Monday 14 November 2011



April sunshine, West Bay, Dorset


This site is built using a standard blogspot template, it is not ideal but it is easy to use and is free!


To navigate this site, please use the links to the right, scroll down for links to places to fish, listed under areas, tackle shop links etc. I am adding to the site on a regular basis.

an alphabetical list of links to all fishing spots described in this blog is here

Update History

updated September making lead weights added

updated July/August 2011. Fish Identification pages added
Gobies, Blennies, Wrasse.

Added info and photo to West Bay Harbour


link changed for The Aquarium Project site,
an excellent resource for fish identification




click for accessible venues

48 comments:

  1. Anonymous31 January 2007 at 23:27

    beautiful mate - beach fisher me self - never got in a boat in my life. Catching lots of dabs at the moment.

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  2. Frobisher3 February 2007 at 09:57

    Do you eat the fish you catch? I went mackerel fishing off Beer years ago - caught loads and was then attacked by seagulls after our catch.

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  3. haddock3 February 2007 at 11:13

    Like many fishermen I do not eat the fish I catch. Mackerel and garfish are kept and frozen for bait, sometimes if I catch edible fish sometimes I give them to friends who like fish, sometimes I just put them back.

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  4. Anonymous8 February 2007 at 22:43

    I eat them - what else would I survive on - esp. Dabs, Bass, Cod, plaice and of course mackerel caught much lately Captain H?

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  5. haddock9 February 2007 at 00:29

    Funily enough Mr Mutley I've been catching dogs ! flounders, pout and bits and pieces, Been trying to catch a dab.... Where are they ?

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  6. Anonymous11 February 2007 at 23:36

    Yikes - shall we try to use the word "Huss" in future!!

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  7. Anonymous5 March 2007 at 20:30

    Great weblog, good to see some of the marks i used to fish back in the 60`s, I have started fishing again, mostly at Ilfracombe.
    I mostly log onto the WSF site.

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  8. Unknown5 March 2007 at 23:09

    This is a delightful blog, well presented and top class.

    Nice work

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  9. haddock5 March 2007 at 23:46

    Thanks for your comments, pop back from time to time, I'm adding stuff quite regularly.
    Have only recently found WSF but know a few of the posters there.

    ReplyDelete
  10. sallysludgebucket13 March 2007 at 03:31

    Brilliant site, very informative and leading the way in sea fishing reviews with the use of disabled access logo !

    Ace, keep up the good work !

    sallysludgebucket

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  11. Anonymous6 April 2007 at 08:29

    Hi Haddock.
    Nice Blog ! I'm just starting out sea angling after recently moving to the south west. Could you recommend a good tackle shop / online company that can supply complete sets of weights/swivels etc suitable for most beach/shore fishing situations ? I'm finding that most companies sell these items individualy and i'm buggered if i know what to order !!
    Oh by the way i work with your brother Graham ! :-/
    Many thanks and keep up the great Blog.

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  12. Anonymous14 May 2007 at 21:23

    How do you get to so many different places and actually know these spots Captain H??

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  13. haddock14 May 2007 at 22:45

    The south coast I fish regularly, 3 times a week usually. I have had quite a few holidays in Pembrokeshire over the years, I also used to live in Kent and in Lincolnshire where I used to fish the coast along the Humber.
    I only report on places I have fished myself or a few where I have visited and spoken to locals who fish there. Photos are my own.
    Giving up smoking and drinking and being single allows me to spend my money on something worthwhile !
    I am off to freeload on a brother in Kent soon to do Sheppey (yeukk) round to Dungeness. And, if I can bear going to Lincs again, might do the Humber later in the year.
    PS Mutley, The Mayor of Bridport really does go fishing !

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  14. Anonymous5 June 2007 at 10:20

    Hi Keith,

    We met at West bay. Thanks for the
    tips and bait. Great session mate.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous12 June 2007 at 01:55

    Wonderfull rescource mate - and much appreciated - know it must take a lot of time and effort to achieve.

    Great to see some of those low tide shots too - very usefull.

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  16. Anonymous19 June 2007 at 11:31

    Hopefully fishing Bracklesham Bay this Saturday, early evening.
    any tips?

