Species profile
Triggerfish
Triggerfish in Irish waters. Catchable July to October, peak September. A southwest warm-year visitor, the Slea Head record, and safe unhooking.
Eric, Greystones · Reviewed August 2026 · IFI-aligned
Is it good today?
Quick answer
Triggerfish in Irish waters. Catchable July to October, peak September. A southwest warm-year visitor, the Slea Head record, and safe unhooking.
Triggerfish · Running now · September peak on the Wicklow coast
In season
Typical size
Conservation
Season on the coast
Peak and catchable months on the Wicklow shore.
Peak Sep · catchable Jul to Oct
- Peak
- Catchable
- Off season
- This month
Where they live
Rock, reef and pier stonework in clear warm water, at the northern edge of the range on the southwest coast.
What to use
Crab · Mussel · Squid strip · Small hard baits
How to fish them
Fish small hard baits on a short strong hooklink over rock and pier stonework in daylight; triggerfish bite through mono readily and need strong small hooks.
Get your bait
The bait that works here comes off the shore, not out of a box.
Mussel is picked off mid-shore rock and pier legs on the ebb, then bound to the hook.
Pick on any low water, take only what you will fish that session, and leave the small ones on the rock.
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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Float rod, 2.7m
Presents crab and worm above the kelp instead of in it.
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Slip float set
Holds bait at a set depth over broken rock.
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Fluorocarbon leader
Takes the abrasion when a hooked wrasse dives straight into kelp.
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Bait needle set
Threads crab and worm neatly so the bait lasts a cast.
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 triggerfish on today's plan
Ranked marks, species windows, and gear for the Wicklow shore.