
Dublin · Pier · medium confidence
Loughshinny.
Not verified · no fact on this mark has a dated check yet
Hazards: not checked on site. Assume the worst footing and tide cut-off, and read the hazard notes below as a starting point.
Fishing permission: not checked. No bye-law, harbour rule or landowner permission has been read for this mark.
Loughshinny is a small north Dublin harbour, pier and slipway mark over mixed ground, best treated as a compact tidal session rather than a big all-day venue. Published patterns include summer mackerel on high water, plus coalfish and codling in autumn night conditions, with flounder possible over cleaner patches. The mark is accessible and familiar, but it is still a working coastal harbour with a tidal pier, slipway activity and Fingal rule uncertainty. The honest appeal is a manageable pier session when tide, season and local activity line up, not a guaranteed deep-water destination.
Can I fish Dublin Bay today? The conditions check
Conditions check. A fishing call comes with the Session Engine, now in testing.
Can you fish it now?
Hard work
- A Status Yellow Met Éireann weather warning is in force for the Dublin coast, so the band is no better than hard work.
- SW wind 18 km/h now: easy on sustained wind.
- Gusts 29 km/h do not make it worse.
Tide and light windows, next 24 hours
- Tomorrow 09:10 – 12:40, Over high water in daylight: Too roughS wind 31 km/h over tomorrow 09:10 – 12:40: hard work on sustained wind.
- Tomorrow 21:25 – Tuesday 00:55, Over high water after dark: Too roughS wind 45 km/h over tomorrow 21:25 – Tuesday 00:55: too rough on sustained wind.
Tides, next 24 hours
- Low water tomorrow 04:25, 0.6 m
- High water tomorrow 11:10, 4.1 m
- Low water tomorrow 16:40, 0.7 m
- High water tomorrow 23:25, 4.3 m
Light, Sunday 25 October
- Sunrise 07:08
- Sunset 17:07
In season this month
Marks by type, north to south
Listed by type because no shore bearing is verified yet; shelter from the day’s wind is not claimed.
Beaches : Caution
A Met Éireann yellow warning covers this coast for the time judged. Waves 0.4 m, under the beach caution threshold. Judged on forecast figures, evidence level 1: not checked on site.
- Malahide Estuary: Bass, Flounder, Sea Trout Not verified yet
- Portmarnock Velvet Strand: Flounder, Bass, Smoothhound Not verified yet
- Dollymount Strand: Bass, Flounder, Dab Not verified yet
- Sandymount Strand: Bass, Flounder, Dab Not verified yet
Piers and harbour walls : Caution
A Met Éireann yellow warning covers this coast for the time judged. Waves 0.4 m, under the pier caution threshold. Judged on forecast figures, evidence level 1: not checked on site.
- Balbriggan Harbour: Mackerel, Grey Mullet, Flounder Not verified yet
- Skerries Harbour: Mackerel, Pollack, Whiting Not verified yet
- Loughshinny: Mackerel, Coalfish, Codling Not verified yet
- Howth East Pier: Mackerel, Pollack, Coalfish Not verified yet
- Howth West Pier: Mackerel, Flounder, Dab Not verified yet
- North Bull Wall: Flounder, Dab, Dogfish Not verified yet
- Poolbeg South Wall: Mackerel, Pollack, Conger Eel Not verified yet
- Dún Laoghaire East Pier: Mackerel, Pollack, Garfish Not verified yet
- Dún Laoghaire West Pier: Dab, Whiting, Codling Not verified yet
- Coliemore Harbour: Codling, Pollack, Coalfish Not verified yet
Rock marks : Caution
A Met Éireann yellow warning covers this coast for the time judged. Waves 0.4 m. A rock mark is never clear until two wave models agree below the threshold: caution. Judged on forecast figures, evidence level 1: not checked on site.
