DORSET FORECAST
SHORE: If you fancy targeting mullet then Christchurch Harbour looks a good bet where both thick and thin lips showing in reasonable numbers with bass to 6lb and silver eels. The thick's come to bread paste, the thins to harbour rag behind a small spoon. Eels and bass on rag and peeler crab. Most of the thins show just as the tide starts to ebb 20m out on a slow retrieve. Leger crab or ragworm for bass and eels on light rods. Don't forget you need a day ticket and a freshwater permit to fish all bar the very lower limits of the harbour. Smoothhound to 8lb will show from Branksome and the Double Dykes to crab during evening sessions, while some good smoothounds along with lots of bream will put in an appearance at Friars Cliff and Steamer Point. Bull Huss to 10lb will put a real bend in your rod along the Purbecks at night with conger and bass into double figures. By day there's ballan wrasse, pollack and garfish. Durlston is good for conger and wrasse with rays at Hedbury and Seacombe. Rays and bream are targeted from Winspit. Bass and wrasse from Chapman's Pool and Kimmeridge. Small conger eels along the Fossil Forest near Lulworth.
BOAT: Pollack, wrasse, gurnard, mackerel, garfish, pout, bass and dogfish will provide plenty of sport on light tackle towards Southbourne Rough and Christchurch Ledges. Swanage marks will show tope, ray, dogfish, bream, mackerel, garfish, smoothhound and wrasse. The mid-channel wrecks will show quality pollack, cod, ling and conger eels with fresh mackerel providing a ready supply of free bait for boat anglers. Plaice, wrasse, mullet and bass will dominate catches within Poole harbour although the latter will be caught from around the entrance while drifting with a live sandeel or lure. Tope will also make their presence felt with some big females giving anglers some great sport on light gear. The first shark should be chasing the mackerel to the south-west of Durlston while a few bass will show from Peveril Point. For anglers heading afloat from Christchurch, the ledge will offer wrasse, pollack, pout, dogfish, bream, conger, bass and plaice.
