Smoothhound at Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Primary target

Why fish Smoothhound 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.

Smooth sandy beaches and clean ground where crab populations are strong; follows peeler crab movements along surf tables and gutters.

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, Smoothhound is worth targeting in May to October (crab baits). Coast-wide, Smoothhound runs May to October (peaks July to August on evening floods).

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.

Evening flood tide from May through October is the classic setup, with June to August the peak. Smoothhound are most active from late afternoon through the first half of the night. Spring tides produce better fish than neaps.

Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.

Tactics on this mark

Fish peeler crab on strong pulley or running ledger rigs from evening flood into dark, using long fluorocarbon hooklengths to let baits sit naturally in the surf.

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, 30 to 50 lb mono or fluorocarbon hooklink
• Size 4/0 to 6/0 strong hook, smoothhound fight hard
• Long hooklink (18 to 24 inches) to let the bait sit naturally
• No wire trace needed, smoothhound have no cutting teeth
• Standard surf rigs
• Crab for big bass and hounds
• Lug for autumn species
• Float-fished bread (Avoca estuary mullet)

Baits and lures

Smoothhound baits and lures: Peeler crab; Soft-back crab; Hermit crab; Squid and crab cocktails.

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: 1 to 3 kg on Wicklow surf beaches. Specimen class: Irish specimen weight is 3 kg; the Irish record is 7.5 kg, so a shore fish over 3 kg is a genuine specimen.

Grey-brown back, paler underside. Slender, streamlined shark with two dorsal fins. No sharp teeth, smoothhound have crushing plates for eating crabs and shellfish. The Starry Smoothhound has white spots; the Common Smoothhound does not, both are caught in Wicklow.

Tip: The quality of your crab bait is everything. Fresh peeler produces dramatically more bites than frozen. Present the whole crab or a large half crab on the hook and secure with elastic thread. Fish don't need to be fed, smoothhound will travel to find good bait.

Irish shore context: record class around 12.02 kg, Wicklow, 2020.

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Bass, Dogfish, Flounder, Whiting, Codling, Dab. 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 Smoothhound species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

Catch & Release strongly recommended for this hard-fighting shark species.

Guide conservation label: Catch & Release Recommended.

Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Smoothhound species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.

Other species at Arklow South Beach & Ferrybank

• Bass
• Dogfish
• Flounder
• Whiting
• Cod
• Dab
• Coalfish
• Thornback ray

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.