- Balscadden Bay: Pollack, Coalfish, Wrasse Not verified yet, Hazards not checked on site
- Red Rock, Sutton: Bass, Flounder, Dab Not verified yet, Hazards not checked on site
Rules for the species in season
- Bass: Retention allowed, 42 cm. Rules checked 2026-06-29
- Pollack: Retention allowed, No statutory minimum. Rules checked 2026-09-30
Mark details
Access, species and tactics.
- Type
- Pier
- Ground
- Mixed
- Skill
- Beginner to intermediate
- Verification
- Not verified
Access
Use the public harbour approach and keep the slipway, turning space and working access clear. Loughshinny is smaller than the major Dublin piers, so a few poorly placed rods can create conflict quickly. Parking and public space should be treated conservatively, especially during summer, boat activity or good weather. Stay on public pier and harbour areas only; do not climb private edges or invent cliff access. Fingal coastal and beach bye-law proposals may affect practical access or enforcement, so verify current local signs before fishing. Light, tidy tackle suits the mark better than a heavy multi-rod setup.
Tide
Use Dublin Port North Wall as the regional reference, with local harbour height checked where available. High water is the strongest published mackerel window and gives the pier enough depth for close structure fishing. Autumn night bait sessions can work around high or the first of the ebb if weed and boat movement allow. Low water is useful for reading mixed ground and slipway shape, but the pier can feel shallow and operationally awkward then.
Safety
The compact harbour layout creates the main risks: slipway traffic, boats, ropes, wet stone, limited casting room and pedestrians. Keep the slip completely clear and move immediately if a boat needs access. Night sessions need headtorches and tidy rod placement because the working space is small. Do not climb onto private or unstable edges for a better angle. Fingal rule uncertainty means current local signage should be checked before fishing. If swell, crowding or harbour work limits casting room, choose a different mark or return at another tide.
About Loughshinny
From the Loughshinny guide, updated 12 August 2026.
Loughshinny is a small north Dublin cove with a tidal pier and beach edge: summer mackerel on high tides, cooler-month night sessions for coalfish and codling when reports support it. Pack for a tidal slipway and verify Fingal beach rules before you travel.
Best time
Summer high tides for mackerel. Autumn and winter nights for coalfish and codling when colour and darkness suit.
- Parking
- Public car park at the beach; do not block the slip.
- DART / transport
- Bus links on the Skerries–Rush road; expect a walk to the pier.
- By road
- Coast road between Rush and Skerries into Loughshinny village.
Access note: Tidal pier and slipway. Fingal beach/foreshore bye-laws may change fishing access. Verify before travel.
Articles about Loughshinny
- Night Fishing from Irish Shores: Complete Guide · 7 min read
- Coalfish vs Pollack Ireland: How to ID and Catch Both · 7 min read
What's here
Species feeding this month on this mark. Open a profile for tactics, seasons and rules.



Coalfish is peaking this month.
Tactics
High-water summer mackerel is the simple public pattern: feathers, sabikis and small metals when shoals move close enough to the pier. Coalfish are better targeted with small metals, soft plastics or float-fished baits along the wall and rougher mixed-ground edges, especially in lower light. Autumn night sessions with lug, rag, mackerel strip or squid on simple ledgers give the more realistic codling chance. Flounder can be approached with smaller worm or fish baits over cleaner sand or mixed patches. Because the pier and slipway are compact, fish one or two rods and avoid spreading gear across working space.
Ground
The ground is mixed harbour structure, pier wall, slipway influence, rougher stone, sandier pockets and small coastal current lines. It is not uniform pier depth like a large harbour arm, and it is not clean beach sand. Fish use the wall edge, the harbour mouth and the transitions where rough ground gives way to cleaner bottom. Mackerel are a water-column target when present; coalfish hold nearer structure; codling and flounder need bottom placed where it can fish without immediately snagging. Short and medium casts cover most useful water. Overcasting can miss the mark and increase conflict with boats.
Fishing Loughshinny today? Bring these.
Fishing the drop at Loughshinny, so the paternoster holds baits at set heights for pollack and coalfish. A light grip lead still casts clean on calm sand.
