Poole Harbour, Shell Bay

Shell Bay, Studland at the Poole Harbour entrance.

Shell Bay is the easternmost end of Studland Beach which stretches from here to Ballard Down. The area is owned by The National Trust, to the west is a nudist beach so don't wander too far that way. This beach is right by the Chain Ferry (so called because it hauls itself along chains which lie on the sea bed) that runs between Sandbanks and Studland and there are facilities near the toll booth and car park.
Fishing here mainly concentrates on bass and flatfish, at low tides you can see evidence of the Training Bank which is a long low bank of rocks that 'train' the tidal flow in and out of the harbour. This is a favoured area for bass.
The stream shown in the photo only appears after rainy periods and drains a lagoon into the sea.
Anglers can often be seen spinning for bass into the main current or bottom fishing ragworm or sandeel baits from the beach.

The harbour, across the road from Shell Bay.

Across the ferry approach road on the harbour side, mudflats are exposed at low tide and you can, if feeling energetic, dig bait here. The structure that is visible near the sun in this photo is an oil field installation. Wells under the harbour and drilled out to sea provide millions of pounds worth of oil a week.

For the lunatic fringe only, sign at Shell Bay.

One of the silliest signs I have ever seen, if you walk a coast path then you are bound, eventually, to reach a town on the coast ! If you really need to get to Minehead, go by car, especially if you are carrying all your fishing gear.

Poole Harbour, Sandbanks Beach.

Sandbanks Beach, low tide.

Sandbanks is a peninsula that forms the eastern arm that encloses Poole Harbour. There is a large pay and display car park adjacent. Holly Bush is on the harbour side, and to the seaward, past the toilet block and other facilities, there is a large flat sandy beach. Fishing during the day is only possible out of the holiday season or at night during the summer. Many different species can be caught from here, long distance casting is not needied. A typical evening session in the dark in March yielded bass, pouting, rockling, whiting and flounder; all caught on ragworm or sandeel fillet baits on size two hooks, cast a maximum of seventy yards out; twenty yard casts were catching fish.

The Groyne near the beach access point at low tide.

At high tide you can cover more ground by fishing from the end of one of the groynes, this one has a flat concrete top. Take care when walking down onto the rocks to retrieve tackle and fish, wet rocks are slippery.

Poole Harbour, The Haven.

The Haven, taken from the Chain Ferry from Studland

The Haven mark is easy to find, just follow the ferry signs from Poole. Parking is available very close to where you fish but it is short stay and expensive. Park on the side of the road in Panorama Road which is the road swinging back around to Poole when you get to the the ferry. The narrow entrance and the large volume of water in the harbour makes for fast tidal flow at this point. Check the tide conditions on Easytide. Where the graph line is flat there is less flow, where it is steep there will be a lot. You fish from a concrete wall, fish close in and you will not be so affected by the tide although there are weed beds and other snags on which to loose tackle. Spinning is good here with some nice bass caught on occasion. Light tackle, small hooks and baits dropped in close will give good sport with wrasse and other small species. Ragworm and mackerel or squid strips work well.There are facilities close by, a takeaway shop and toilets back up by the road junction. There are some concrete groynes around towards Sandbanks Beach that you can fish from, the same comments regarding tide strength apply. To get to these you will have to negotiate a short vertical ladder, a sloping slippery concrete apron and other obstacles. Not a venue for small children.
Float fishing for mackerel can be fun from here.
The harbour entrance is very busy with boat traffic, some boats come very close so watch your line. The constant noise of boat traffic can be annoying, some people will head for quieter venues.

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

Poole Harbour & Studland

Evening, Holes Bay

Poole Harbour is a huge area of water where large flounder are sometimes caught along with bass.

Most fishing here is done with light tackle with ragworm as bait, specific locations are Baiter Park, Evening Hill, Lake Pier & Rockley, Holly Bush and Holes Bay, the harbour entrance marks are The Haven and Shell Bay which is across on Studland Beach, a short ferry ride away. On the harbour side of Studland are the marks of Jerry's Point , Gravel Point and Bramble Bush Bay also Redhorn Point in Brands Bay ( there is interesting historical and geological info with map here)

The beach at Sandbanks is included under Poole marks as it is just a few hundred yards from the Holly Bush.

to be continued
updated 17/08/10