Tackle Shops, Weymouth

Weymouth Angling Centre has moved from one side of the bridge to the other.... go over the bridge towards town, round the bend with the pedestrian crossing and it's just down the road on the right....although all you can see of it is the name painted on the balcony that projects over the pavement until you are quite close.

Weymouth Angling Centre, St. Edmund Street. Weymouth Tel. 01305 777771

Weymouth Angling Centre.

A new tackle shop has opened, filling the gap left by the demise of Dennings Tackle, which will be convenient for those heading towards Ferry Bridge, Chesil Cove or the Portland marks.

You will find it on the left as you drive out towards Portland, after the roundabout and after the Filling Station on Portland Road, there is very limited parking in front of shop but you can park on the roadside further down or in a side street.

Chesil Bait 'n' Tackle 77 Portland Road Wyke Regis Tel 01305 766222
Chesil Bait n Tackle, Wyke Regis.

Weymouth, Preston Beach.

Preston Beach, looking back to the town beach

Preston Beach is the shingle beach that extends from Greenhill to Bowleaze Cove; the A353, signposted to Wareham, runs alongside the sea wall and beach. Parking is limited to the car parks at Greenhill , one about 400yds further on at the rear of the Sea Life Centre and then nowhere until you get to the cove. Here you may be lucky to park free on Bowleaze Coveway.

Weymouth charges , day and night, for parking.... and enforce it rigorously, don't overstay. Recent changes mean that parking overnight is now free rather than the punitive rates formerly charged

Fresh water outlet

The beach is fine shingle and is sheltered from westerly storms, it is often used as an alternative venue for matches when Chesil is too dangerous to fish. The beach is gently sloping once you are over the man-made bank and the water is fairly shallow. The beach is generally clean ground and snag free. All manner of species show up here and it is a greatly underrated spot. Anything from smoothhound to golden grey mullet can turn up. Ragworm is most widely used but mackerel, sandeel or squid can catch well. If you are after smoothhound then hermit crab is reckoned to be the bait to use.

Bowleaze Cove end, notice the reef.

If you fish the Bowleaze Cove end of the beach, be aware that there is a reef close inshore, otherwise you will lose tackle to it. If you look back landwards and line up with the edge of the last building on the other side of the road you are at the end of the reef. If you are after bass then you may well want to fish the reef although this is best done early morning or late evening as when you venture into the cove you are into swimmer and jet-ski territory.

There is little lateral movement to the water so light tackle and plain leads can be used. Fish can be caught very close to shore so long casting is not a requirement.

The nearest tackle shop is the Weymouth Angling Centre near the Town Bridge.

There are toilets at the Greenhill car park and at the junction of the main road and Bowleaze Coveway.

OTHER LOCAL VENUES Ringstead Bay Pleasure Pier

Tide times for Preston Beach for the next 7 days

Chesil, Ferry Bridge.

Ferrybridge is the name given to several locations, there is a pub, The Ferrybridge Inn, on the right-hand side as you leave Wyke Regis towards Portland. You can get access behind the pub to fish The Fleet which is the area of water between Chesil Beach and the mainland. The main quarry here is bass although some fish the area for flounder.
The next Ferry Bridge is a concrete bridge carrying the road over the inlet to The Fleet from Portland Harbour. There are several places that you can access here to spin or float-fish with mackerel strip or sandeel for gar, mackerel, bass or pollack...... depending on season. The tide pulls strongly through here and fishing is best a couple of hours each side of high. You can bottom fish for the same species although small wrasse will feature most in your catch if you use ragworm.

Under the Ferry Bridge, spinning for bass

Be careful when walking on the sloping concrete apron, it is very slippery where it is covered by the tide and has weed or algae growing on it. The fringes of the water have weed patches so care is needed not to get snagged when retrieving a fish. This venue is quite safe for children and the bridge gives shelter if it rains.

Ferry Bridge, looking west back towards Weymouth.

