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The most underused bait on Irish beaches
Irish shore anglers overwhelmingly default to ragworm and peeler crab. Both are excellent baits, but sandeel consistently produces fish on Wicklow beaches when other baits underperform, and it is used by a fraction of the anglers who would benefit from it. If you are not carrying sandeel from May through September, you are leaving bass and plaice on the table.
These small, silvery fish, typically 8 to 15cm long, are the primary prey of bass, pollack, coalfish, mackerel, terns, gannets and almost every other predatory species in Irish coastal waters. When sandeel are present inshore in summer, the fishing is exceptional because every predator is keyed into them. Presenting a natural sandeel bait in these conditions is as close to guaranteed as shore fishing gets.
Two species of sandeel
The greater sandeel (Hyperoplus lanceolatus) grows to 30cm and shoals with mackerel and garfish in open water in summer. The lesser sandeel (Ammodytes tobianus) is the smaller species, typically 8 to 12cm, that buries in sand at low water in estuaries and on sandy beaches. Both make excellent bait, but for practical shore fishing purposes it is the lesser sandeel that most Irish anglers will use, either collected fresh at low water or purchased frozen from tackle shops.
Fresh vs frozen sandeel
Fresh sandeel is superior to frozen in almost every situation. The flesh is firm, takes a hook cleanly, and the natural scent is far stronger. Bass and plaice respond markedly better to fresh sandeel than frozen. On the Wicklow coast, fresh sandeel can be collected at low water by shuffling through wet sand on suitable estuarine beaches, the eels dart free and can be scooped into a bucket of sea water. Keep them alive using a simple aerator or tap them on the head and freeze flat on a glass plate.
Frozen packet sandeel is the practical reality for most sessions and it still catches fish consistently. Quality varies enormously between suppliers. Blast-frozen sandeel retains its scent and oil content well; poorly stored or thawed-and-refrozen sandeel will be soft, discoloured and nearly useless. Test quality by bending a thawed eel into a U-shape after thawing, if it holds without splitting at the belly it is good bait. If it bursts open, find a different supplier. Never refreeze thawed sandeel. Thaw slowly in cold water for 30 minutes rather than at room temperature, which makes the flesh soft and difficult to hook.
Sourcing fresh sandeels in Wicklow
Raking at low water
Sandeels bury in wet sand just below the surface at low tide. A garden rake drawn through the top 5 to 8cm of wet sand at estuarine beaches can dislodge them, work quickly as they re-bury within seconds. Sandy stretches at Kilcoole and Brittas Bay in June and July are worth trying around low water springs.
Feathers from the pier
When sandeel are schooling near the surface at Greystones Harbour or Wicklow pier in summer, a small set of feathers on a 10ft spinning rod will catch them quickly. 2 to 3oz lead, six-hook feathers, retrieve steadily just below the surface where the shoal is visible.
Seine net
A small seine net dragged through ankle-deep water on a sandy beach in June and July produces large numbers quickly. Check local bylaws before using a net. Five minutes of effort with a net can produce enough fresh sandeel for a full session.
Tackle shop frozen
Available from most Wicklow area tackle shops year-round. Buy the day before your session and keep refrigerated. Use within 24 hours of thawing.
How to hook sandeel correctly
Presentation is everything with sandeel. A poorly presented eel will spin in the tide, twist your snood, and put fish off. Remove the tail fin on frozen eels used for distance casting, it prevents spinning. Here are the four reliable hooking methods:
Through the jaw (ledger)
Insert the hook point through the lower jaw and out through the top of the head. The eel hangs naturally below the hook. Use a size 1/0 to 2/0 Aberdeen. The standard method for beach ledgering for bass and flounder.
Through the back (float)
Hook lightly through the muscle just behind the head. Used for float fishing with live sandeel for bass and pollack, the eel stays alive and swims actively. Don't hook deeply or the eel dies and loses its action.
Threading (distance casting)
Pass the hook in at the mouth and thread the point out through the body 2/3 of the way along. Use bait elastic to secure. The most aerodynamic presentation for clipped-down rigs and long-distance casting.
