Redcliff Point Fishing

Last updated: 1 month ago

Redcliff Point Fishing Map

A rugged rocky headland east of Weymouth between Bowleaze Cove and Osmington Mills, Redcliff Point offers kelp-filled gullies, ledges and mixed rough ground dropping into 3–10 m. It fishes best on a flooding tide from late spring to autumn for wrasse and summer pelagics, with dusk into darkness producing pout, poor cod and the odd conger. Expect heavy snag potential—use strong abrasion-resistant leaders and rotten-bottom links for ledgering. Float fishing, light rock fishing and weedless soft plastics are very effective. Access is via the South West Coast Path; final approaches to ledges are steep, uneven and can be slippery in swell or after rain. Stunning views over Weymouth Bay but limited comfortable perches and little shelter.

Ratings

⭐ 6.9/10 Overall
Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 5/10

Fish You Can Catch at Redcliff Point

🐟 Ballan Wrasse 9/10
🎯 Tip: Kelpy, rough ground; fish crab or hardbacks tight to rocks. Best on the flood to high, May–Oct. Use strong gear and rotten-bottoms to beat snags.
🐟 Bass 8/10
🎯 Tip: Work plugs/soft plastics along the tide run at dawn/dusk or after a blow. Also crab or sandeel into gullies on a flooding tide.
🐟 Pollack 7/10
🎯 Tip: Dawn/dusk; cast metals or weedless soft plastics parallel to ledges and kelp. Flooding tide around the point fishes best.
🐟 Pouting 7/10
🎯 Tip: Abundant after dark over rough ground. Small fish baits or rag tipped with mackerel. Best mid-flood to high.
🐟 Corkwing Wrasse 7/10
🎯 Tip: LRF around weeded rock faces; ragworm or small crab under a float or light ledger. Calm, clear seas on the flood, May–Sept.
🐟 Mackerel 6/10
🎯 Tip: Summer shoals; feathering or small metals from the point. Clear water, evenings on a rising tide.
🐟 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
🎯 Tip: Dusk into dark late summer–autumn; small sabikis or metals worked midwater in the flow on a flooding tide.
🐟 Tompot Blenny 6/10
🎯 Tip: Common in rock crevices; tiny hooks with rag or squid strips right under the ledges. Best around high water in calm seas.
🐟 Conger Eel 6/10
🎯 Tip: Night over rough/kelpy ground; big mackerel or squid baits. Fish last of the flood into early ebb; use strong traces and rotten-bottoms.
🐟 Garfish 6/10
🎯 Tip: Float a sliver of mackerel or small sandeel 4–8 ft down along tide lines on the flood, late spring–autumn.

Redcliff Point Fishing

Summary

Redcliff Point sits on the eastern rim of Weymouth Bay between Bowleaze Cove and Osmington Mills on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. It’s a classic mixed-ground mark: clay cliffs with boulders, kelp beds and sand gullies that draw bass, wrasse and summer migrants. For lure and bait anglers willing to walk, it offers varied fishing, shelter options, and big-tide interest.

Location and Access

This is a South West Coast Path mark reached from either Bowleaze Cove (west) or Osmington Mills (east). Expect a scenic but active walk and rough underfoot terrain if you venture down to the foreshore.

  • Approach options:
    • West side: Park at Bowleaze Cove and follow the coast path east towards the point.
    • East side: Park above The Smugglers Inn at Osmington Mills and follow the coast path west.
  • Walk time: 20–35 minutes from either direction depending on pace and exact platform chosen; add time for descents.
  • Terrain: Undulating coast path with exposed sections; descents to the foreshore are via steep, sometimes muddy trods. The base is boulders, weed and broken ground with patches of sand.
  • Best strategy: Use established paths at Bowleaze or Osmington, then, at or near low water, walk the foreshore to chosen ledges close to Redcliff Point. Plan your retreat route before fishing.
  • Vehicle notes: Both Bowleaze Cove and Osmington Mills have pay-and-display parking; arrive early in summer. No roadside parking right at the point.

