Skip to main content

Complete setup · ~€265

The complete shore fishing setup

Ten items, around €265, and nothing left to buy except bait. This is the kit for open east-coast beaches — Kilcoole, the Murrough, Brittas — where you need to put 5 or 6 oz out past the first bank and hold bottom in a run. It is not a tournament outfit and it is not a lure kit.

Affiliate disclosure: This page contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. We only recommend gear we've used or would genuinely buy ourselves.

What most people should buy
Rod · the pick

Power Cast Marine Beachcaster 12ft

The standard entry level beachcaster for Wicklow beaches. Rated 4 to 8 oz with a long casting action, and it handles everything from whiting up to smoothhound without complaining.

ReelUgly Stik Ugly Tuff Spinning ReelSize 40 fixed spool~€69Amazon
RigsLuroad Pre-tied Pulley Rigs5 pulley rigs~€12Amazon
RigsFlapper Rigs 2/0Two-hook flapper, 6 pack~€12Amazon
HooksPhoxinus Aberdeen Hooks 1/0100 pack~€8Amazon
LeadsFFT Pro Breakaway Grip Leads3 to 7 oz mixed, 10 pack~€27Amazon
Bait gearBait Elastic Thread0.2 mm, 2 x 200 m~€7Amazon
Bait gearBaitholder Hooks 4/0For squid and crab~€5Amazon
AccessoryShakespeare Saltwater Sand SpikeHolds the rod on sand~€37Amazon
AccessoryFishing Alarm BellsClip-on tip bells, 10 pack~€6Amazon

Where the money goes

The other two

Not the kit you need?

Cheapest way to find out if you like it

Get started

~€115

Six items, around €115, and the cheapest honest way to find out whether you actually like standing on a pier in November. Piers, harbours and close surf only — the combo is not a beachcaster, so keep to about 2 oz. Everything but the rod carries forward when you upgrade.

See the Get started kit →

The right kit for August

Lure and distance

~€271

Around €271 for rock, pier and clean-ground lure work — summer bass, mackerel and pollack rather than a bait rod on a beach tripod. It costs about the same as the all-rounder, so the choice is not budget. It is whether you fish bait on sand or lures off structure.

See the Lure and distance kit →

Prices checked 31 days ago against Amazon.ieBait does not ship. Rods, rigs and leads arrive from Amazon. Fresh ragworm, lug and peeler crab do not, so plan a same-day bait run before open beaches or remote marks.All gear guides · How we pick gear