Mark × species · Occasional
Tope at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole.
Tope is an occasional catch at Bray Head Rocks, The Brandy Hole near Bray. Best window on this ground: September to December. Access is currently closed.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Rock
- Skill
- Advanced only
- Catalogue rank
- Occasional
Why fish Tope 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.
Deep sandy ground close inshore during autumn when whiting and herring shoals run tight to beaches and channels.
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, Tope is worth targeting in September to December. Coast-wide, Tope runs September to December (peaks November late October and November spring tides).
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.
Autumn night tides on the big spring tides are the most likely window. October and November only from shore.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Present large, freshly caught baits on strong wire traces and heavy shore gear, allowing fish to run freely before tightening into them on big autumn tides.
Float rig; Heavy ledger; Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)
Gear: rough rock. Facing E.
- Heavy beachcaster or uptide rod, tope run hard
- 30 to 50 lb wire trace (tope have cutting teeth)
- Running ledger with a large bait presented on the bottom
- Let the fish run before striking
- Float rig
- Heavy ledger
- Lure fishing, jigs and shads, weedless soft plastics for snags (pollack/bass)
Baits and lures
Tope baits and lures: Fresh whole or half mackerel; Fresh herring; Large sandeel.
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: 7 to 12 kg from deep surf beaches. Specimen class: Shore tope over 20 kg are possible but rare.
Slender, streamlined shark with a long pointed snout and strong keeled tail. Grey-brown back, white belly. Second dorsal fin is roughly equal to the anal fin below it. Much more slender than a smoothhound, and much bigger.
Tip: Tope from the shore are a rare catch, treat it as a bonus if one appears. The key is fresh whole mackerel or herring on a heavy wire trace. When a tope picks up the bait it will run, let it go at least 30 metres before engaging the reel and striking. Handle with extreme care and return immediately.
Irish shore context: record class around 34.02 kg, Greystones, 2018.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Pollack, 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 Tope species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
Tope should always be returned. They are a vulnerable, slow-growing species and release is the strong norm in Ireland, though not a legal requirement here.
Guide conservation label: Highly Recommended C&R.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Tope 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.