Species profile
Herring fishing in Ireland
Herring from Wicklow piers on winter nights. Catchable September to March, peak November to December. Feather sizes, depth control and how to spot a shoal under the lights.
Quick answer
Herring from Wicklow piers on winter nights. Catchable September to March, peak November to December. Feather sizes, depth control and how to spot a shoal under the lights.
In season
Typical size
Conservation
Irish record
0.48 kg · Red Bay, Co. Antrim, 2011
Irish Specimen Fish Committee record list, checked 17 August 2026. A specimen-class fish is well below this, the record is the ceiling, not the target.
Season on the coast
Peak and catchable months on the Wicklow shore.
Peak Nov to Dec · catchable Sep to Mar
- Peak
- Catchable
- Off season
- This month
Where they live
Deep water off piers and harbour walls, where winter shoals push inshore after plankton and small bait.
What to use
Small silver sabiki feathers · Luminous mini feathers · Tiny metal jigs · Bare hooks tipped with fish skin
How to fish them
Fish small feathers through the middle depths off deep-water piers after dark in late autumn and winter, lifting and dropping slowly rather than working the bottom.
Optional detail
Kit, marks and more
Bait sourcing, starter gear, Wicklow and Dublin marks, related guides. Expand when you need the shopping list or mark directory.
Open kit and marks →
Suggested gear
Starter searches matched to tactics above
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Pier spinning combo
Rod and reel matched for feathers, sabiki and light metals.
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Mackerel feather rigs
The standard multi-hook rig when a shoal is under the wall.
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T-bar disgorger
Clears a multi-hook rig fast without handling every fish.
Wicklow marks
Dargle-mouth working harbour. LRF-style mixed-species pier; codling, dab, flounder and plaice with summer bass and mullet.
Sheltered marina pier, ideal for families and beginners. Good wrasse, pollack, mackerel and an established autumn squid fishery.
Deep-water working-harbour pier. Pollack, coalfish, winter whiting; rare connection to autumn shore-tope traffic on big distance baits.
Related guides and tools
Marks, tactics, bait, gear, and the daily plan for this species
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Winter flounder on Irish beaches, October to March. Estuary mouths, short casts, ragworm ledger rigs and the flood tides that put flatfish at your feet.
Coalfish vs Pollack Ireland: How to ID and Catch Both
Coalfish or pollack? Quick ID for Irish shore anglers, then the Wicklow pier and rock marks, lures and baits that catch both from late May through summer.
Irish Shore Fishing editorial
Written and checked on the Wicklow coast.
Target herring on the daily plan
Ranked marks, species windows, and gear for the Wicklow shore.