Solent & Portland Bass Briefing
Portland Bill high water 12:57 and low at 05:47 sets the scene for this week’s dawn bass pushes
Portland and the west end of Chesil are firing on a moving tide: the prime window runs two hours before low through the turn into first flood. Read the flow—when the Race south of the Bill drags, baitfish get pinned into back eddies and gulls mark the edges.
On Chesil, fish gutters and troughs off the shingle; in clear water bass sit just beyond the first breakers. Look for fizzing water, shoaling sprat and colour changes at first light. Around the Solent, concentrate on creek mouths, harbour entrances and tide‑swept edges on a half to three‑quarter flood.
Rigs and retrieves
Best kit: 4–5 in soft plastic shad or paddle‑tail on a 5–15 g jighead in calm flows, stepping up to 20–30 g when the tide rips. Use 12–20 lb fluorocarbon leader. Retrieve options that work: slow roll just above weed, two turns and a pause, and twitch‑pause on the edge of white water; work the wash fast when the Race is on.
Target species are sea bass in the 1–3 lb school class and better fish 4–8 lb, with pollack near kelp and mackerel once light builds. Dawn shore anglers who stay mobile and read the water will catch the first frantic boiles of bass chasing sandeels off Chesil’s west end.
Recommended: saltwater jig heads