Charter Boat: FINS UP
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Boat and Skipper Details
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Availability Calendar
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Individual Spaces
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Reviews
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Location and directionsMap
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Bait & Tackle
Boat and Skipper Details
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.
November 2024
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N.B. Not all Skippers keep this dairy up-to-date. Always check with skippers before making any plans. Last calendar update: 22-Oct-2024 |
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Fri 1st Nov
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Sun 3rd Nov
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Mon 4th Nov
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Tue 5th Nov
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Wed 6th Nov
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Thu 7th Nov
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Fri 8th Nov
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Sat 9th Nov
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Sun 10th Nov
Individual Spaces
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Mon 11th Nov
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Tue 12th Nov
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Wed 13th Nov
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Thu 14th Nov
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Fri 15th Nov
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Sat 16th Nov
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Sun 17th Nov
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Mon 18th Nov
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Tue 19th Nov
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Wed 20th Nov
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Thu 21st Nov
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Fri 22nd Nov
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Sat 23rd Nov
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Sun 24th Nov
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Mon 25th Nov
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Tue 26th Nov
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Wed 27th Nov
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Thu 28th Nov
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Fri 29th Nov
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Sat 30th Nov
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Upcoming Individual Spaces on FINS UP
| Sun 10/11/2024 |
Please call for availability.
07734383440
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| Sat 16/11/2024 |
Please call for availability.
07734383440
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| Sat 23/11/2024 |
Please call for availability.
07734383440
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Reviews
Summary:
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Peter Vear (30/06/2019)
Been on two trips now, each time was great. Had useful & helpful advice from the skipper. He correctly predicted what we would catch. I highly recommend this charter.
Skippers Reponse: Thank you ever so much for the review Peter. Much appreciated. All the best Dan
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Trevor Pegg (15/03/2017)
This was my first trip with Dan & Roger and it wont be my last. The facillities at Portland are excellent.fish Dan & Roger never stopped working for crew the whole day and Dan put us on time after time. As per the previous reveiw below, Dan,s bacon butties are a welcome warmer on a chilly morning. Any angler considering fishing in the Weymouth area should seriously consider crossing the causeway to Portland with the new modern facillities of showers, toilets and free parking to fish withFins Up. Dan works hard and he deserves all the support he gets
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Ian Nash (17/02/2017)
Good weather today steamed out 25 miles to first wreck ,dan was chef ,bacon butties all round then the serious stuff I had four fish in quick sticks not over big, about4/5 lb. Next wreck patchy so on to next ,bingo larger fish and lots of them , I had 12 fish before the tide dropped away ,everyone caught ,thanks Dan for another great day
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Martin Donovan (14/01/2017)
This charter is run but three great lads Dan,Matt and Rodger myself and few other guys have been going out with them for the best part of two years.Yes ther are good days and bad days but between them they work tirelessly to find fish .It doesnt matter if your inshore or offshore wrecking they do their best for you.Plenty of hot drinks on the colder days and cold drinks on those rare warmer days ,even the odd bacon butty enroute to those further wrecks.When you find fish they are there with the net ready and Rodger is always keen to show off his knife skills for gutting and filleting.I have done and will continue to recomend these guys ,Its just a shame we cant get out more due to logistics.Roll on the next trip in Febuary which will no doubt be as enjoyable as all the others...Good guys!
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Ian Nash (23/01/2017)
Dan is a really good skipper we always find some great fish
Location
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Sea Fishing Poole
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Tackle 914
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Catch Stats
- CBUK Catch Log: 20 Species have been caught onboard FINS UP, including: Bass | Black Sea Bream | Blonde Ray | Brill | Bull Huss | Coalfish (Coley/Saithe) | Cod | Conger Eel | John Dory | Ling (Common) | Octopus | Plaice | Pollock | Porbeagle | Red Gurnard | Spurdog | Starry Smooth-hound | Tope | Tub Gurnard | Turbot
Latest Catches 58 photos uploaded
11 lb 4 oz Coalfish (Coley/Saithe)
4-May-2018
12 oz Octopus
15-Oct-2017
Latest Fishing Reports and News
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23/04/2017
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
23 Apr 2017 by DAN clarke
APRIL 2017
Well, firstly and most importantly what a fantastic spell of settled weather we have had. Fingers crossed it will continue into the summer! The weather has enabled us to get out on the fish frequently. We have been concentrating more trips inshore on the flatties and reefs.
The Shambles Bank has been giving up some great fish. One of the biggest Brill I have ever seen was caught by Rob Symes weighing in at a very modest 11lb 9 oz. A few double figure Turbot were a welcome sight after seeing not much else but pollock whilst fishing offshore over the last few months.
Tope, Congers, Spur Dogs have all been landed on the reef and I'm sure it won't be long until we see a scattering of Black Bream.
Offshore wrecks have started to show more and frequent Ling on both lures and baits . The classic rhubarb and custard sandeel always a favourite for the Ling.
Pollock are still in fairly good numbers. Some fish starting to look a little skinny though after shooting their roe.