Seasons

Species change with the seasons and the ground is mixed, so expect variety. Summer brings lure targets; autumn and winter lean to bottom fishing.

  • Spring (Mar–May):
    • School bass building to better fish in surfy conditions
    • Wrasse (ballan/corkwing) as water warms
    • Early garfish; odd pollack from the rough
    • Plaice and gurnard from adjacent sandy tongues (occasional)
  • Summer (Jun–Aug):
    • Mackerel and garfish in calm, clear weather
    • Scad at dusk/night; pollack in low light
    • Wrasse plentiful; occasional black bream over cleaner reefy patches
    • Bass on lures and crab baits; smoothhound possible on peeler crab
    • Thornback ray from sand patches on bigger tides
  • Autumn (Sep–Nov):
    • Peak bass time on a building sea or colour line
    • Mackerel/scad linger; pollack at dusk; conger from the rough after dark
    • Rays still possible; increasing pout/whiting numbers
  • Winter (Dec–Feb):
    • Whiting, pouting, rockling; dogfish on settled nights
    • Conger if you brave the boulders; occasional better bass in on a blow

Methods

Mixed ground calls for flexible tactics. Travel light if you’re moving between ledges and sand runs.

  • Lures:
    • Bass: 20–40 g metals, 120–150 mm shallow divers, and weedless soft plastics (5–6 in) along kelp edges at dawn/dusk.
    • Pollack/wrasse: 10–20 g jigheads or Texas-rigged paddletails/creatures worked down the face of rough ground.
    • Mackerel/gar: small metals or floats with slivers of fish strip.
  • Float fishing:
    • Set 6–12 ft for gar/mackerel/scad; ragworm or small mackerel strip. Adjust depth over kelp gullies.
  • Bottom fishing:
    • General scratching: 2-hook flapper, size 2–1 hooks with rag/lug/squid cocktail for pout, whiting, gurnard.
    • Bass/smoothhound: pulley pennel 3/0–4/0 with peeler crab, squid or squid/mackerel cocktail. Fish the surf lines and crease water.
    • Rays: long pulley or up-and-over with sandeel or bluey on the sand tongues; aim for the edge of rough to clean.
    • Conger: heavy gear (60–80 lb mono leader, strong 5/0–6/0 hooks) with mackerel or squid sections—after dark only, and expect brutal snags.
  • Terminal tweaks for rough ground:
    • Use a rotten-bottom link on leads; 4–5 ft abrasion-resistant leaders; streamlined grip leads to hold position.
    • Fluorocarbon snoods (20–25 lb for wrasse/bass) help in clear water.
  • Timing:
    • Dawn and dusk for lures; first push of the flood and the top of the tide for bait. Night sessions produce conger, scad and better whiting.

Tides and Conditions

Redcliff fishes on most states, but access to certain ledges and the behaviour of fish are tide and clarity dependent.

  • Tide state:
    • Productive windows: 2–3 hours up to high and the first of the ebb from the rocks; low water for scouting and reaching gullies.
    • Springs open up more ground but increase weed and drag; neaps are kinder for presenting baits tight to rough edges.
  • Sea state and clarity:
    • Bass: a bit of colour and a lumpy edge or surf line works best; target crease lines along sand/kelp boundaries.
    • Wrasse/pollack: clearer water and settled seas; fish tight to structure.
    • Mackerel/gar: calm, bright evenings; scad arrive at dusk into dark.
  • Wind and shelter:
    • The bay is often kinder than open coast in strong westerlies, with Portland offering some lee; easterlies can push weed and awkward side-chop along the shore.
  • Seasonality:
    • Lure fishing peaks May–October; bottom fishing for rays/whiting/conger improves late autumn into winter.

Safety

This is an exposed cliff and rock mark with unstable clay and tidal cut-off risks. Treat it as an advanced venue if you intend to fish the foreshore platforms.

