Ben Stockley gives us all a helping hand when it comes to fishing the ever popular Chesil Beach this summer…..
Chesil attracts many anglers throughout the summer months, but it’s noticeable that a high percentage of reports on social media pages could be a little more positive in terms of fish landed. I’ve long been a fan of small hooks and small baits when targeting most species of fish on the beach, and I’m certain more anglers would enjoy better success if they were to scale down a bit.
Using small hooks on multi hook rigs is my regular approach and one that has served me well over the years.
How small is small?
As a general rule I will use a three hook clipped down rig carrying size #2 Aberdeen hooks for ninety percent of my fishing. During the summer, I’ll fish three hooks above the lead, though on occasion I’ll use a loop rig to present the bottom snood below the lead. This can be useful when trying for flatfish at the western end of the beach, but also if gurnards are on the cards when fishing the Weymouth stretch.
Worm baits are undoubtedly key to catching high numbers of multiple species and presenting them on small sharp hooks works well. It’s always a case of matching your hook size to your bait, and I’ll regularly use half a large ragworm or a single blow lug on a hook of this size. The bait is sufficient enough to attract a fish and there’s still plenty of hook showing. My go-to is either a Varivas Aberdeen or Kamasan B940, both of which are not only incredibly sharp, but also strong enough to handle a bigger fish if it turns up.
Keeping with the small and refined theme….
I like very small rig components with high breaking strains. Not only will these withhold the force of a powerful cast, but they will also enable a rig to be cast as far as possible and present baits neatly on the sea bed. Big swivels and links will kill the aerodynamics of any rig, causing your cast to fall short, and this can wreck your chances when the water is very clear.
Amnesia snoods of 20-25lb breaking strain are ample and will also aid presentation. Occasionally I’ll add a small pop up bead above each hook, just to give the bait a little extra movement, but for the most part the only thing above my hook is a small sequin backed up by a power gum stop knot to act as a bait stop. I also like to tip off worm baits with small cubes of fish in the summer for gurnard and bream, etc. It adds attraction and stops soft lug or rag baits slipping around the hook. I’m not a fan of big rag for that same reason so I’d maybe change the bait to a whole small king rag. I also love small halves of crab as it literally catches everything.
Sometimes flappers allow you to fish lighter 15lb snoods and present the bait over a larger area than clipped rigs. Cast from a continental set up with ultra light 0.22mm line and a tapered leader, they can reach impressive distances that are not far short of clipped rigs but just present the bait better if it’s gin clear. You can leave flappy bits of bait that flutter in the tide that would otherwise spin during the cast on clipped rigs. Rolling leads that search the ground can also be great for bottom feeders that don’t move around much like gurnards and flatfish.
Sometimes you can tuck a slightly larger hook and bait for a Ray behind the lead and have 2 smaller baits above in order to cover all bases.
How many hooks should we use?
Personally, my go to is three hooks, but if there is an onshore wind and I want to cast as far as possible, I’ll drop down to two. Again, the components are as small as possible.
By fishing with three hooks though, I can experiment with several different baits to see what the fish might be favouring on the day. The beauty of using several hooks means that should you get a bite, the rod can be left in the hope that your other hook(s) attract more fish. It’s not uncommon to get double or treble shots of species such as bream that shoal up and this is when multiple hooks really score.
In summary
It’s possible to land big fish on small hooks, but if you use a larger hook, you’re going to miss out on the smaller fish that you might otherwise have caught. I like the idea of my rig being an open invitation to anything that swims. Hooking a larger fish on a small hook really tests your nerve and can set the heart racing, but above all else it makes that catch far more rewarding when the fish is on the beach and you had to use a little skill to get it there. Next time you hit Chesil, dispense with the pulley rig and big hooks approach, scale it down and note the difference!