Professional shore fishing guide Vince Knight shares his expert tips and experience on how to bag a chunky winter cod from one of England’s most iconic deep water shore venues
WHY CHESIL?
I often get asked by clients to take them to fish Chesil Beach in Dorset. Why is this? One reason is consistently seeing successful Chesil anglers posting their catch reports on social media. The other reason is its long-standing reputation as a good cod mark and one that still produces fish while targeted cod fishing from other, once famous, venues is a thing of the past. It’s a venue that can throw up the most unusual fish so there’s always a chance of a specimen and a very unusual catch. If I could choose anywhere to take clients I would choose Chesil too. The reason being is it’s consistent as far as catching decent fish goes. Even in the wrong conditions there’s always a strong chance of landing a good fish. The stamp of fish at Chesil is also better than a lot of other marks. If I compare Chesil cod to those I’ve caught on my local beaches in Kent or Sussex (yes, there are still a few to be caught if you know how, and where) the local codling seems to be a year or two behind in size and growth.
WHY DOES IT FISH SO WELL?
The depth of the water along most of Chesil Beach is certainly one reason why it continues to fish well for cod while many other South Coast venues don’t produce results. On a typical cast you are fishing into about 10m of water on a big tide.
Another key reason, in my opinion, is that from Ferry Bridge all the way up to Cogden there’s very little human interference. Take Dungeness in comparison, it’s a similar deep water shingle venue but the difference is the amount of disturbance and human activity: dumper trucks constantly moving shingle, the power station, the lights. Chesil, on the other hand, is virtually undisturbed in many places and has been the same since it was formed thousands of years ago. The impact of land-based human disturbance on coastal fish stocks shouldn’t be underestimated. The presence of food sources is also another important factor. There are so many types of food sources for fish available there. The prevailing south westerly winds also keep the water pretty churned up causing fish prey to be exposed and drawing fish in for an easy meal. There’s no doubt that while there are commercial boats that work the coast very close in along Chesil, both towed gear and gill nets, the pressure on fish stocks at Chesil is a fraction of what it is further east along the English Channel. I also think that the Gulf Stream might have an impact on helping to push fish, and their prey, into the western waters of the Channel around Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.
Finally, the water quality at Chesil is much better than in many other places. If you look at ocean PH levels a