  • Cliff stability: Frequent slips and falls of clay and stone—do not stand beneath overhangs; keep well back from cliff edges on the path.
  • Tidal cut-off: If you walk the base to reach ledges, confirm safe retreat on your chosen tide—aim to leave with ample time on the flood.
  • Footing: Weed-slick boulders and uneven rock—wear cleated or studded boots; consider a wading staff.
  • Swell: Long-period swell wraps the bay at times—avoid low rock ledges in a surge; never turn your back on the sea.
  • Gear: Headtorch with spare batteries for any dusk/night exit; carry a throw line if fishing low platforms.
  • Comms: Mobile signal is generally OK on the tops and patchy at the base—tell someone your plan; in an emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
  • Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchairs or limited mobility. There are no railings or formal steps to fishing ledges.
  • PPE: A properly fitted inflatable lifejacket is strongly recommended on the rocks.

Facilities

Facilities are clustered at either end; there’s nothing at the point itself. Stock up before committing to the walk.

  • Parking: Pay-and-display at Bowleaze Cove and at Osmington Mills (above The Smugglers Inn). No parking at the point.
  • Toilets/refreshments: Seasonal public toilets and cafés/shops at Bowleaze; pub, food and toilets for patrons at The Smugglers Inn, Osmington Mills.
  • Tackle/bait: Weymouth town has excellent shops (e.g., Weymouth Angling Centre; Chesil Bait & Tackle) for fresh/frozen bait and lures.
  • Bins/water: Limited to end-points—take litter home and carry drinking water.
  • Public transport: Local buses serve Preston/Bowleaze and Osmington; check current timetables.
  • Phone signal: Good on the clifftop, variable at the base.

Tips

A few local wrinkles help unlock Redcliff’s mixed ground. Treat it as a venue of micro-spots rather than one mark.

  • Scouting at low: Map sand tongues and kelp edges at spring lows, then return on the flood to fish those seams.
  • Colour lines: After a blow, a distinct green/brown edge in the bay often holds bass—work metals along it on the move.
  • Weed watch: After easterlies, floating salad can be a pain—use short droppers, streamlined leads and check baits often.
  • Wrasse finesse: Downsizing to size 1–2 hooks and natural baits (rag/crab) picks out corkwings and keeps you in the game on neaps.
  • Night odds: A small blue headlight lens or dimmed beam spooks fewer scad and gar at your feet.
  • Rotten-bottoms: Pre-tie several weak-link leaders; you’ll lose leads, not fish.
  • Respect the clay: The red clay stains gear and boots—pack a rag and avoid kneeling on wet slopes.
  • Keep mobile: Ten casts or 15 minutes with no sign? Move 30–50 metres to the next gully or edge.

Regulations

Redcliff Point lies on open coastline within the Southern IFCA district and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Recreational rod-and-line sea angling is generally permitted from the shore here.

  • Access: No specific local shore-angling ban is signed at this mark, but respect private land and stick to the Coast Path and established descent routes.
  • Conservation/MPA: Parts of this coastline are within designated marine conservation areas; responsible angling (no litter, avoid damaging reef life) is expected.
  • Bass rules: Recreational bass fishing is subject to national minimum size and seasonal/bag-limit restrictions that are updated periodically. Check the latest MMO/UK government notice before retaining any bass.
  • Minimum sizes: National and local minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) apply to many species; measure fish and return undersized specimens.
  • Bait and foraging: Observe local byelaws if collecting bait (e.g., no digging in protected habitats such as seagrass; local restrictions may apply).
  • Protected species: If you encounter a protected species (e.g., shad, tope if specifically restricted to catch-and-release on certain gear, marine mammals), release immediately.
  • General: Use barbless or crushed-barb hooks if practicing catch-and-release, and never fish under unstable cliff sections. Always verify current rules via Southern IFCA and the MMO before your trip.