Abbotsbury can be found on the B3157 out of Weymouth towards Bridport, As you come OUT of Abbotsbury [Don’t turn into the famous Swannery] you will come to a very sharp bend, here turn left [effectively Straight on] signposted for the Sub Tropical Gardens and Beach. Carry on down passed the Gardens and at the bottom you’ll find a car-park with an Attendant who’ll lighten your pockets of £3 for the pleasure of a full days parking.

The Car-park has a good toilet block with running warm water as well as a large bin for ALL your rubbish... [Please don’t leave you rubbish on the beach like some anglers! when we arrived we found a Disposable BBQ, plastic bottles and discarded fishing line at our chosen mark]

Like most popular Chesil marks, it depends who you speak with to which parts of the beach are best. Some will insist on walking to the Pill Box to the right or follow the track at the back of the beach on your left as you leave the car-park. Taking the left route you will eventually arrive at some concrete blocks known as the Dragons Teeth. I’d only take two rods and as little tackle as you dare, it’s a good 20-25 min walk but you’ll be rewarded with one of the best winter shore Cod marks for miles when you get there. Word of warning: Do not go passed the Dragons Teeth as this is a protected area. If the walks are not for you, then simply fish straight off the walkway that directs visitors off the car-park and on to one the most ‘Feathered’ beaches on the south coast. If I was a Mackerel I’d stay well away from Abbotsbury; but I’m not and they don’t - they’ll arrive in big numbers during the summer - as do the ‘Seasonal Feather Chuckers’!

An average cast will put you into some good areas but be prepared to fish very short on a flooding tide to target the occasional Bass or the Mackerel which they predate, which in turn are hunting the smaller shoal fish and chasing them onto the shore line. Most tactics will work for the Bass, it’s most rewarding though to try plugging and keep mobile by working up and down the beach - you’ll want to keep the tackle you carry very light and will be rewarded if you get away from the crowds either side of the boardwalk. Don’t get me wrong, Abbotsbury is not a prolific Bass mark, but they are there just like 90% of the rest of the beach.

Species depend on Season but you should be able to find Bass, Dogfish, Smoothhounds, Garfish, Pouting, Poor Cod, Whiting, Gurnard, Mackerel, Scad and some Plaice, Sole and Dab can also show. The list is not exhaustive as almost any fish that is found in the British Isles can be caught along Chesil [common sense applied that is!]

Baits: Favorite baits include Cocktails of lugworm and ragworm work well for the flat fish such as Plaice and fresh Mackerel strips will account for Dogfish, Whiting, Pouting and Poor Cod. Peeler crabs are the favoured by most species including the Cod. Always worth a go are Mussels or Razors, but don’t tell anyone I said that! - Worm and Squid tips will produce Sole in Summer towards the Dragons Teeth.

Rigs: There’s not too much to complicate things. I like to use something like a long Portsmouth loop when scratching around. You can mostly get away with shorter casting for 90 percent of the time and any of the popular rigs should have good results, pick something you have confidence in and fish it well. That said, keeping things simple with rigs such as 3 Hook Cascades or Flappers will also have it’s rewards. For bigger baits in winter or summer the Pulley Pennel has to be a banker, not because you need to get the lead up, but simply because it casts and fishes a fuller range of options which fits this kind of beach well. Got a better rig for Abbotsbury? Let us know in the forum and stand a chance of a ‘Spot’ tackle prize.