Dublin · Rock · medium confidence
Red Rock, Sutton.
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.
Red Rock at Sutton is a channel-edge and mixed-ground mark rather than a simple beach. The public pattern is bass and flatfish moving over Sutton channel and the Martello-side ground, with dab, dogfish, codling and whiting possible when conditions suit. It is useful planning water for Dublin Bay planning, researched from published notes rather than first-hand Wicklow experience.
DART / access: Bus links along the Howth road make short sessions possible without a car.
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
- Rock
- Ground
- Mixed
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Verification
- Not verified
Access
Use the Strand Road and Red Rock area in Sutton, keeping to public paths and obvious foreshore access. Bus links along the Howth road make short sessions possible without a car. The cliff-walk approaches are for marked paths only, not invented shortcuts. A dinghy club and launch activity sit nearby, so leave slips, turning space and boat traffic completely clear.
Tide
Dublin Port is the reference. Channel and flats fish best on the flood, especially where the tide covers low-water food beds. Do not get cut off on rising water around rocks east of the Martello, and do not assume a falling-tide Wicklow shingle pattern transfers cleanly to this Dublin channel ground.
Safety
Soft ground, fast-rising water and launch traffic are the main concerns. Respect club slips, private frontages, marked paths and any temporary restrictions. The channel can look harmless at low water and then remove your walking route. Keep the session compact, carry a light, and avoid wading into channels without local knowledge.
About Sutton
From the Sutton guide, updated 12 August 2026.
Sutton faces the north side of Dublin Bay with channel and Martello rock ground at Red Rock. Bass and flatfish are the story on the flood; peeler and mussel beds at low water are shared public bait ground, not private marks. Watch the rising tide in the channel, keep clear of dinghy-club traffic, and fish the flood rather than copying Wicklow falling-tide shingle habits.
Best time
Flood tides for bass and flatfish. Low water for bait gathering. Winter nights can add dogfish and whiting.
- Parking
- Street and Strand Road approaches near Red Rock; check local restrictions.
- DART / transport
- Bus along the Howth road; DART to Howth or Bayside then a walk or short hop.
- By road
- R105 / Strand Road toward Sutton and Red Rock.
Access note: Rising tide in the channel. Stay clear of dinghy club launch traffic and private frontages.
Articles about Sutton
- Bass Fishing Irish Piers: Harbour Walls That Produce · 6 min read
- Winter Flounder Ireland: Beach Marks and Rigs · 6 min read
- Tides for Fishing Ireland: Flood vs Ebb on Wicklow Beaches · 7 min read
What's here
Species feeding this month on this mark. Open a profile for tactics, seasons and rules.
Bass is peaking this month.
Bass and pollack carry statutory size, bag or closure rules. Open the species card for sourced figures.
Tactics
Bottom fishing is the main pattern: worm, crab and mussel baits on running ledgers or clipped rigs into the channel edge for bass and flatfish on the flood. Keep one rod at sensible range before chasing distance because fish use the near edge as water covers it. Low water is often more useful for reading the ground and bait gathering than for fishing hard. Night or coloured water improves confidence; gin-clear midday flats are low percentage.
Ground
The ground is mixed rock, sand, mussel, channel lip and softer patches around the Sutton side of Dublin Bay. Fish hold where the flooding tide covers food beds and along the channel crease rather than across uniform flat sand. Casting distance is mark-dependent: a medium cast into the channel edge is more useful than blasting beyond it, and short casts can work as the water first pushes over rougher feeding ground.
Fishing Red Rock, Sutton today? Bring these.
Big bait and distance on Red Rock, Sutton, so the pulley pennel protects the cast and presents cleanly on the drop. A light grip lead still casts clean on calm sand.
Hooks, pick
Wide-gape circle hooks 4/0
Strong wire circles for pennel mounting of crab and strip baits on rough east-coast ground.
Recommendations follow the same Wicklow-first editorial standards as the rest of the site.
Session pattern
A typical Red Rock session starts with a low-water look, then fishing the flood as depth returns over the channel and mixed beds. Dublin Port tide times are the clock, but local exposure and wind direction decide comfort. Gentle surf, colour and evening light help the published bass pattern. Common mistakes are staying too far out as the tide rises, blocking club access, and reading bait beds as permission to dig or fish anywhere without regard for reserve, club or private boundaries.
Session notes
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Species context
Bass: Surf beaches, rocky headlands, harbour walls, estuaries and sandy gutters, most reliably in coloured, wind-driven surf and around tidal rips or white water. Season coast-wide: April to November.
Flounder: Estuaries, sandy beaches, muddy creeks and shallow inshore ground, especially around river mouths and drainage outflows. Season coast-wide: Year round.
Dab: Clean sandy ground close inshore, often mixed with flounder on Wicklow surf and shingle beaches. Season coast-wide: Year round.
Dogfish: Clean sandy ground from shallow surf to deeper water, often around sandbars and gutters where food collects. Season coast-wide: Year round.
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.
Whiting: Open sandy and shingle beaches and harbour channels in winter, following whitebait and sandeel shoals inshore. Season coast-wide: October to April.
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 Red Rock, Sutton?
Red Rock, Sutton produces Bass, Flounder, Dab, Dogfish and Codling. 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 Red Rock, Sutton?
Use the Strand Road and Red Rock area in Sutton, keeping to public paths and obvious foreshore access. Bus links along the Howth road make short sessions possible without a car. The cliff-walk approaches are for marked paths only, not invented shortcuts. A dinghy club and launch activity sit nearby, so leave slips, turning space and boat traffic completely clear.
What tide is best at Red Rock, Sutton?
Dublin Port is the reference. Channel and flats fish best on the flood, especially where the tide covers low-water food beds. Do not get cut off on rising water around rocks east of the Martello, and do not assume a falling-tide Wicklow shingle pattern transfers cleanly to this Dublin channel ground.
How do you fish Red Rock, Sutton?
Bottom fishing is the main pattern: worm, crab and mussel baits on running ledgers or clipped rigs into the channel edge for bass and flatfish on the flood. Keep one rod at sensible range before chasing distance because fish use the near edge as water covers it. Low water is often more useful for reading the ground and bait gathering than for fishing hard. Night or coloured water improves confidence; gin-clear midday flats are low percentage.
What are the hazards at Red Rock, Sutton?
Soft ground, fast-rising water and launch traffic are the main concerns. Respect club slips, private frontages, marked paths and any temporary restrictions. The channel can look harmless at low water and then remove your walking route. Keep the session compact, carry a light, and avoid wading into channels without local knowledge.
Do I need a licence to fish at Red Rock, Sutton, and what can I keep?
No State rod licence for ordinary sea angling. Salmon and sea trout need one. Retention rules do apply to some species here. Bass: retention allowed, 42 cm. Check the linked authority before keeping a fish.
Irish Shore Fishing editorial
Written and checked on the Wicklow coast.
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