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Dorset

Overcombe

7.3 · Beach · Dorset

Overcombe is the eastern end of Weymouth Bay in Dorset, a gently shelving shingle/sand beach by the River Jordan outflow. Clean ground with occasional sandbars makes it a reliable venue for surf bass and a good mix of flatfish; summer brings mackerel, garfish and scad, while winter nights see whiting and dogfish. Best results are on a flooding tide with a light surf or after dark for sole and rays; in calm, clear water, lures and long, subtle bottom rigs score. Parking, cafes and level access make it easy-going, but watch for swimmers/daytime crowds, weever fish in summer and stronger drift near the outflow after rain.

Should you fish Overcombe?

52 Fair

Today · Best available

Best available: 06:00-09:00 around the rising tide

Most likely species: Plaice and Garfish

Fair conditions. Best available around 06:00-09:00 around the rising tide, but no window reaches the strong threshold today. Good chance of Plaice and Garfish.

W 4 mph Rain 0% High tide 12:17

Fishable, but pick your timing carefully.

Plan this mark

7-day fishing forecast for Overcombe — 7-day forecast

Scores and best windows are weighted for .

Met Office Met Office · Open-Meteo

Where the data comes from. Weather and sea-state readings come from the Met Office and Open-Meteo forecast models, refreshed several times a day. High and low water are taken from tide-station predictions for this stretch of coast.

How the score works. Each window is scored 0–100 from the signals that most reliably move fish inshore: tide movement (a running tide carries food, so the last of the flood and first of the ebb are usually the prime spells), wind speed and direction (onshore wind stirs food into the surf — up to the point it makes fishing hard), sea state (a little wave and swell movement helps, heavy swell hurts), and weather — rain, temperature and light. Behind the headline number we score bite opportunity and comfort separately, and run a separate safety check on wind and swell. The size of the tide counts too: spring tides move more water than neaps, so the tidal range for this stretch of coast is weighed alongside the tide's direction, your target species and this mark — and unusually big springs strengthen the safety check, because the water rises faster and covers more ground.

Your target species counts. Pick a species below and the score also weights what we know about it — its season, preferred sea temperature, tide stage and sea state, and whether it feeds by day or night.

The rating is guidance, not a guarantee — conditions change fast on the coast, so always judge the sea in front of you before you fish.

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· windows & tide

Spring vs neap tides. Spring tides have a larger difference between high and low water, so more water moves on each tide — usually stronger flow that stirs up food and gets fish feeding. Neap tides have a smaller range and generally gentler movement. The range here is compared with what is normal for this stretch of coast, and the cycle swings between springs and neaps roughly every week, following the moon.

Big spring tides: the water rises faster and covers more ground than usual — double-check access routes and cut-off points before you fish.

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Overcombe is a clean shingle-and-sand beach mark at the eastern end of Weymouth Bay, best treated as a tide-and-conditions venue. Fish the cleaner central beach for flatfish, sole, whiting, smoothhound and rays, then switch attention to surf gutters and the shingle/sand seam when there is colour for bass. The flood is usually the key window, with low light and darkness making a major difference.

  • Know when to fish the clean sand and when to switch to the surf gutters.
  • Pick the right distance for plaice, sole, rays and bass instead of casting blind.
  • Use the flood properly: Overcombe often rewards timing more than power.
  • Avoid the weed, drift and summer crowd traps that spoil easy sessions.
  • Have a nearby backup plan before the beach becomes unfishable.

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Osmington 2.0 mi Weymouth 2.9 mi Chickerell 3.1 mi Broadmayne 3.8 mi West Knighton 4.3 mi

Explore nearby towns: Osmington · Weymouth · Chickerell · Broadmayne · West Knighton

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Forecast tuning currently supports Bass and Mackerel — more species are on the way.

Overall rating

7.3 /10

Blend of catch potential, access, safety, and overall experience.

Category scores

Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 7/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 7/10
Accessibility 9/10