Phoxinus Aberdeen hooks 2/0
Slightly larger Aberdeen for mackerel strip and sandeel on pier paternosters.
See it in KitPlain bomb leads mixed pack
Light bombs for pier paternoster fishing. 1 to 3oz covers most Wicklow harbour walls.
Power Cast 6lb mono
Light mono for short hooklinks and mullet-style finesse; also usable for 12 lb paternoster snoods when doubled.
See it in KitRecommendations follow the same Wicklow-first editorial standards as the rest of the site.
Session pattern
A realistic Loughshinny session is short and seasonal. In summer, arrive around high water with light gear and leave if mackerel are absent rather than flogging empty water for hours. In autumn, a darker tide with some colour gives the better coalfish and codling pattern, provided the harbour is quiet enough to ledger. Use local observation first: boat movement, weed, crowding and slip use can all decide the session. Common mistakes are blocking the slip, treating the small pier like a major city wall, and assuming every north-county mackerel report applies on the day.
Session notes
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Species context
Mackerel: Open water around harbour mouths and headlands when baitfish shoals are pushed close in; often mid-water rather than tight to the surface. Season coast-wide: June to October.
Coalfish: Harbour walls, pier mouths and rough ground where baitfish shoals run, especially in colder months when pollack fishing fades. Season coast-wide: September to May.
Cod: Deep harbour channels, pier-wall snags and the Greystones to Wicklow shingle belt in winter, anywhere young cod gather around tidal flow and coloured water after a blow. Codling is the usual Wicklow shore size class, not a separate target species here. Season coast-wide: September to February.
Flounder: Estuaries, sandy beaches, muddy creeks and shallow inshore ground, especially around river mouths and drainage outflows. Season coast-wide: Year round.
Access notes are compiled from long-published pier and shore reports. Treat access and safety notes as starting points, then confirm conditions on the day.
Common questions
What fish can you catch at Loughshinny?
Loughshinny produces Mackerel, Coalfish, Codling and Flounder. Which of those are actually feeding depends on the month, and on this coast the season matters more than the mark.
How do you get to Loughshinny?
Use the public harbour approach and keep the slipway, turning space and working access clear. Loughshinny is smaller than the major Dublin piers, so a few poorly placed rods can create conflict quickly. Parking and public space should be treated conservatively, especially during summer, boat activity or good weather. Stay on public pier and harbour areas only; do not climb private edges or invent cliff access. Fingal coastal and beach bye-law proposals may affect practical access or enforcement, so verify current local signs before fishing. Light, tidy tackle suits the mark better than a heavy multi-rod setup.
What tide is best at Loughshinny?
Use Dublin Port North Wall as the regional reference, with local harbour height checked where available. High water is the strongest published mackerel window and gives the pier enough depth for close structure fishing. Autumn night bait sessions can work around high or the first of the ebb if weed and boat movement allow. Low water is useful for reading mixed ground and slipway shape, but the pier can feel shallow and operationally awkward then.
How do you fish Loughshinny?
High-water summer mackerel is the simple public pattern: feathers, sabikis and small metals when shoals move close enough to the pier. Coalfish are better targeted with small metals, soft plastics or float-fished baits along the wall and rougher mixed-ground edges, especially in lower light. Autumn night sessions with lug, rag, mackerel strip or squid on simple ledgers give the more realistic codling chance. Flounder can be approached with smaller worm or fish baits over cleaner sand or mixed patches. Because the pier and slipway are compact, fish one or two rods and avoid spreading gear across working space.
What are the hazards at Loughshinny?
The compact harbour layout creates the main risks: slipway traffic, boats, ropes, wet stone, limited casting room and pedestrians. Keep the slip completely clear and move immediately if a boat needs access. Night sessions need headtorches and tidy rod placement because the working space is small. Do not climb onto private or unstable edges for a better angle. Fingal rule uncertainty means current local signage should be checked before fishing. If swell, crowding or harbour work limits casting room, choose a different mark or return at another tide.
Irish Shore Fishing editorial
Written and checked on the Wicklow coast.
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