Wheelchair access is possible to this area via the area to the rear of the pub or via a ramped access at the Portland side of the bridge.( I will have to check if there are any steps, I can't remember seeing any). Some people fish from the bridge itself, this brings the problem of catching the boats that pass in and out of The Fleet. Nearest facilities are at the Ferrybridge car park a few hundred yards east. Don't be tempted to park on the road or in the access roads or tracks. It is usual for a few vehicles to be parked on the grass verge though.

Chesil 'Ferrybridge', looking over The Fleet at low tide from the car park.

The next Ferrybridge location is the car park containing an Information Centre, a snack bar and toilets. The car park is an area levelled by US forces during WWII as part of the D-Day build up. It is now a race track for chavs in the evening and a source of revenue for the council. Pay especial attention to the charges board when you get a ticket.... charges are steep and apply 24 hours a day.
The best fishing spots are said to be to the right, in the above photo you can make out a small structure far to the left. Walk out to here, along the bank of the fleet is easiest ( at low tide you can take a short cut), and then up the bank near to the fenced off area. The fences are to keep people out from the bird nesting area. There are a few noted marks that are wrecks that can be reached by big casters who know where they are. The 'Landing Craft' and the 'Adelaide' are found by following the detailed instructions on this site
All manner of fish can be caught in season along this stretch, indeed it would be easier to list those that cannot be caught. Favourite baits, ragworm, mackerel, squid and sandeels. Most likely catch... dogfish.
The area is very popular with holiday-makers bashing out mackerel during the summer and by cod hunters in the winter.

The nearest tackle shops are here.

Approximate Tide Times for the next seven days

on and under bridge only.

Weymouth, Ringstead Bay.

Ringstead Bay, at low tide, showing reefs.

If you take the Wareham road from Weymouth, the A353, you will pass through Osmington; on the right is a 'drop away' turning just before the road goes up under some trees. Follow this narrow lane through a little village and as you go up a fairly steep hill you will see the turning to Ringstead Bay on your right. If you find a National trust car park, you have gone too far. Parking is in a field quite near the beach, it is free in winter but an attendant will take money from you in summertime. There is a cafe and shop which is open only during the holiday season and a toilet block, newly built, to the rear of the shop. Walk past the shop, the lane turns to the right and shortly after you will see a steepish ramp down to a shallow shingle beach. You will see from the photographs that there are reefs just out to sea. This affects the fishing in two ways, firstly the reefs hold wrasse, bass etc but are very snaggy; secondly the reefs make waves and waves attract surfers who will appear from nowhere to enjoy them. Fishing is best done to the west past where the reef ends, if walking along the access lane pass by the ramp and after the 'green' in front of a cottage you will see a rudimentary path, slippery, steep and uneven down to the beach. It is easier to walk along the beach from the ramped access.

Ringstead Bay, looking west from the 'green'

The rough ground here means that wrasse, dogfish, bass and bullhuss are possible along with the usual pout and other small species. In winter whiting and codling can be added to the list, and as near any reef or rough ground a conger eel is not out of the question.

Float fishing for gar, scad, mackerel and bass can be done here in the summer. Nearest tackle shop is the Weymouth Angling Centre.

Approximate Tide Times for the next 7 days

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Weymouth, The Pleasure Pier.

From The Pleasure Pier, Weymouth.

Someone with a great sense of humour named this The Pleasure Pier.

My understanding of pleasure does not include vandalism, graffiti, litter and decrepit dirty semi-abandoned buildings*. The fishing can be quite good and it is a place you can fish when the weather is too bad to fish the nearby Chesil Beach.
In winter you can fish the Harbour side of the pier, wrasse, pout, dogfish and pollack are fairly abundant after dark along with whiting in winter and the occasional bass. Float fishing is popular during the summer for mackerel and garfish. Do look out for boat traffic and reel your lines in out of their way, long casting is not really required as the fish may be directly under you. This is a popular venue for species hunters and lrf anglers.