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  17. haddock19 June 2007 at 14:36

    I have never fished there, for up to date info check the WSF forum link on the right. one member there, fargo, says
    "Bracklesham is not that great - you are better off heading to Selsey, it has not been fishing that well recently (I live there), and I have been heading to other venues (Pagham is a good one as well). You could try Chichester harbour as some hounds have been caught there, but if you do want to try Bracklesham its not snaggy, its a flat sand and shingle beach, just watch the groynes and you will be fine. Rag is the best bait, you might get some schoolies, and there is a slim chance of a bigger bass. TBH there are better venues a short distance away."
    hope this helps

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  18. Anonymous19 June 2007 at 16:00

    You better put the Rag on the hook for me, like you did at West Bay a couple of weeks ago!

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  19. Anonymous17 July 2007 at 14:10

    very intresrting site with good information

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  20. Anonymous20 August 2007 at 18:31

    Hope you caught the Trigger or Gurnard you were looking for at the Mumbles Pier 20/8/07.
    Great site, learnt more about what the fish look like here than from any book.
    Good Luck with the 40+!

    ReplyDelete
  21. haddock20 August 2007 at 22:49

    Hi, good to meet you there:
    No trigger fish or gurnard today but took the species count up to 30 with a thin-lipped grey mullet. Also had a goby but differentiation between the goby species is a job for the experts.
    Will try again on Saturday.

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  22. Anonymous21 August 2007 at 19:43

    Well done on 30!
    If its any help and your going back to the Mumbles pier the chap in the shop said that the Triggers were being caught at low water on rag on the end platform by facing back to the shore and dropping the line straight down the back,
    I fished Ogmore beach today with no luck, i'll try the Mumbles again next week.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous3 September 2007 at 17:47

    Hi Capt
    Cheers for the bait and a good laugh at west bay "2 sept late afternnon" we caught another 13 thorrnback rays and a load of pollock / flattys / pout, we stayed until about 24.00 hours and not one doggy :(, we will be back in contact in about 2 weeks for intel update on fishing at west-bay if you are around there, how did you get on with your species match/hunt ?.
    Cheers
    Driftwood

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  24. haddock3 September 2007 at 19:07

    Hi Driftwood,
    good to meet you, fishing and laughing; a good combination.
    I thought as a blogger your profile link would come up here but it has not, and I, of course have forgotten what you said your site was called.
    you can email at haddocksblog at yahoo do co dot uk

    I caught 6 species.... the top guy caught 15....... I'll win it next year.

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  25. Unknown12 October 2007 at 09:02

    Come on, Haddock - when are you going to update this?

    We need some more interesting reads!!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous11 November 2007 at 11:24

    What a load of rubbish

    ReplyDelete
  27. haddock11 November 2007 at 14:06

    well Mr Anonymous, 11.24
    point us all to your web pages so that we can see how it should be done. I'm sure we will all learn more about you..... we have already learned a lot by your comment

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous10 December 2007 at 20:40

    Very good effort Tiny!I wish I had the aptitude and patience.
    Don`t suppose you have a picture of the harbour sometime in the 80`s when the inner basin was frozen over for several days?
    ropeseller@btinternet.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous12 May 2008 at 10:48

    Eye eye captain! As a beginner your posts on WSF and your website are very helpful. I am starting to catch and really enjoy fishing. I think its one of the funniest hobbies around, plenty of opportunities for a good giggle. Caught 4 pout at sandbanks on sat night in about 6 hours which was acually very enjoyable! Then a few small wrasse at durston yesterday, think it might be worth heading to swanage pier. Might see you around sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  30. The Dirty Rat20 September 2008 at 16:03

    Mr.H.
    I started sea fishing 57 years ago and am still at it. I now live in Greece which opened up a whole new bag of species but Bass is still my favorite for catching and eating.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Brian7 October 2008 at 20:43

    Have to agree that the sliding float rig you show is excellent for mackerel and gar, especially off Swanage Pier. I use a sliding stopknot of thicker monofilament instead of a rubber band and agree about checking terminal tackle frequently.

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  32. Beach Bum16 June 2009 at 23:40

    Was your post on Praa Sands that caught my Googly eye - was there on Saturday for a kid's surf life saving event and was reading up on the beach for a post at my place.Glad I stumbled in here as my 11 yr old is dead set on starting fishing. Any suggestions for what kit he might use and prices for sea fishing off the rocks would be most appreciated!!

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  33. woman on a raft7 July 2009 at 13:40

    Excellent post on Porth Clais.

