worthy fishing mark and the South West Coastal Path runs the entire stretch of the isle, so our recommendation is to pack relatively light and explore all of Portland’s angling options.
There are also some really accessible family-friendly marks on Portland like Durdle Pier and Portland Harbour. Both of which are nice spots for beginners on spinners and lures.
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Weymouth
Just round the corner from the Isle of Portland, you’ll find Weymouth. A seaside town with a pier and harbour suitable for spinning and a beach that holds bass, pollock, wrasse, bream, whiting and mackerel. Whilst it doesn’t have the excitement of Portland or the angling fame of Chesil, Weymouth Bay and its surrounding areas are well worth a fish.
Both Weymouth Stone Pier and the Pleasure Pier are real family-friendly fishing marks and you’ll find a wide variety of super LRF species. Mackerel and wrasse are commonly caught, particularly from Stone Pier. And the abundance of mackerel brings in predatory fish like bass and pollock when conditions are right.
Bowleaze Cove – situated on the easterly edge of Weymouth Bay – may be a busy family hotspot in the peak summer months, but when the evenings roll in and the boats stop it can be a really productive mark for bass fishing. Close to the shore, there’s a line of rocks that form a sort of reef that bass in particular hunt ferociously in and around the structure. At low tide, you can almost see the rock formation that runs almost the entire length of the beach and the shallow water creates some excellent bass fishing.
If you can make it around to the end of Bowleaze Cove you’ll find Redcliff Point. Jutting out into the sea there are some excellent fishing spots that occasionally throw up some real specimens.
Redcliff Point is not a fishing mark you’d head to with your kids. Or by yourself, if you aren’t a confident rock fisherman. So take care as the marks are rocky and susceptible to the tide.
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Swanage Bay
Swanage Bay has some really excellent pockets of deeper water and is most famed for its beach angling. Which typically means you’re going to catch bigger fish on baits at nighttime. Particularly when you consider how busy the beach gets in peak season. The easterly edge of the beach towards Ballard Cliff has rockier ground more prevalent with species like wrasse and has some good lure fishing opportunities if you can cast far enough.
Much like Weymouth Bay, Swanage Bay is bookended by a couple of points. One of which – Peveril Point – is accessible and well worth a shot for the lure fishermen among us.
A little further round from Swanage Bay to the west lies Durlston Bay and – for anglers – the Durlston Ledges. Swanage’s most famous lure fishing mark. The cliffs loom high above and it can feel eery at times. Particularly when the swell is high and the tides are roaring in. But as the bay is much more exposed than Swanage the seabed gets churned up and it fishes spectacularly. Particularly at night as bass come in to feed on crustaceans and baitfish.
Poole
Poole is something of an oddity, as the harbour is a genuinely good place to fish. Granted it gets incredibly busy and the ferry traffic that accesses the harbour through the small harbour entrance does ruin the peace slightly. But the volume of water that drives through the 300m wide entrance sends some true specimen bass into the harbour. If you don’t know why it’s worth checking out our page on the best conditions for bass fishing.
The beaches at the entrance to Poole Harbour – particularly Sandbanks and Knoll Beach – are heavily impacted by the tide. The incredibly shallow water at low tide creates some bassy conditions if you’re after some accessible fishing spots. Evening Hill on the easterly edge of Poole Harbour is a nice little accessible fishing mark that’s great for float fishing. If it’s LRF you’re after, the rough ground around Lake Pier is great fun and beautiful in the right conditions.
Ferry routes from Poole – Guernsey, Jersey and France – leave and arrive throughout the day and the number of fishing vessels is at an all-time peak. We say this so you’re aware this may not be a peaceful mark.
Just offshore from Poole Harbour is Poole Rocks Marine Conservation Zone. A 4km2 protected area to the east of the entrance and just over 2km east of Sandbanks. Whilst the rocky area looks fantastic for fishing, you’ll have to be content with drooling over it as angling is prohibited to ensure the survival of certain species, like the black seabream.
Southborne Beach
Nestled between Bournemouth and Christchurch you’ll find Southborne Beach. A beach notorious for its bass fishing. Any beach with an area called Fisherman’s Walk can only bring good tidings. When conditions are right – spring tides, overcast, dusk/dawn and on the incoming tide – bass enter the shallows chasing baitfish and crustaceans and are less easily spooked. It has been known to create quite a bass frenzy.
The sea floor is richer in structure than in the surrounding harbour and the top tip – as ever – is to visit the beach at low and identify gullies and rock formations likely to harbour (an excellent joke) predators.
As with most marks fishing the furthest-reaching point is always a good starting spot. The area around Hengistbury Head offers a variety of rocky outcrops and accessible marks, particularly for some LRF.
Christchurch
Christchurch is like Poole-light. A much smaller harbour with a still disproportionately high volume of recreational fishing vessels and some super accessible fishing marks, the incredibly shallow water leads to some super surface fishing.
As Christchurch Harbour is the mouth of both the River Stour and the River Avon the sea trout fishing is excellent. And – if you’re in the market for the most frustrating fishing in the UK – mullet tend to be plentiful in the area. You’ll find a number of fly fishermen targeting the river mouths for slob trout and in the harbour for mullet.
On the sea-side of the harbour, you’ll find Mudeford Sandbank, a truly beautiful fishing spot where fishing the shallows out to sea and into the harbour are possible. It’s incredibly shallow and a good spot for some bass fishing, with a couple of piers that provide a little natural structure. Surface fishing – and doing so in lower light conditions – are your best bet.
The Avon Beach area of Christchurch is a long strip of beach on the easterly edge of the harbour that’s still a decent bass hunting ground and throws up a wider variety of species than most other places in the harbour. It’s still incredibly shallow for the most part and the tide plays a big part here.
As a lure fisherman, make sure you bring a number of different surface lures so you can fish the 12-inch deep water for bass. Thanks to the unusual clarity of the water bass can be spooked easily, so taking care to be stealthy or fishing at night are your best options.