Cocktail with squid
Wrap the sandeel in a thin strip of squid and secure with bait elastic, leaving the head and tail exposed. The squid protects the softer sandeel flesh on long casts and extends bait life on the hook, particularly useful with frozen sandeel.
Target species on the Wicklow coast
Bass
May to SeptemberWhole fresh sandeel on a running ledger is arguably the most effective summer bass bait from Wicklow beaches, more consistent than peeler crab in warm, settled conditions when sandeel are naturally present inshore. Use a size 1/0 Aberdeen, running ledger with 20lb fluorocarbon trace. Tide: open sand at Brittas often peaks mid-flood through high; the Greystones to Kilcoole shingle belt is usually written up ebb-weighted after a blow, match the spot guide for the beach you are on.
Plaice
April to JuneThe classic spring plaice rig on Wicklow beaches: a size 1 hook baited with ragworm tipped with a sliver of sandeel, fished above a small rotating attractor spoon on a two-hook paternoster. The spoon creates vibration and flash that draws plaice from distance across sandy ground. Cast 60 to 80 metres; on open sand (Brittas) the first hours of flood are a classic window, on shingle marks use the tide stage your spot page recommends.
Pollack
April to OctoberHead-hooked fresh sandeel under a float from Greystones Harbour produces excellent pollack sport from spring through autumn. The natural presentation triggers aggressive takes from pier pollack. Alternatively, a whole frozen sandeel threaded onto a size 1 hook on a simple running ledger from the outer harbour wall takes fish consistently at dusk on the flooding tide.
Flounder
September to FebruarySandeel sections in autumn and winter take flounder consistently along the shorelines of The Murrough and at Kilcoole. A 3cm section of frozen sandeel tipped on a ragworm on a size 2 hook fished close in on clean sandy ground is a reliable October combination when flounder are feeding actively.
Whiting
October to FebruaryHalf a frozen sandeel on a 1/0 hook produces the larger, better-quality whiting in autumn and winter night sessions. The cut end releases maximum scent and the profile mimics the small fish whiting are hunting. Worth having in the bait box alongside black lug on any November or December session.
Smoothhound
May to SeptemberSandeel is a secondary option for smoothhound when peeler crab is unavailable or expensive. Use a larger 8cm section on a 1/0 hook on a running ledger. Brittas: evening flood through high is the usual smoothhound window; Greystones to Kilcoole shingle: match the spot guide (often ebb-weighted). Fresh significantly outperforms frozen for smoothhound.
Sandeel as a signal species
When terns, gannets or guillemots are diving actively close to the shore, sandeels are being pushed to the surface by predators beneath them. Bass, mackerel and pollack will be directly underneath that activity. Get a lure or fresh bait into the area immediately, when this is happening fish are feeding aggressively and a cast into or past the disturbance will almost certainly produce a fish. Don't stand watching the birds while you re-rig. Go straight at them.
Key points
- 1Fresh sandeel is the top summer bass bait on Wicklow beaches, carry it every session from May to September
- 2Test frozen quality by bending a thawed eel into a U-shape, if it bursts, find a better supplier
- 3Thread through the lower jaw and body for bass ledgering, remove the tail fin to prevent spinning on distance casts
- 4Head-hook only for float fishing with live sandeel, pollack and bass respond best to a naturally swimming eel
- 5The spring plaice rig: ragworm tipped with sandeel above an attractor spoon on a paternoster
- 6Wrap frozen sandeel in squid strip and secure with bait elastic for longer bait life on the hook
- 7Diving terns and gannets over the shore mean sandeel are present, cast into the activity immediately
- 8Never refreeze thawed sandeel, use within 24 hours of thawing
Recommended gear
Sandeel fishing essentials
Lures and hooks for presenting sandeel baits effectively from Wicklow beaches and piers.
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Savage Gear Sandeel V2 Sinking 12cm 22g
Single large sandeel lure for targeting bass and pollack when real sandeels are present inshore. Outstanding action in silver and natural colours, works well fished slow on a running ledger.
View on AmazonPhoxinus Aberdeen Hooks 2/0 (50 pack)
Black Aberdeen hooks in 2/0 for sandeel fishing. Fine wire penetrates easily and the long shank makes unhooking simple.
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