Species profile
Scad fishing in Ireland
Scad from Wicklow piers after dark. Catchable June to November, peak August to September. Night tactics, depth control and why they switch off at first light.
Quick answer
Scad from Wicklow piers after dark. Catchable June to November, peak August to September. Night tactics, depth control and why they switch off at first light.
In season
Typical size
Conservation
Irish record
0.89 kg (1 lb 15.5 oz) · Clonakilty, 1986
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 Aug to Sep · catchable Jun to Nov
- Peak
- Catchable
- Off season
- This month
Where they live
Deep water off piers and rock marks, where shoals rise through the water column after dark to hunt small bait.
What to use
Shrimp-pattern sabiki · Small feathers · Light metal jigs · Small soft plastics · Float-fished mackerel strip
How to fish them
Fish mid-water after dark with small feathers or light jigs, counting the lure down and changing depth every few casts until you find the layer the shoal is holding in.
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.
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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.
Serious rock mark below Bray Head. Quality pollack and wrasse for experienced anglers only, never alone.
Sheltered marina pier, ideal for families and beginners. Good wrasse, pollack, mackerel and an established autumn squid fishery.
Southern Wicklow Head rock mark. Spinning for mackerel/pollack; bass on across-current lures at dawn/dusk.
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 scad on the daily plan
Ranked marks, species windows, and gear for the Wicklow shore.