Dab at Silver Strand.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Beginner/Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Secondary target

Why fish Dab at Silver Strand

Sheltered sandy cove. Spring/autumn surf bass and a rare-for-the-east-coast spurdog fishery on summer night tides.

A small, sheltered sandy cove tucked between rocky headlands south of Wicklow Head.

One of the cleaner sand beaches on the Wicklow coast and one of the few accessible east-coast marks for spurdog on summer night tides, under-known feature confirmed across regional sources.

Surf in spring and autumn at night is the classic productive window.

The sheltered position makes it a viable option in northerly or westerly winds when other marks are too rough.

Short: Sheltered sandy cove.

Spring/autumn surf bass and a rare-for-the-east-coast spurdog fishery on summer night tides.

Clean sandy ground close inshore, often mixed with flounder on Wicklow surf and shingle beaches.

Sheltered cove, spring bass and a rare east-coast spurdog chance on summer night tides.

You may see this beach listed as Furzeditch East, its townland name, but every fishing source calls it Silver Strand.

Spurdog on summer night tides is the species note worth knowing: these are not common at most east-coast beaches and Silver Strand is one of the few accessible marks for them in Wicklow.

Cut-off risk at high tide is the genuine safety story here, more than slippery rocks: the beach physically separates into coves and anglers have been caught out.

Beach is shared with Brittas Bay Surf School and picks up southerly swell, surfing presence affects daytime access.

Season and tide

On Silver Strand the catalogue season for Dab is October to February. Coast-wide, Dab runs Year round (Autumn through spring on clean sand).

Wider mark season notes: Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Flounder: October to March, Dab: October to February, Plaice: May to September, Spurdog: summer (night tides), Mackerel: June to September, Thornback ray: occasional summer

Tide guidance for this mark: High water and the two hours either side give the best fishing. The beach is relatively shallow and fish move in closest at the top of the tide. Flooding tide on a summer evening is the best time for bass along the shoreline. Spring/autumn surf at night for the bigger bass.

Species tide and time pattern: Two hours either side of high water. Any time of day or night.

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 two-hook flappers or simple ledgers, occasionally twitching baits along the sand to draw in inquisitive fish during the flood and around high water.

Two-hook flapper; Running ledger; Light spinning (bass); Pulley rig at distance (occasional ray, spurdog)

Gear class for this mark: general shore. Facing ESE. Confidence HIGH.

• Running ledger or two-hook flapper
• Size 2 to 4 hooks, dab have small mouths
• Short hooklinks keep baits on the bottom
• Two-hook flapper
• Running ledger
• Light spinning (bass)
• Pulley rig at distance (occasional ray, spurdog)

Baits and lures

Dab baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Harbour ragworm; Sandeel strip.

What this mark typically holds: Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel; Squid for spurdog.

Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel; Squid for spurdog

Access and ground

Follow the coastal road south from Wicklow town, signed from the R750. Access through caravan parks. Short walk from the car park.

Parking: Small car park at the strand, fills quickly in summer. Seasonal charges may apply. Arrive early in July and August.

Safety: CRITICAL, the beach separates into coves at high tide; genuine cut-off risk. Mark your retreat route on arrival. Rocky approaches at low water require care, stick to the sandy sections when moving along the beach. Limited parking means the area gets congested in summer.

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town tackle shops, a short drive north on the coastal road.

Nearest town: Wicklow. Skill level: Beginner/Intermediate.

Size and identification

Typical shore size around 100 to 250 g from East Coast beaches; specimen class from about Fish over 400 g are very good shore dabs.

Small oval flatfish, light sandy-brown upper surface with a distinctive curved lateral line above the pectoral fin (the best identification feature). Rough to the touch on the upper surface. Eyes on the right side. Much smaller than plaice or flounder.

Tip: Dab respond well to a moving bait, occasionally retrieve a foot or two and pause. In match fishing, dab are a reliable points scorer and teams actively target them alongside whiting. On quiet sessions when the bigger species aren't showing, a single ragworm on a size 4 Aberdeen is rarely ignored.

Irish shore context: record class around 0.74 kg.

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Bass, Flounder, Dogfish, Plaice. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.

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

Conservation

No current restrictions; keep only what you’ll eat fresh.

Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.

Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Dab 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.