Dab at The Breaches (Vartry Outflow).

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Secondary target

Why fish Dab at The Breaches (Vartry Outflow)

Specialist mark, under-targeted specimen mullet on the Vartry outflow under the rail bridge. Flounder, sea trout, bass at the same outlet.

The freshwater channel from Broad Lough / Vartry Estuary meets the sea under a railway bridge, on older maps marked as 'The Breaches'.

The single most under-targeted specialist mark in the Wicklow geography, 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.

Short: Specialist mark, under-targeted specimen mullet on the Vartry outflow under the rail bridge.

Flounder, sea trout, bass at the same outlet.

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

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

The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide points straight at this mark: '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.

Sea trout pass through in season; bass work the outlet at dawn/dusk on lures.

Season and tide

On The Breaches (Vartry Outflow) 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: 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 for this mark: 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.

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.

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 class for this mark: vertical drop. Facing E. Confidence MEDIUM.

• Running ledger or two-hook flapper
• Size 2 to 4 hooks, dab have small mouths
• Short hooklinks keep baits on the bottom
• 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

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

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

Live ranked advice for The Breaches (Vartry Outflow) 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.