Flounder at The Breaches, Kilcoole.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Primary target

Why fish Flounder at The Breaches, Kilcoole

Kilcoole shingle-belt outflow under the rail bridge. Under-targeted specimen mullet; flounder, sea trout and bass at the same channel.

Marsh gullies and mountain streams from the Kilcoole shingle belt meet the sea under a railway bridge, on older maps marked as 'The Breaches'.

This is ERFB Site 23, not the Broad Lough / Vartry system at Wicklow (Site 28 Broadlough on the Murrough), which lies about 12 km south.

The single most under-targeted specialist mark on this stretch of coast, the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide explicitly notes mullet 'well over the specimen weight of 5 lb' present, with 'little attempt to catch them'.

Flounder concentrate at the freshwater interface; sea trout pass through on their run; bass at dawn/dusk on the outlet.

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

Kilcoole outflow specialist mark, specimen mullet and flounder, groundbait and finesse tactics required.

The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide points straight at this mark (Site 23): 'Some of these fish appear to be well over the specimen weight of 5 lbs but to date there has been little attempt to catch them.

Time spent fishing for both of these species may be well rewarded'.

Two tactical points: (1) the pool BEHIND the rail line is sheltered from open-sea conditions and fishes on days the open beach is unfishable; (2) flounder concentrate at the freshwater/saltwater interface at all tides, not just slack, this is reliable winter fishing.

Season and tide

At The Breaches, Kilcoole, Flounder is worth targeting in year round at freshwater interface. Coast-wide, Flounder runs Year round (peaks February to March and November to December on Wicklow beaches and estuaries).

Wider mark season: Grey mullet: May to October (specimen-class possible), Flounder: year round at freshwater interface, Sea trout: July to October, Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov; outlet at dawn/dusk), Dab: October to February

Tide guidance here: Mullet move into the pool behind the bridge on the flood and back out on the ebb, both windows fish the channel. Bass at the outlet on the flooding tide at dawn or dusk. Flounder concentrate at the freshwater/saltwater interface throughout the tide.

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.

Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: 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.

Float-fished bread or flake (mullet, specialist technique); Light ledger with worm or crab close in (flounder); Surface lures or sub-surface plugs at the outlet (bass); Single-handed fly (sea trout)

Gear: vertical drop. Facing E.

• 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
• Float-fished bread or flake (mullet, specialist technique)
• Light ledger with worm or crab close in (flounder)
• Surface lures or sub-surface plugs at the outlet (bass)
• Single-handed fly (sea trout)

Baits and lures

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

What this mark typically holds: Bread/flake (mullet); Ragworm; Peeler crab; Small lures (bass/sea trout).

Bread/flake (mullet); Ragworm; Peeler crab; Small lures (bass/sea trout)

Access and ground

Long walk in from either Kilcoole (north) or Newcastle (south). The railway bridge with the freshwater channel is the singular landmark. No road access mid-beach. The pool behind the rail line is sheltered from open-sea conditions and fishes when the open beach does not.

Parking: Limited; Kilcoole station or Newcastle area as starting points.

Safety: SAC/SPA wetland, quiet behaviour required, bird sensitivities apply. Fast-flowing channel at peak ebb, never wade across. Long walk in, no facilities, patchy mobile coverage.

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town or Greystones tackle shops; specialist mullet bread/groundbait is BYO.

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 Grey mullet, Bass, Sea trout, Dab. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.

Live ranked advice for The Breaches, Kilcoole 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

Related article: Ragworm Guide Ireland: Buy It, Keep It, Fish It Right

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