Species profile
Whiting
Winter whiting fishing on Wicklow’s shingle beaches and piers, best months, distances, baits and rigs for busy night sessions.
Eric, Greystones · Reviewed Apr 2026 · IFI-aligned
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Winter whiting fishing on Wicklow’s shingle beaches and piers, best months, distances, baits and rigs for busy night sessions.
In season
October to April
Typical size
200 to 500 g from shingle beaches and piers
Conservation
Release advised
Season on the coast
Peak and catchable months on the Wicklow shore.
Peak Feb to Mar · catchable Oct to Apr
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- Peak
- Catchable
- Off season
- This month
Where they live
Open sandy and shingle beaches and harbour channels in winter, following whitebait and sandeel shoals inshore.
What to use
Ragworm · Lugworm · Sandeel · Mackerel strip · Worm and mussel cocktails
How to fish them
Fish multi-hook flappers at distance on calm winter nights around high water, using small hooks and modest baits to build bags quickly.
Suggested gear
Starter searches matched to tactics above
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Multi-hook rig pack
Three-hook rigs for fast whiting sport on winter nights.
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Small Aberdeen hooks size 2
Small hooks for whiting mouths in winter surf.
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Ragworm + lugworm bait
The classic winter bait combination for whiting.
Need a full shopping list? Rig and terminal 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.
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.
Kilcoole BeachBeach
Flat shingle beach, great for beginners. Reliable flatfish year-round; codling and coalfish through the colder months.
Killoughter BeachBeach
Reputed best Wicklow beach venue. Specimen homelyn, thornback, smoothhound and bullhuss in the catch record.
Wicklow Town PierPier
Deep-water working-harbour pier. Pollack, coalfish, winter whiting; rare connection to autumn shore-tope traffic on big distance baits.
Dublin Bay guides
Not live scored. Open a mark guide for access and tactics.
Skerries HarbourPier
North Dublin harbour walls for summer mackerel and pollack, with winter whiting, flounder and dogfish on ledger when boats allow space.
Howth PierPier
Busy Howth harbour piers with summer mackerel feathers, winter whiting and dogfish on ledger, and pollack or coalfish along the walls. Mullet cruise the inner harbour.
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.
North Bull WallPier
Long stone wall out from Dollymount / Clontarf into Dublin Bay. Flounder, dab, pollack, whiting and dogfish; bass possible but less consistent.
Poolbeg South WallPier
South Bull Wall out to Poolbeg Lighthouse: summer mackerel, pollack and conger on the wall, with honest notes on industrial harbour traffic.
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.
Coliemore HarbourPier
Small Dalkey harbour wall for codling, pollack and conger, with rock and sound ground toward Dalkey Island. Shore access only in this guide.
Related guides and tools
Marks, tactics, bait, gear, and today's plan for this species
Read next
Species
Whiting Fishing Ireland: Autumn and Winter Shore Guide
Whiting arrive on Irish beaches in October and feed hard after dark until February. The marks, two-hook rigs and mackerel strip baits that fill a winter session.
Tactics
Night Fishing from Irish Shores: Complete Guide
Fish feed harder after dark on Irish beaches. The species worth targeting at night, the Wicklow marks that fish best, and the gear and safety rules that matter.
Seasonal
Winter Fishing Wicklow: What to Catch October to February
Wicklow beaches keep producing all winter: whiting, flounder, dab and codling. The marks that fish in a blow, the rigs to use and the gear that keeps you out.
Eric
Based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, fishing the Irish coast since 2018
Target whiting on today's plan
Ranked marks, species windows, and gear for the Wicklow shore.