Pollack at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole.

Quick facts

Mark type

Rock

Skill

Advanced only

Catalogue rank

Primary target

Why fish Pollack 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.

Rocky kelp ground, harbour walls and pier pilings where current runs past structure, often tight to the wall or reef edges.

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, Pollack is worth targeting in year-round (fishes best from the rocks April to November, peak Sep to Nov). Coast-wide, Pollack runs Year round (peaks May to August from piers and rocks).

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 is essential, slack water kills pollack fishing. Last two hours of flood and first of ebb around pier and rock marks. Dusk and dawn consistently produce the biggest fish from harbour walls.

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

Tactics on this mark

Work soft plastics or metals through the water column around structure with sink-and-draw retrieves, or float-fish sandeel just above kelp on moving water.

Float rig; Heavy ledger; Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)

Gear: rough rock. Facing E.

• Spinning and jigging with 10 to 20g heads
• Float fishing close to the wall with a live or dead sandeel
• Feathers for multiple fish in a shoal
• Light lure rod, pollack are an outstanding sport fish on balanced gear
• Float rig
• Heavy ledger
• Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)

Baits and lures

Pollack baits and lures: Sandeel; Mackerel strip; Soft plastic shads; Metal jigs; Feathers.

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: 0.5 to 2 kg on Wicklow rock and pier marks. Specimen class: Pollack over 3 kg are realistic from deep rough ground.

Dark green or brown back, silvery-white flanks. Lower jaw protrudes noticeably beyond the upper jaw, the clearest identification feature. Lateral line curves strongly upward above the pectoral fin. Eyes large and golden.

Tip: Pollack almost always take a moving bait. Work your lure or bait at a medium retrieve and be ready for the take, pollack hit hard and immediately dive for the kelp. Keep pressure on at all times or they'll cut you off. From pier walls, drop a float-rigged sandeel straight down the wall face and let the current work it.

Irish shore context: record class around 9.53 kg.

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Wrasse, Coalfish, 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 Pollack species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

There is a statutory minimum conservation reference size of 30 cm for pollack in the Irish EEZ (SFPA MCRS list). Since 1 June 2026, the 2026 pollack bye-law (Pollack Fishing Conservation Bye-Law No. 1028 of 2026) limits recreational anglers to three pollack per day, then catch and release. Returning larger breeding fish is strongly advised.

Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.

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

Other species at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole

• Wrasse
• Coalfish
• Bass
• Mackerel
• Tope
• Conger eel

Next steps

Related article: Pollack Fishing Ireland: Shore Marks, Rigs and Season

Live ranked session advice for this mark sits on Today's plan. Rules and bag limits: learn / rules.