Guide last updated 1 June 2026Live score checked today
Cliff-base rock ledges below Bray Head, named after the historical smuggling cave largely destroyed in the 1847 railway construction (the name persists locally for the area). Deep, clear water with strong currents that concentrate pollock, wrasse and coalfish. Single-figure pollock with occasional 6 to 8 lb fish is the realistic expectation from the rocks themselves; consistent shore-caught doubles are not well evidenced in modern reports (the published double-figure fish come from boat work on the Wicklow wrecks). A mark for experienced rock anglers who understand the sea.
This mark stays in the directory for reference. Do not attempt access until the cliff walk reopens. See open alternatives below.
Target list and season windows
On the ground
Baits
Methods
Access
Access is currently closed. The cliff walk route to this mark is shut and unsafe. See the notice above.
Parking
Parking is available in Bray town near the seafront.
Species, tactics, tides, and tomorrow's plan for this mark
Serious rock under Bray Head, quality pollock and wrasse, experienced anglers only, never fish alone.
From the shore
The original Brandy Hole was a sea cave used by 18th-century smugglers and was largely destroyed by the 1847 Bray-to-Wicklow railway construction (Bray Heritage / Ouzel Galley sources). The name has carried through locally to the rock area beneath the railway tunnels where the cave once stood, anglers still use it. Older guides claim pollock to double figures from these rocks, and recent shore records do not support it. Boat fishing the Wicklow wrecks (under 20nm offshore, Kit Dunne / Wicklow Boat Charters) consistently produces 7 to 9 lb pollock, but consistent doubles from the cliff-base rocks themselves are not well evidenced in modern shore records. Single-figure pollock with occasional 6 to 8 lb fish is the honest shore expectation. Boat fishing in the deep water off Bray Head is documented to hold tope, spurdog, ray and bull huss, relevant because shore-cast distance baits reach the same general water column. The northern Bray Head rocks (separate, less dangerous) are a viable alternative when the beach is mobbed: float fishing for wrasse, pollack and mackerel.
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Bray town has fishing tackle shops within walking distance of the seafront. Good selection of lures and terminal tackle for rock fishing.
Eric
Based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, fishing the Irish coast since 2018
Tomorrow's plan ranks open Wicklow marks by live conditions. Bray Head Rocks is not accessible.