Mark × species · Secondary target
Mackerel at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole.
Mackerel is a regular secondary target at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole near Bray. Best window on this ground: June to October. Access is currently closed.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Rock
- Skill
- Advanced only
- Catalogue rank
- Secondary target
Why fish Mackerel 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.
Open water around harbour mouths and headlands when baitfish shoals are pushed close in; often mid-water rather than tight to the surface.
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, Mackerel is worth targeting in June to October. Coast-wide, Mackerel runs June to October (peaks July to August off piers and open beaches once the shoals arrive).
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.
Early morning and evening are the most reliable windows. Mackerel feed throughout the day when shoals are present but often disappear at midday in bright conditions. Moving water always helps.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Cast 20 to 30 g lures or feather rigs across the flow and retrieve at varying depths, counting down to find the level of the shoal and keeping pressure constant once hooked.
Float rig; Heavy ledger; Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)
Gear: rough rock. Facing E.
- Multi-hook feather or sabiki rigs, cast and retrieve at medium pace
- Small metal lures for sport fishing
- Float fishing a strip of mackerel for larger specimens
- Float rig
- Heavy ledger
- Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)
Baits and lures
Mackerel baits and lures: Feather rigs; Sabiki rigs; Metal slices; Small soft plastics.
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: 200 to 400 g from piers and headlands. Specimen class: Heavy “jumbo” mackerel 600 g+ arrive in late summer.
Unmistakable, iridescent blue-green back with dark wavy tiger stripes, silver-white belly. Streamlined torpedo shape built for speed. Bright eyes. One of the most beautiful fish in Irish waters.
Tip: When mackerel are showing at Greystones Harbour in July and August the whole pier can be alive with fish. The key is getting the depth right, mackerel often shoal at mid-water rather than the surface. If you're missing takes, count down further before retrieving. Fresh mackerel is outstanding eating, gut and ice immediately.
Irish shore context: record class around 1.36 kg.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Pollack, Wrasse, Coalfish, Bass. 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 Mackerel species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
Highly perishable; gut and ice immediately and take only fish you will eat fresh, frozen mackerel is poor bait and eating quality.
Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Mackerel 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.