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  34. tomsk17 July 2009 at 22:45

    Great site - by complete fluke the family and I will be camping near swanage next week and then Porthclais in August. I am a novice looking to spin/plug for bass and mackerel in both spots. This is great. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Unknown27 October 2009 at 22:42

    Hi Haddock

    Great site, any news on how West bay is fishing? I'll be down there this weekend and fancy a spot of fishing if the weather is ok.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Alan8 February 2010 at 20:13

    Hi, FishyFishy, Good to meet you at Baiter on the flounders match. Thank you for giving me the address of this site, which is excellent - lots to read and digest ! If you would like company when you go to Swanage Pier or elsewhere local - please give me a ring, you have my telephone number. Kind Regards = New Member of WB SAC

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  37. Anonymous5 June 2010 at 11:04

    Hi Haddock, great site, came across it by chance. I generally fish at Dinas Dinlle near Caernarfon where the bass are being caught in large numbers right now but will be coming down south to Stackpole at the end of the month with 3 of my brothers and wondered if you could give some light on whatand where is likely to be fishing well then.
    Much appreciated - Sea Scorpion

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  38. Anonymous23 October 2010 at 05:24

    Thanks for the salting instructions - really useful.

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  39. tetcrh2 March 2011 at 21:30

    Hi there man, not sure if you still update or not, but..

    Looking to get into shore fishing. When I was a bit younger I fished off boats a fair bit, and have done a little (really I mean a little) coarse.

    Basically my old boat set up was a 9ft rod with a 5-7oz casting weight, with a fixed spool reel. I used mainly spinners and feathers, got a lot of mackarel and a few gurnard that way.

    What do I need to change about my set up for shore fishing? Do I need to use bait as opposed to lures? Will the rod be okay?

    Cheers if you respond matey!

    ReplyDelete
  40. haddock3 March 2011 at 17:17

    sorry tetcrh, I can't answer individual queries on this site... I suggest you join WSF forum, link on the right hand side.... you will get all the help you need there.
    The set up you have will be OK from piers etc but will be a bit insensitive for catching small fish.... which is all most of us catch !

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  41. Mark10 May 2011 at 11:37

    Great Blog mate really informative, Tightlines.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Sea Fishing Tackle4 September 2012 at 15:00

    Hi

    This was the only way I could contact you. I spent many years fishing many of the marks you mention. Westbay in Sept was one of the most productive and interesting marks!

    I thought you might be interested in my info graphic I made about sea angling - http://www.fishing-blog.co.uk/sea-fishing-facts/

    Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!

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  43. FishingifTime19 September 2013 at 07:02

    Nice colours in the photo!

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  44. Steve25 February 2014 at 16:28

    Came across your blog while researching a couple of marks. Real shame you don't seem to be posting anymore as a really good read, especially seeing all the different species ID features.

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  45. Anonymous22 June 2019 at 23:59

    It be a bugger ere' on Going Postal Cap'n!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Anonymous16 August 2020 at 11:03

    Hello, It was nice to meet you on the Stone Pier last week. I've put Henderson's book on my birthday wish list. Afterwards I went to Chesil which was only moderately busy and walking S of the Ferrybridge car park provided a space of at least 100 yards to the the nearest person. However the fishing was very quiet with only one lost small garfish and little visible activity.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Bass no Trebles20 April 2021 at 10:49

    Hi I made a post asking for advice for fishing Amroth beach South Wales. I'm half way through the weeks holiday I first fished Pendine beach from low to high on a mid range tide, From day light into night. First put your running shoes on the tide comes in fast. The beach had some lug worm on it. It was a long session just two small flounder to show for it both caught at dusk. The next evening I fished from low to high day light into dark. 1.30 hour before high tide I started to get bites and catch fish. End of session I had 5 or 6 dog fish and one bass around 1lbs, all returned. Fished the last 2 hours of the tide the next morning blanked no bites. Baits used luge worm and king rag on a 1 up one down and a three hook flapper 2 13 foot rods. I did try a couple of bigger baits I was given 6 razor fish so a razor black lug and crab cart. That came back in untouched not even the crabs wanted it. Tonight I am going to fish Laugharne if I can get some mud rag. All in all a fairly disappointing trip fishing wise. I was hoping the fish would of all spawned and be numerous and hungry. May be next week.

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  48. Steve8 July 2024 at 08:48

    A post about your fishing off Boscombe Pier would be good!

    ReplyDelete