Bass 9/10
Tip: Dawn/dusk on a flooding tide; work the surf line with plugs or fish crab/sandeel in coloured water. Westerly blow then settling sea is ideal.
Plaice 7/10
Tip: Mar–May; daylight, long casts 80–120m to clean sand; ragworm tipped with squid, beads/spoons help; neap tides fish steady.
Whiting 6/10
Tip: Oct–Jan after dark; 2–3 hook flappers baited with mackerel/squid; 40–80m on the flood; clip-down to hold in any surf.
Flounder 6/10
Tip: Oct–Feb; short 20–50m casts into gutters; small rag or lug, slow lift-and-drop; best on the flood and first of the ebb.
Dover Sole 6/10
Tip: Warm nights May–Sep; 20–40m on clean sand; lug or rag, or lug/squid cocktail; keep rigs pinned with light grips; slack to first flood.
Starry Smoothhound 6/10
Tip: Jun–Sep; peeler crab baits 60–100m over clean ground; fish the flood into dusk; 4–5oz grip leads.
Mackerel 6/10
Tip: Jun–Sep; calm clear evenings; small metals or feathers; cover water to find shoals; dusk on the flood.
Garfish 6/10
Tip: May–Oct; float fish small mackerel strip/sandeel mid-water; clear water, flood tide; use fine wire hooks.
Thornback Ray 5/10
Tip: Mar–Jun and Sep; sandeel or bluey/squid on pulley rigs; 80–120m to clean sand; best after dark on neaps.
Golden-grey Mullet 5/10
Tip: Summer; tiny rag/sandeel strips on size 6–8, cast just beyond the surf line; steady retrieve; dusk on a rising tide.

Local knowledge

Overcombe fishing guide

Practical access, seasons, methods, tides, safety and facilities for this mark.

Overcombe sits at the eastern end of Weymouth Bay in Dorset, where shingle meets clean sand and the ground gets progressively rougher towards Bowleaze Cove and Furzy Cliff. It’s an accessible, versatile beach mark that produces plaice and flounder in spring, bass in surfy spells, summer mackerel and garfish, and night-time soles and rays. With easy parking and cafés nearby, it’s a cracking option when the rest of the coast is blown out by a south-westerly.

Overcombe is the stretch of beach around Overcombe Corner, east of Weymouth, with a promenade/cycle path behind the shingle bank and sand showing at lower states of tide. Access is straightforward and family-friendly by Dorset standards.

  • Drive via Preston Beach Road and follow local signs to Overcombe Corner; roadside and formal car parks are close to the beach.
  • Main parking options: Overcombe Corner (signed locally), Lodmoor Country Park car parks (DT4 7SX), and Bowleaze Cove car park (DT3 6PW) for the rockier eastern end.
  • Walking is easy along the promenade; short shingle descents lead to the fishing line. Expect a steep shingle face at higher states.
  • Terrain: mixed shingle-over-sand in front of the promenade; cleaner sand at mid/low tides; increasingly rough/patchy ground with small reefs and boulders towards Bowleaze/Furzy Cliff.
  • No long hike: most spots are 1–5 minutes from the car, making it suitable for shorter sessions or family outings.

Overcombe offers species variety across the seasons, with clean-ground flats and surf bass the headline acts. Occasional surprises come off the rougher ground towards Bowleaze.

  • Spring (Mar–May): plaice, flounder, school bass, early garfish; chance of thornback or undulate ray on settled spells.
  • Summer (Jun–Aug): bass (dawn/dusk and in onshore surf), mackerel, garfish, gurnard, sole at night; dogfish common; occasional black bream and wrasse from the rougher eastern ground.
  • Autumn (Sep–Nov): bass peak in coloured water after easterlies; sole and rays at night; whiting begin to show; dabs in calmer, clearer spells.
  • Winter (Dec–Feb): flounder in calmer water, whiting and pout on dark tides; the odd codling in cold snaps; rays possible on mild, settled windows.
  • Year-round: dogfish, occasional conger after dark on big fish baits; spider crabs can be pests in late spring/early summer.

Simple beach tactics catch most Overcombe fish; tailor rigs and baits to the ground you’re casting onto.

  • Clean-ground daytime (plaice/flounder): 2- or 3-hook flappers with size 2–1 hooks, long snoods, attractors (beads/spoons) and small ragworm or blow lug baits; tip off with a sliver of squid for durability.
  • Night clean-ground (sole/whiting): 2-hook flapper or 2-hook loop, size 4–2 fine wire hooks, small lug/maddies/rag cocktails; keep baits neat and close to the bottom.
  • Bass in surf/gutters: 3–4 oz lead to hold, running ledger or up-and-over with size 2/0–4/0 hooks; peeler crab (spring), lug/squid wrap, or whole sandeel; fish the first pushing water on the flood and dusk into dark.
  • Rays (settled, warm months): pulley or up-and-over with 3/0–5/0 pennel; sandeel, bluey, squid or mackerel. Target the cleaner sand lanes—longer casts help.
  • Mackerel/garfish (calm, clear summer evenings): light spinning gear with 28–40 g metals for mackerel; float rigs with small strips of mackerel or sandeel for gars.
  • Rougher patches towards Bowleaze: stepped-up gear, 25–30 lb mono leaders, pulley rigs for rays/conger; consider abrasion-resistant snoods.
  • Casting distances: plaice often at 40–90 m over clean sand; bass in the near gutters; rays generally at medium-long range beyond the first bar.

Tide state and water colour dictate results at Overcombe. The bay is sheltered from prevailing south-westerlies but comes alive on easterly pushes.

