Mark × species · Secondary target
Dab at Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank.
Dab is a regular secondary target at Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank near Arklow. Best window on this ground: autumn to winter. Easy car park access at South Beach.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Beach
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Secondary target
Why fish Dab at Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank
Avoca river-mouth shore complex (Ferrybank + South Beach). Bass, hounds, flatfish; historical specimen sole.
A river-mouth shore complex: Ferrybank on the north side of the Avoca estuary, South Beach below the estuary mouth.
The biggest accessible south-Wicklow venue for shore anglers.
Bass averaging around 3 lb with larger fish annual, plus smoothhound, dogfish, flounder and small whiting through the mix.
Sole over the 2 lb specimen size has been recorded historically, an unusual east-coast species note.
Clean sandy ground close inshore, often mixed with flounder on Wicklow surf and shingle beaches.
Avoca river mouth complex, bass and hounds on the beaches, check access around Ferrybank.
Sole over specimen size (2 lb+) has been recorded historically, that is an unusual east-coast species note that justifies a niche piece in itself.
The Avoca Estuary upstream of the bridge holds specimen mullet (over 5 lb) on float-fished bread in summer and flounder April to December on bottom worm or lures, this is a separate specialist fishery from the surf beach and is undertargeted.
Roadstone Pier to the south is privately owned (permission required at site office) and held the Irish Record three-bearded rockling at 3 lb 1 oz in 1990, night autumn tides most productive.
Season and tide
At Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank, Dab is worth targeting in autumn to winter. Coast-wide, Dab runs Year round (peaks February to March and November to December autumn through spring on clean sand).
Wider mark season: Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov; averaging ~3 lb, larger fish annual), Smoothhound: May to October (crab baits), Dogfish: year round, Flounder: October to March, Codling: October to February (night), Dab: autumn to winter, Whiting: October to February, Sole: occasional summer (historical specimen-class), Plaice: spring to summer, Mackerel: June to September
Tide guidance here: Night tides in autumn most productive across the species mix. Crab essential for the spring/summer bass and hound run.
Two hours either side of high water. Any time of day or night.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
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.
Standard surf rigs; Crab for big bass and hounds; Lug for autumn species; Float-fished bread (Avoca estuary mullet)
Gear: general shore. Facing SE.
- Running ledger or two-hook flapper
- Size 2 to 4 hooks, dab have small mouths
- Short hooklinks keep baits on the bottom
- Standard surf rigs
- Crab for big bass and hounds
- Lug for autumn species
- Float-fished bread (Avoca estuary mullet)
Baits and lures
Dab baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Harbour ragworm; Sandeel strip.
What this mark typically holds: Crab (essential spring/summer); Lugworm; Ragworm; Mackerel strip.
Crab (essential spring/summer); Lugworm; Ragworm; Mackerel strip
Access and ground
Easy car park access at South Beach. Ferrybank a short walk from the harbour. The Avoca Estuary upstream of the bridge holds specimen mullet (over 5 lb) on float-fished bread in summer and flounder April to December on bottom worm or lures. Arklow Piers in general are 'fishing down the wall with small hooks' venues, same LRF pattern as Bray. Roadstone Pier south of the town is privately owned; permission at site office.
Parking: Free car park at South Beach; harbour parking for Ferrybank.
Safety: River-mouth currents. Mind the channel. Two distinct beaches. Do not confuse access points. Roadstone Pier requires permission at site office before fishing.
Nearest tackle: Arklow town tackle shops.
Nearest town: Arklow. Skill level: Intermediate.
Size and identification
Typical shore size: 100 to 250 g from East Coast beaches. Specimen class: Fish over 400 g are very good shore dabs.
Small oval flatfish, light sandy-brown upper surface with a distinctive curved lateral line above the pectoral fin (the best identification feature). Rough to the touch on the upper surface. Eyes on the right side. Much smaller than plaice or flounder.
Tip: Dab respond well to a moving bait, occasionally retrieve a foot or two and pause. In match fishing, dab are a reliable points scorer and teams actively target them alongside whiting. On quiet sessions when the bigger species aren't showing, a single ragworm on a size 4 Aberdeen is rarely ignored.
Irish shore context: record class around 0.74 kg.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Bass, Smoothhound, Dogfish, Flounder, Whiting, Codling. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.
Live ranked advice for Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Dab species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
No current restrictions; keep only what you’ll eat fresh.
Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Dab species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.
Other species at Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank
Full mark guide lists all 12 catalogue pair pages.
Next steps
Live ranked session advice for this mark sits on Today's plan. Rules and bag limits: learn / rules.
NEXT STEP
Open the full mark or species guide.
Pair pages assemble mark and species catalogue facts for this ground. Depth sessions live on today's plan.