Fishing Trips

Fins-up Fishing Charters, based in Portland Marina, a stone’s throw away from Weymouth Harbour. Home to an abundance of wrecks, reefs, banks and complex tidal streams making Weymouth and Portland one of the UK’s premier angling venues.
We offer a wide range of angling trips in the waters around Weymouth and Portland but also travel to the Channel Islands during the year to target the rich waters around Alderney.
Whether you are an accomplished angler or new to fishing our experienced crew and skipper will be on hand offering you their skills and expert knowledge.

Mixed Reef and Banks
Spring/Summer/Autumn, 8-9 hours at sea
The local waters around Weymouth and Portland are well renowned fishing grounds on the south coast. Tidal races, ledges and banks create a haven for baitfish and many different species such as black bream, bass, turbot, rays, congers and mackerel to name but a few. This type of trip is ideal for novices through to the most experienced anglers alike. The day will be spent at anchor and at times drifting. Bait will be required for all trips but some days we are able to catch our own.

Flatfish, Turbot and Brill
Spring/Summer/Autumn - 8-9 hours at sea
The famous banks of Weymouth and Portland produce some of the best Turbot/Brill rod and line angling available in the UK. A typical day will start with us searching for fresh bait if its available at the time. I always recommend bringing along frozen just in case. Then it’s on the drift for the remainder of the day. Turbot fishing is a game of skill and patience it can often be tricky to feel a bite at the best of times. But if you put the time in there’s no other fish that even comes close if your fortunate enough to be rewarded with the illusive big double figure.

Offshore Wrecking
Winter/Spring/Early Summer 9-10 hours at sea
Late November and the early part of the year can often be the best time for new season Pollock. We put in hundreds of miles and travel well offshore into very deep waters to find these hard fighting fish. All the fishing is carried out on the drift using soft plastic lures and metal jigs. There are plenty of wrecks within easy reach of Portland, some days it can be just a case of finding the right one.
This is a very active day. We are always on the move with lots of winding on the reel or jigging. This is definitely not a ‘sit back’ and relax day.
If your very lucky you may even catch a john dory. These are relatively rare, highly prized and amazing eating.
As we head into the spring, some years we see a flurry of cod start to arrive.

Big Fish Days
All year round 8-9hours at sea
These days are becoming ever more popular with the catch and release crew who want something that pulls back with a bit of a workout. These trips are all done on the smaller neap tides which enable us to anchor deep reefs, banks and wrecks that are local to Portland.
Target Species - blonde rays, tope, spur-dog, conger, huss etc. Big baits, heavy traces, braided line and heavier leads will be required when the tide is screaming.
This type of trip is popular with both novice and experienced anglers alike.

Alderney & Channel Islands, 3/4/5 days, May - September
A short hop across the channel lies the most northerly inhabited Channel Island of Alderney. Portland lies just 52 nautical miles away from Braye Harbour making it the closest port in the south west.
Alderney shares a lot of similarities to the waters which surround Portland but with even more banks, tidal races, ledges and reefs to explore.
Depending on the time of year we target pollock, cod, turbot, brill, tope, bream, congers and huss.

Owner Dan Clarke is a fully qualified skipper with a commercially endorsed yacht master offshore certificate. During Dan's younger years he spent much of his free time crewing on various charter boats on the south coast as well as captaining his own private boats. This enabled him to gain a wealth of sea fishing knowledge and extensive boat experience. In 2014 he took the plunge and brought his first commercial charter boat an Evolution 38 which he upgraded to the South Boat in 2021.

• Maritime and Coastguard Agency