Flounder at Wicklow Town Pier.

Quick facts

Mark type

Pier

Skill

Beginner/Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Secondary target

Why fish Flounder at Wicklow Town Pier

Deep-water working-harbour pier. Pollack, coalfish, winter whiting; rare connection to autumn shore-tope traffic on big distance baits.

A substantial working harbour pier with deep-water access close in.

The outer pier wall drops into a channel that holds pollack, coalfish, whiting and the occasional bass.

Codling move in during winter nights.

Whiting are reliable through the colder months, confirmed across the regional guides.

The harbour mouth area produces flounder and dabs on the bottom.

Home harbour of Wicklow Boat Charters, when the boats are catching tope close in during October to November, distance casts from the pier head can connect with stragglers (shore-caught tope to over 40 lb documented in the area).

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

Mark highlight: Deep water working pier. Year-round species.

Deep harbour pier, winter whiting and pollack, occasional autumn tope traffic on big baits at range.

Whiting is a documented winter pier target here.

The wrasse fishing attributed to this pier in some guides is actually on the rocks below the castle ruins on Wicklow Head proper, not the East Pier itself; treat wrasse here as occasional.

The non-obvious tactical edge is the connection to offshore tope traffic: when Wicklow Boat Charters is catching tope close in during October and early winter, distance casts of whole mackerel from the pier head can intercept stragglers, shore-caught tope to over 40 lb has been reported in this stretch.

Pollack poaching is repeatedly raised on SAI threads, so take only what you will eat.

Season and tide

On Wicklow Town Pier 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: Pollack: year-round (fishes best from the pier April to November), Coalfish: October to February, Whiting: October to February (night), Codling: October to January (night), Flounder: October to March, Mackerel: June to September, Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Tope: October to early winter (shore-cast distance baits, low frequency)

Tide guidance for this mark: Last two hours of ebb and first of flood concentrate fish in the channel. Pollack and coalfish present at most states of tide. Mackerel feathering most productive on the morning rising tide in summer. Night sessions on the outer wall in autumn and winter produce codling, whiting and bass. Wicklow tides are 21 minutes after Dublin port.

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

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.

Running ledger; Float rig; Mackerel feathers; Sidewinder/shad jigs; Distance pulley with whole mackerel (autumn tope chance)

Gear class for this mark: pier wall. 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
• Running ledger
• Float rig
• Mackerel feathers
• Sidewinder/shad jigs
• Distance pulley with whole mackerel (autumn tope chance)

Baits and lures

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

What this mark typically holds: Mackerel strip; Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel; Whole mackerel (tope baits).

Mackerel strip; Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel; Whole mackerel (tope baits)

Access and ground

Follow signs for Wicklow harbour from the town centre. Short drive from the main street.

Parking: Free parking on the pier and in the adjacent harbour area. Wicklow town has additional parking nearby.

Safety: Active fishing harbour, vehicle, forklift and trawler movement is the real safety issue, not slips. Stay alert for boat movements especially in the morning. Outer wall can be slippery, wear non-slip footwear. Keep away from boat launching activity.

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town centre has fishing tackle shops within easy walking distance of the pier.

Nearest town: Wicklow. Skill level: Beginner/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 Pollack, Coalfish, Mackerel, Whiting, Codling, Bass. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.

Live ranked advice for Wicklow Town Pier 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: Winter Fishing Wicklow: What to Catch October to February

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