Our sponsors Sidewinder have kindly donated a large amount of lures and braided line. If you would like to be in with a chance to win some of this fabulous gear, we will be running competition days wrecking on the lures. Please keep an eye on my FB page, I will be releasing the dates soon. -
30/04/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
30 Apr 2016 by DAN clarke
30/04/2016 today's catch report - courtesy of Gavin Tyte.
When a Facebook friend asked if he could charter a boat for eight guys to go wrecking and that they were all beginners, part of me thought that this could either be an incredible experience or a complete disaster. The last time I took eight novices wrecking I spent the day mopping up piles of sick, re-loading expensive braid onto reels and re-tying leaders. But times have changed. Firstly, I now have more experience, but more importantly, I know charter skippers who can create a truly inspirational, fun and engaging angling experience. So, I told my friend that, yes, I could put him in touch with a great skipper and that he and his friends would have a day to remember. I also promised that they would catch fish. Okay, so I hoped that they would catch fish, however, knowing the skipper and that the wrecks had been fishing well, I was confident that the group would be able to take plenty of fresh fish home for dinner.
The boat of choice was Fins Up out of Portland Marina skippered by Dan Clarke. I had fished with Dan on several occasions and even notched up my personal best pollack on a recent trip. For me, a skipper makes or breaks a charter. I do not want to spend my hard-earned cash going on a trip with a miserable old bugger who spends the whole day in the wheelhouse chain-smoking roll-ups, and yes, I have experienced skippers like that! Dan, one of a new generation of skippers, realises that he is running a business and that his customers matter. He is not simply a taxi driver to fishing grounds but the creator of an experience.
Portland Marina is a great place to charter a boat. There are loos and shower facilities, a great bar and restaurant with beer at normal pub prices, free parking and trolleys to help you lug your gear to and from the boat; not that you need them with Fins Up as the boat has the closest mooring to the marina entrance! Dan and his deck hand Roger welcomed my friend’s group and I was pleased to see that they gave a proper safety briefing to the group prior to departure. We then set off, the kettle was on, and Roger took the group through how to use the rods and reels and answer questions. The sun was shining, the winds were light and we were all excited and hopeful about catching fish.
The trip out to the wrecks can take an hour or so, but there was plenty to see as we rounded Portland Bill and headed for the open ocean. Another reason I recommended Fins Up is the kit. The hire rods are a mixture of Abu and Daiwa 12-20lb class rods fitted with Penn reels loaded with quality braid. The leader is high quality and a sponsorship from Sidewinder means that there is a ready stock of every size, colour and flavour you could ever wish for. After further instruction from Roger and more teas and coffees we reached the wrecks. Dan deftly put us over the wrecks and he is not the sort of skipper who will put up with a poor drift. No, he adjusted the boat or re-aligned if the tide or wind threw us off course. Roger was a super deck hand too. There wasn’t a moment where someone needed help and he wasn’t already at their elbow offering friendly advice and helping out. It made such a difference to the day knowing the group were well cared for. Oh, and how many wrecking trips have you been on where several non-anglers didn’t lose a single weight or lure?
But did they catch fish? Of course! The first fish to the boat was nice cod, and we continued to land cod all day with a few quality pollack thrown in for good measure. At slack water, Dan had prepared ling rigs and brought along squid and mackerel for those that wished to try it. One of the group did manage to hook into a monster ling or conger but sadly it came off as it was being pumped up and away from the wreck. At slack tide we also caught the obligatory dogfish and ‘waterproof rats’ - otherwise known as pouting. However, despite losing the ‘big one’, the good news was that everyone caught fish and had a cracking day. On the way back to port, Roger filleted all the fish and popped it in freezer bags which were shared out equally. And when back on dry land we ambled the 20 yards or so to the pub and sat in the sunshine supping beers and retelling stories of fish landed and monsters that got away. As we drained the last of our beers, one of the guys from the group turned to me and said, “You know what? If I’d not caught anything I’d have still had a brilliant day.” That just about sums up the whole experience.
To charter a Fins Up experience along with skipper Dan and deck hand Roger costs £600 for a day with free tea, coffee, banter and laughter. The only catch is that you have to invite me along for the ride. -
25/03/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
25 Mar 2016 by DAN clarke
25/3
First wreck cod of the year aboard Fins-up! -
12/03/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
12 Mar 2016 by DAN clarke
Flat calm today, fine weather and sunshine, all we needed was the fish to play and they did,pollock, ling and congers. Sidewinder day glow orange, candy reds and the new crusader rhubarb custards working well.
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24/02/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
24 Feb 2016 by DAN clarke
With the weather looking favourable for a couple of days in a row for a change, a wrecking trip was organised with only short notice. High expectations of light winds and fair weather and some new season fat top Pollock and maybe a ling or two.
As is usual this time of year constantly checking the forecast every couple of hours using the good old met office, wind guru, xc weather and a combination of the bbc, the evening beforehand the weather prediction was doable and decreasing later, but not for fair weather fishermen or picnicking.
As we approached the first wreck with intentions of this been the the first of many fishing destinations planned for the day, the fish started to feed and good fish landed. With some amazing anglers onboard catching great sized fish it was disheartening having to make the decision to call the trip short and head for home as the weather quickly deteriorated. A few brave men fishing hardcore style, fins-up.
