Plugging Chesil - 20th August 2011

When it comes to bait fishing, Dorset's Chesil beach is by far and away my favorite place to fish. Its 18 miles of shingle is one of the country's most famous venues, it provides easy fishing  for 10 months of the year with a numerous array of species that can be realistically targeted with the bonus of knowing virtually anything may swim by!

But when it comes to plugging, where do you start on a place like this.....

I have to admit its a mystery to me, I know some regulars do really very well plugging here, but I am not one of them. I have caught a couple of lunker bass on plugs from here (including the one pictured on the right of this blog), but in reality both were just lucky fish, as I was just throwing a plug to pass the time whilst bait fishing with the beachcasters. Whenever I come down specifically to lure fish, I inevitably blank!

So onto todays trip, I arrived just after daybreak, and conditions were perfect (or at least how I imagine perfect shoud be for here). There was a lightish SW breeze, enough to kick up some chop but the water was still clear and weed free, the tide was just starting to flood.

I worked my way eastward along the shingle for a couple of mile, casting as I went. I started full of confidence but after a while of no activity this started to wane, there was no sign of any fish, no mackerel activity which is unusual and it started to feel like another chesil blank was looming. Then finally, when I had nearly worked my way back to the carpark area where the feather chuckers were gathered, this little fella took pity on my fishless state and nailed my zonk to save the day!

So I got a fish, but feel no closer to unravelling the mystery of chesil plugging....