Flounder at Killoughter Beach.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Secondary target

Why fish Flounder at Killoughter Beach

Reputed best Wicklow beach venue. Specimen homelyn, thornback, smoothhound and bullhuss in the catch record.

A shingle beach in the heart of the Greystones-to-Wicklow shingle belt.

Documented in the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide as the regard of many anglers as the BEST of all the Wicklow beach venues, the beach turns up quality fish with regularity.

Specimen-class homelyn ray, thornback ray, smoothhound, bullhuss and occasional spurdog have all been recorded here.

Short: Reputed best Wicklow beach venue.

Specimen homelyn, thornback, smoothhound and bullhuss in the catch record.

Estuaries, sandy beaches, muddy creeks and shallow inshore ground, especially around river mouths and drainage outflows.

Reputed specimen beach for rays and hounds on spring nights, not a beginner mark.

The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide explicitly states 'many anglers regard Killoughter as the best of all the Wicklow beach venues' on the basis that it produces quality fish with regularity.

Specimen-class homelyn ray, thornback, smoothhound and bullhuss are all in the catch record, this is a serious species venue, not a casual beach.

Two practical local notes: (1) the road in is poor, and (2) weed can shut the beach down after onshore wind, one SAI session was abandoned for that reason and turned out to be the wrong call (the weed cleared shortly after).

Pair this mark with Five Mile Point and the Breaches as a Newcastle/Killoughter cluster, the same shingle belt with different micro-features.

Season and tide

On Killoughter Beach the catalogue season for Flounder is October to March. Coast-wide, Flounder runs Year round (Best October to March on Wicklow beaches and estuaries).

Wider mark season notes: Smoothhound: May to October (specimen-class possible), Thornback ray: May to September, Homelyn ray: May to September, Bullhuss: summer evenings (specimen-class), Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Codling: October to February, Dab: October to February, Flounder: October to March, Spurdog: occasional summer night, Whiting: October to February

Tide guidance for this mark: Falling tide for the shingle-belt pattern. Evening and night sessions for the predator species. Distance casting required for hounds and rays; close-in for codling and flatfish.

Species tide and time pattern: Two hours either side of high water. The flooding tide pushes flounder onto feeding grounds. Slack water periods produce most bites. Night fishing in autumn and winter is particularly reliable.

Catalogue fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak phases: mid-flood, first-ebb.

Tactics on this mark

Fish short with running ledger or two-hook flapper rigs, slowly dragging baits across the bottom on flooding and high water to trigger takes in troughs and around estuary mouths.

Pulley rig at distance (hounds/rays/huss); Standard flatfish rigs close in; Two-hook flapper

Gear class for this mark: open beach. Facing E. Confidence HIGH.

• Running ledger with a short 6 to 8 inch hooklink
• Two-hook flapper for covering ground
• Small size 2 to 4 Aberdeen hooks, flounder have small mouths
• Slow retrieve to cover ground after casting
• Pulley rig at distance (hounds/rays/huss)
• Standard flatfish rigs close in
• Two-hook flapper

Baits and lures

Flounder baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Harbour ragworm; Mussel; Small fish strips.

What this mark typically holds: Hardback green crab (hounds, outlasts peeler against lesser species); Squid (rays); Lugworm (codling/dab); Mackerel head (bullhuss).

Hardback green crab (hounds, outlasts peeler against lesser species); Squid (rays); Lugworm (codling/dab); Mackerel head (bullhuss)

Access and ground

Access via the local road from Newcastle/Ashford direction. The road in is poor, described in SAI session reports as 'potholed' with limited improvement over the years. Small car park at the end. Railway crossing required for some access routes.

Parking: Small car park at end of access road; arrive early on quality conditions.

Safety: Railway crossing required for some access routes, designated points only. Standard shingle-beach safety. Weed can shut the beach down after onshore wind, judge the conditions on arrival.

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town or Greystones tackle shops.

Nearest town: Newcastle. Skill level: Intermediate.

Size and identification

Typical shore size around 200 to 400 g from Wicklow beaches and estuaries; specimen class from about Fish over 700 g are notable shore flounder.

Brown or grey-brown upper surface with orange-tipped spines along the lateral line. Eyes on the right side. Can develop reddish blotches, easily confused with plaice but lacks the vivid orange spots. The rough, prickly lateral line is the key identification feature.

Tip: Flounder are suckers for movement. Slowly dragging your bait across the bottom and pausing it triggers far more bites than static fishing. In estuaries, cast uptide and allow the bait to trundle downtide, the disturbance in the sand draws flounder in.

Irish shore context: record class around 2.71 kg.

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Smoothhound, Thornback ray, Homelyn ray, Bullhuss, Bass, Codling. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.

Live ranked advice for Killoughter Beach updates on Today's plan. Pair this page with the Flounder species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

No current restrictions but handle with wet hands and return small fish.

Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.

Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Flounder species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.

Next steps

Live ranked session advice for this mark sits on today's plan. Rules and bag limits: learn / rules.