Species profile
Dab
Dab fishing on Wicklow’s clean sand beaches, simple rigs, short casts and the best cold-season windows for these obliging flatfish.
Eric, Greystones · Reviewed Apr 2026 · IFI-aligned
Is it good today?Quick answer
Dab fishing on Wicklow’s clean sand beaches, simple rigs, short casts and the best cold-season windows for these obliging flatfish.
Dab · Running now · February to March peak on the Wicklow coast
In season
Year roundIn season now
Typical size
100 to 250 g from East Coast beaches
Conservation
Release advised
Season on the coast
Peak and catchable months on the Wicklow shore.
Peak Feb to Mar · catchable Jan to Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
- Peak
- Catchable
- Off season
- This month
Where they live
Clean sandy ground close inshore, often mixed with flounder on Wicklow surf and shingle beaches.
What to use
Ragworm · Lugworm · Harbour ragworm · Sandeel strip
How to fish them
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.
Suggested gear
Starter searches matched to tactics above
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Two-hook flapper rig
Simple flatfish rig for clean sandy ground.
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Size 2 Aberdeen hooks
Small fine-wire hooks for dab and flatties.
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Lugworm bait pack
Reliable winter bait for dab on Wicklow beaches.
Need a full shopping list? Bait fishing gear buyer guide with comparison table, prices and Amazon picks.
Wicklow marks
Arklow South Beach & FerrybankBeach
Avoca river-mouth shore complex (Ferrybank + South Beach). Bass, hounds, flatfish; historical specimen sole.
Bray HarbourPier
Dargle-mouth working harbour. LRF-style mixed-species pier; codling, dab, flounder and plaice with summer bass and mullet.
Brittas Bay (South End)Beach
Premier Wicklow bass beach. Specimen bass in storm conditions; smoothhound and rays in summer.
Clogga StrandBeach
Last Wicklow venue. Two-zone beach, deeper water north for flatfish/hounds; rock platforms south for bass on lures.
Ennereilly Strand SouthBeach
Remote, sandy, southerly-facing beach. Bass April to November (peak Sep to Nov), smoothhound on evening crab baits May to October.
Five Mile PointBeach
Specimen smoothhound run on spring nights, the single insight justifying this mark. May ray/plaice; nursery beach the rest of the year.
Greystones Harbour & PierPier
Sheltered marina pier, ideal for families and beginners. Good wrasse, pollock, mackerel and an established autumn squid fishery.
Greystones South BeachBeach
Accessible competition-grade town beach with reliable winter codling and close-in plaice in calm weather.
Dublin Bay guides
Not live scored. Open a mark guide for access and tactics.
Red Rock, SuttonRock
Sutton channel and Martello rock ground: bass and flatfish into the channel, with peeler crab and mussel beds nearby at low water.
Dollymount StrandBeach
Long firm-sand beach on Bull Island for bass and flatfish, with evening autumn tides the classic window. Codling after winter colour.
North Bull WallPier
Long stone wall out from Dollymount / Clontarf into Dublin Bay. Flounder, dab, pollack, whiting and dogfish; bass possible but less consistent.
Sandymount StrandBeach
Wide Dublin Bay sand for bass and flounder from half flood to high, with lug beds below the promenade and cockle ground toward the low line.
Dún Laoghaire PierPier
East and west piers on Dún Laoghaire harbour: easy access summer mackerel, winter whiting nights, and pollack or coalfish on the walls. Inner harbour dab, plaice and mullet.
Killiney BeachBeach
Steep shingle and sand storm beach in Killiney Bay: bass and flounder after dark, winter codling and coalfish, summer mackerel when shoals push in.
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 dab on today's plan
Ranked marks, species windows, and gear for the Wicklow shore.