Species profile
Black bream
Black bream in Irish waters. Catchable May to October, peak July to August. Kilmore Quay and the south coast reefs, light rigs, and why they nest in spring.
Eric, Greystones · Reviewed August 2026 · IFI-aligned
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Quick answer
Black bream in Irish waters. Catchable May to October, peak July to August. Kilmore Quay and the south coast reefs, light rigs, and why they nest in spring.
Black bream · Running now · July to August peak on the Wicklow coast
In season
Typical size
Conservation
Season on the coast
Peak and catchable months on the Wicklow shore.
Peak Jul to Aug · catchable May to Oct
- Peak
- Catchable
- Off season
- This month
Where they live
Mixed rock, weed and reef edges in clear water, mainly off Wexford and Cork on the south coast.
What to use
Squid strip · Mackerel strip · Ragworm · Small hard baits
How to fish them
Fish light two-hook flappers with small fine-wire hooks and small strip baits over reef edges in daylight, or float gear over kelp on a rising tide.
Get your bait
The bait that works here comes off the shore, not out of a box.
Ragworm is dug, not bought, if you want it at its best. Estuary mud and sheltered harbour ground hold both king rag and harbour rag.
Dig the last two hours of a spring ebb, work one small patch rather than a wide area, and backfill what you turn.
How to dig, keep and hook ragworm →Kit that keeps collected bait fishable
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Bait elastic thread
Binds soft collected bait to the hook so it survives the cast.
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Vented bait box
Keeps crab and worm alive and separated on the way home and back out.
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Insulated cool bag
Collected bait dies in a warm car. Cold and dark buys you a day or two.
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Chest waders
Low-water crab and worm ground means wet feet and cold gullies.
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Bait scissors
Cuts crab, worm and fish bait cleanly without mangling it.
Suggested gear
Starter searches matched to tactics above
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12ft beachcaster rod
Covers the gutters and troughs flatfish sit in on a flooding tide.
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Two-hook flapper rigs
The standard flatfish rig for beaches and estuary mouths.
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Aberdeen hooks, 1/0 fine wire
Long shank and fine wire for the small mouths flatfish have.
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Bait elastic thread
Holds a soft bait together through the cast and the drag back.
Related guides and tools
Marks, tactics, bait, gear, and today's plan for this species
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Eric
Based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, fishing the Irish coast since 2018
Target black bream on today's plan
Ranked marks, species windows, and gear for the Wicklow shore.