  • Best tides: mid-flood to high water and into the first of the ebb; springs increase movement for flats and bass.
  • Winds: easterly/onshore breezes create surf and colour that suit bass; prolonged easterlies can also drive weed—pick windows as the sea drops.
  • Water clarity: clear, sunny spring neaps are classic for plaice by day; coloured, lively water at dawn/dusk is best for bass.
  • Time of day: dawn and last light consistently out-fish the middle of the day, especially in summer; night fishing shines for soles, rays and whiting.
  • Seasonal notes: plaice early spring as the water clears and warms; bass lift from April and peak late summer to autumn; rays from late spring through early autumn during settled periods.

This is a user-friendly mark, but the shingle face and surf can bite. Treat the bank and swell with respect, and plan exits before dark.

  • Steep shingle bank with a drop-off: expect surges and undertow in any swell; avoid standing low on the face in rough seas.
  • Weed and longshore drift can be heavy on easterlies; keep lines angled and don’t wade in surf unless conditions are benign.
  • Rough ground and small reefs towards Bowleaze/Furzy Cliff: watch footing, especially at lower tides; avoid soft clay/crumbly sections after rain.
  • Bathers, paddlers, paddleboards and kayaks are common in summer—fish dawn/dusk or after dark, and never cast near water users.
  • Accessibility: promenade access is good, but fishing is from shingle—beach wheels or help may be needed for limited mobility; some anglers fish over the sea wall at higher tides where safe space allows.
  • Lighting: limited in places—carry a headlamp with spare batteries; reflective markers help you relocate your gear on the shingle.
  • Safety kit: a PFD is sensible in surf conditions; use boots with good grip and keep a safe distance from the waterline in onshore blows.

Overcombe is well served for short sessions, with food, loos and tackle nearby in Weymouth.

  • Parking: multiple car parks close to the beach (Overcombe Corner, Lodmoor Country Park DT4 7SX, Bowleaze Cove DT3 6PW).
  • Toilets: seasonal public toilets near Overcombe Corner and at Lodmoor Country Park.
  • Food and drink: cafés at Overcombe/Bowleaze and takeaways/shops in Preston; more options 5–10 minutes away in Weymouth.
  • Tackle and bait: Weymouth Angling Centre and other shops in town for fresh/frozen baits and end tackle; some sell live rag/lug in season—ring ahead in summer.
  • Phone signal: generally good across the promenade and beach.
  • Bait collecting: limited worm beds on the open beach; do not dig within nature reserve boundaries behind the beach (Lodmoor).

Think ‘clean sand for flats by day, coloured gutters for bass at low light, and long range for rays on settled nights’. Mobility and timing often trump muscle.

  • Plaice patrol: if no bites in 20–30 minutes, step along the beach or change distance—plaice move in loose lines following the tide.
  • Bling works: small beads, sequins or spoons above a lug/rag cocktail often out-fish plain snoods on bright, clear days.
  • Read the beach: identify the first and second gutters on a dropping sea; bass will work along these seams, especially where shingle meets sand.
  • Keep rigs streamlined in weed: clipped-down rigs with single baits cut drag and keep you fishing when it’s kelpy.
  • Night soles: small, neat baits (lug/maddies) on fine-wire size 4–2 hooks, cast no more than 40–60 m over clean sand.
  • Rays like ‘fishy’: sandeel/bluey/squid cocktails last longer against crabs and pick out the better fish.
  • Summer crowds: fish late or very early; avoid any marked bathing zones and don’t cast across kayak/paddleboard launch points.
  • Tidy up: shingle hides litter—shake down your patch before you leave and take mono/trace scraps home.

Rules change—always check current national and local byelaws before you go. Dorset falls under the Southern IFCA and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).

  • Bass: recreational bass limits and seasons are set nationally and can change year to year; check current MMO guidance for size, season and daily bag limits before retaining any bass.
  • Rays: undulate rays are subject to strict conservation measures in the Channel—treat them as catch-and-release unless current MMO/Southern IFCA rules explicitly allow retention.
  • Minimum sizes: adhere to UK minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) for species you intend to retain; many anglers apply larger voluntary sizes for sustainability.
  • Local byelaws: Southern IFCA byelaws cover netting, bait collection and closed areas—review them if you plan to gather bait or fish regularly in the bay.
  • Protected areas: Lodmoor behind the beach is an SSSI/RSPB reserve; do not dig bait or disturb wildlife within reserve boundaries.
  • Beach management: avoid fishing within any lifeguarded/swim-flagged zones when present during summer; heed council signage and temporary event restrictions.
  • General: use barbless or crushed-barb hooks when catch-and-release is intended, and return undersized fish quickly and carefully.