This is one of a few venues in the UK where you can catch squid from the shore, not the little calamari squid, but half metre long squid that make good eating ( I cannot say how good as, thankfully, I have never been so hungry as to try to eat one.) The squid usually arrive in late September to early November.
There are no facilities nearby. The nearest tackle shop is near the Town Bridge. Car parking is adjacent to the fishing, (pay and display free after 6pm) you can fish from the sea wall at the car park and around behind the Tower, the water is fairly shallow here but a variety of species can be caught. Gilthead bream have put in an appearance in recent years and tub gurnard can sometimes be caught by setting a float to drag the strip of mackerel bait along or near the sea bed. Mackerel can be caught at night here on occasions, the shoals will be on the surface and can be caught with a float set very shallow.... if the wind is from behind you then the float and weight can be dispensed with and the bait 'freelined' on the surface. 

The Car Park wall, Weymouth Pleasure Pier.

*  Update Mar 2020, the buildings on the pier have now been demolished taking away any shelter from the weather. The tower which was built in the corner of the car park has now been removed too so it is as the photo above, as it used to be.

Tide times for Weymouth for the next 7 days

Weymouth Stone Pier

The Stone Pier, Weymouth, from the Pleasure Pier.

The Stone Pier lies at the end of the short peninsula called the Nothe which is dominated by the Nothe Fort; pay and display car parking can be found at the top of The Nothe which is signposted from the road leading out of Weymouth towards Portland. Car park attendants are zealous in their pursuit of motorists, don't overstay your expensive ticket.
This is a child friendly spot to fish, however kids of ankle-biter size will need to be closely supervised as the railings are widely spaced.
This is a good place for species hunting, many and varied little fish can be caught on simple tackle and without the need to cast far. Use a small piece of ragworm or a sliver of fish bait on a fine wire hook of size four or smaller; I favour a small sliver of sand eel over mackerel as I seem to have more success with it. Use a simple rig tied without swivels and expensive bits as you will lose tackle in the weed and snags; drop the baits in close to the wall, watch for bites and react quickly as the fish will dive for cover in the snags. Bottom fishing out from the end, or towards the town is onto fairly clean ground and a great many species can be caught using ragworm or fish baits such as mackerel, herring, sandeel or squid..
Long casts are not required and put you at risk of losing your tackle to boat traffic as they travel in and out of the harbour. Boats have the right of way, reel in if one is heading for your line.
The seaward side of the pier has extensive kelp beds and although some big wrasse, bass and conger can be caught tackle loss will be high. Best all round bait will be ragworm and mackerel or squid. Float fishing for mackerel, bream and garfish is the most popular type of fishing in the summer. It is also possible to catch both black bream and gilthead bream.
The juniors from the local fishing club have their competitions here on Monday evenings during the summer, the matches are very well attended and are a confusion of boys and girls rushing about to get their fish recorded and to get back to fishing.... competition is intense !
If you are near Weymouth and want to start sea fishing the club will give you a great start with help and advice.
The nearest tackle shop is the Weymouth Angling Centre near the Town Bridge.

During the summer months there is a café and snack bar on the landward end of the pier with a toilet block adjacent.

Disabled anglers can best access the pier along a level path from the town along Nothe Parade, there is wheelchair access from the Nothe car park, head towards the fort and turn left.... but the path is steep and uneven where tree roots have lifted and cracked the tarmac.

Tide Times for Weymouth for the next 7 days

updated 9th June 2014

Weymouth, Dorset

low tide Weymouth Beach

Weymouth is a major centre for sea angling, there are many charter boats based in the town.

Pier and shore fishing from The Stone Pier, The Pleasure Pier, Greenhill Beach, Preston Beach, Ringstead Bay etc and Church Ope Cove on Portland. Chesil Beach offers many good venues.

Tide times for Weymouth for the next 7 days.