Poole Harbour, Baiter.

Baiter, looking back towards the car park off Labrador Drive.

Baiter Park is an area of reclaimed land in Poole between the Quay and Poole Park. It was once the site of an isolation hospital* built on a spit of land surrounded by water or salt flats. The remaining portion of the building can be seen in the picture above. The park is alongside Labrador Drive and Catalina Drive and has a large car park off each road and a toilet block between them.
This is a noted spot for flounder fishing, the venue is fishable over high tide from the comfort of a paved path and benches. There is a long section of water that fishes much the same over a large part of that length.... this makes it a popular site for matches so you may find it busy. The hot spot is said to be the area where the culvert allows water flow into the pond within Poole Park.

Baiter, looking towards Poole Park.

The bottom here is silt and mud with some weed patches. Flounders, eels and small bass are the most likely catch so use ragworm baits on smallish hooks. Distance casting is not required, fish can be very close in. Boats fishing just offshore catch black bream in late summer, and smoothound are said to turn up on occasion.

There is a public slipway off the car park which is very popular with the jet-ski users who in turn are not very popular with anglers. There is a dedicated area for them to play in over the water but many prefer to show off around the launch area.

There are no cafés nearby, you will need to go back to the Quay area or rely on a snack van that appears on occasion in the car park.
There is good level wheelchair access but some assistance to get fish back over the rock fringe may be required.

The nearest tackle shops for bait are Sea Fishing Poole at the eastern end of The Quay, then the Poole Sea Angling Centre near Poole Quay or The Wessex Angling Centre on Wimborne Road.

* update 11 Sep .2012.... skulking around the internet, as you do, I came across this site which, although about windmills, gives the history of the area. As usual answers to one question lead to another question....the area that is now Poole Park boating lake was once called Hole's Bay...why is Hole's Bay now in another part of the harbour ?


OTHER LOCAL VENUES Holes Bay Evening Hill


Tide times for Baiter for the next 7 days.

with assistance