Mark × species · Primary target
Coalfish at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole.
Coalfish is a primary target at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole near Bray. Best window on this ground: October to February. Access is currently closed.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Rock
- Skill
- Advanced only
- Catalogue rank
- Primary target
Why fish Coalfish at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole
Serious rock mark below Bray Head. Quality pollack and wrasse for experienced anglers only, never alone.
Cliff-base rock ledges below Bray Head, named after the historical smuggling cave largely destroyed in the 1847 railway construction (the name persists locally for the area).
Deep, clear water with strong currents that concentrate pollack, wrasse and coalfish.
Single-figure pollack with occasional 6 to 8 lb fish is the realistic expectation from the rocks themselves; consistent shore-caught doubles are not well evidenced in modern reports (the published double-figure fish come from boat work on the Wicklow wrecks).
A mark for experienced rock anglers who understand the sea.
Harbour walls, pier mouths and rough ground where baitfish shoals run, especially in colder months when pollack fishing fades.
Serious rock under Bray Head, quality pollack and wrasse, experienced anglers only, never fish alone.
The original Brandy Hole was a sea cave used by 18th-century smugglers and was largely destroyed by the 1847 Bray-to-Wicklow railway construction (Bray Heritage / Ouzel Galley sources).
The name has carried through locally to the rock area beneath the railway tunnels where the cave once stood, anglers still use it.
Older guides claim pollack to double figures from these rocks, and recent shore records do not support it.
Season and tide
At Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole, Coalfish is worth targeting in October to February. Coast-wide, Coalfish runs September to May (peaks October to March autumn and winter from piers).
Wider mark season: Pollack: year-round (fishes best from the rocks April to November, peak Sep to Nov), Wrasse: May to September, Coalfish: October to February, Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov; occasional)
Tide guidance here: Slack water at low tide is the safest and most productive window. The currents run very strongly on the ebb and flood, making casting difficult and dangerous. Target the 30 to 45 minute slack window at low water. October and November produce the biggest pollack on the tide turn.
Moving water around piers and harbour mouths. Night tides in autumn and winter often produce the biggest fish. Coalfish are less structure-dependent than pollack and will chase prey across open ground.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Fish small metals, feathers or natural baits in the flow around harbour mouths and deep pier edges, letting lures swing through the current in autumn and winter.
Float rig; Heavy ledger; Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)
Gear: rough rock. Facing E.
- Same methods as pollack, spinning, jigging, feathers
- More aggressive takes than pollack, heavier gear can be used
- Float rig
- Heavy ledger
- Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)
Baits and lures
Coalfish baits and lures: Feathers; Sandeel; Mackerel strip; Soft plastics; Metal jigs.
What this mark typically holds: Sandeel; Mackerel strip; Ragworm.
Sandeel; Mackerel strip; Ragworm
Access and ground
Access is currently closed. The cliff walk route to this mark is shut and unsafe. See the notice above.
Parking: Parking is available in Bray town near the seafront.
Safety: Access is closed via the cliff walk. Rockfall risk from above and swell wash on the ledges make this an expert-only mark when access is legal. Never fish alone here. If in doubt, do not descend.
Nearest tackle: Bray town has fishing tackle shops within walking distance of the seafront. Good selection of lures and terminal tackle for rock fishing.
Nearest town: Bray. Skill level: Advanced only.
Size and identification
Typical shore size: 300 g to 1.5 kg on harbour and rock marks. Specimen class: Larger coalfish over 2 kg possible in deep water channels.
Very similar to pollack but distinguished by a straight lateral line (not curved), a white lateral line, and a jaw that is roughly equal (not strongly protruding). Dark green-black back, pale flanks. Young coalfish (known as 'billets' or 'cuddies') are common from pier walls.
Tip: Coalfish and pollack are often caught together from the same marks. The autumn run of coalfish through Greystones Harbour can produce excellent sport, small shoals of 500 g to 1 kg fish attack feather rigs in the harbour mouth from September onwards.
Irish shore context: record class around 7.26 kg.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Pollack, Wrasse, Bass, Mackerel. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.
Live ranked advice for Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Coalfish species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
No major concerns but keep only what you will eat fresh.
Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Coalfish species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.
Other species at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole
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.