Cod at Brittas Bay (South End).

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Secondary target

Why fish Cod at Brittas Bay (South End)

Premier Wicklow bass beach. Specimen bass in storm conditions; smoothhound and rays in summer.

One of the finest beach fishing marks in Leinster.

Brittas Bay offers a long, sandy beach with parallel gully and sandbar systems that hold bass, smoothhound and rays in summer.

The southern end, away from the main car park, is the most productive ground, cleaner sand, fewer crowds.

The beach has produced specimen bass over 10 lb in coloured rough water during easterly gales, the documented persistence-rewarded condition.

Deep harbour channels, pier-wall snags and the Greystones to Wicklow shingle belt in winter, anywhere young cod gather around tidal flow and coloured water after a blow. Codling is the usual Wicklow shore size class, not a separate target species here.

Premier beach mark. Specimen bass in autumn storms.

Premier Wicklow bass beach, smoothhound on summer crab baits, respect surf and undertow on big days.

Hardback green shore crab is the documented top smoothhound bait, modern UK/Irish consensus (Tronixpro, Talk Sea Fishing) is that peeler is attacked too quickly by lesser species like dogfish and pouting, while hardback lasts and selects properly for hounds.

Bait size discipline is critical: 2.5×1 inch sausage shape, bigger baits get picked up and dropped, which is the most common cause of dropped takes here.

The conditions tourists avoid (easterly gales with driving rain) are the conditions that produce specimen bass over 10 lb.

Season and tide

At Brittas Bay (South End), Cod is worth targeting in October to February. Coast-wide, Cod runs October to December (peaks November to December on night tides at piers and shingle marks. Most Wicklow shore fish are young cod, or codling, rather than larger specimens.).

Wider mark season: Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov; specimen window during E gales), Smoothhound: May to October (numbers build from late May spring tides), Thornback ray: May to October, Codling: October to February, Whiting: October to February, Flounder: October to March, Dab: October to February

Tide guidance here: Flooding tide is the productive window for hounds and rays through the gullies, particularly two hours before high water until the tide peaks. After a south-easterly blow the bass fishing can be exceptional for 2 to 3 days. Documented summer requirement: ~100m casts; after storm conditions, short casts adequate.

Night sessions on piers and the shingle belt from late autumn through winter. Wicklow Town Pier fishes the channel flow windows, and Bray Harbour produces on the fill and through the night on the outer wall. Check the mark before committing to one tide rule.

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

Tactics on this mark

Run strong ledger or pulley rigs with worm or crab cocktails after dark. Wicklow Town Pier fishes the last two hours of ebb and the first of flood in the channel, while Bray Harbour produces on the first two hours of the fill plus night sessions on the outer wall for codling and dabs. On Kilcoole and Greystones South the shingle belt favours a falling-tide edge for general fishing, but check the mark before committing to one tide rule.

Pulley rig clipped down with 4/0 hook (smoothhound); Running ledger; Surface lures and weedless soft plastics (bass)

Gear: open beach. Facing ESE.

• Strong ledger or pulley rigs with worm or crab cocktails
• Fish after dark, when codling are most active
• Scale your hook and bait size to the mark you are fishing
• Pulley rig clipped down with 4/0 hook (smoothhound)
• Running ledger
• Surface lures and weedless soft plastics (bass)

Baits and lures

Cod baits and lures: Lugworm; Ragworm; Crab baits; Mackerel and squid cocktails.

What this mark typically holds: Hardback green shore crab (the documented top hound bait, outlasts peeler against lesser species); Peeler crab (when bites are quick); Whole sandeel; Ragworm/squid cocktail (rays); Bait sized 2.5×1 inch sausage shape for hounds.

Hardback green shore crab (the documented top hound bait, outlasts peeler against lesser species); Peeler crab (when bites are quick); Whole sandeel; Ragworm/squid cocktail (rays); Bait sized 2.5×1 inch sausage shape for hounds

Access and ground

Take the R750 south from Wicklow town, turn east at the Brittas Bay signs. Pennycomequick Bridge over the Redcross River is the landmark on the way in. Walk south along the beach from the main car park, the further you walk, the better the fishing.

Parking: Paid parking is available at the beach. Brittas Bay is a popular destination especially in summer so arrive early to secure a space. The car park can fill quickly on fine weekends and bank holidays.

Safety: Strong longshore drift in heavy surf, be aware of your position and do not wade. Deep gullies can fill quickly on a flooding tide; mark your route back. Very busy with bathers in summer, fish the shoulders of the day (dawn and dusk).

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town (approximately 15km north) has the nearest tackle shops. Stock up before heading to Brittas Bay as there are no tackle supplies locally.

Nearest town: Brittas Bay. Skill level: Intermediate.

Size and identification

Typical shore size: 1 to 3 lb codling-class fish from pier channels and shingle beaches. Specimen class: Fish over 5 lb are notable from the shore on this coast.

Robust cod family profile: barbel on the chin, three dorsal fins, two anal fins, lateral line curving above the pectoral fin. Shore fish are usually codling-sized and can overlap with coalfish and pollack in poor light, use barbel, fin count and mouth shape.

Tip: Most Wicklow shore cod are young fish, or codling, so take conservation and size rules seriously and watch for the coloured-water windows after a blow.

Irish shore context: record class around See the IFI records. Most Wicklow shore fish are young cod, or codling..

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Bass, Smoothhound, Thornback ray, Codling, Whiting, Dogfish. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.

Live ranked advice for Brittas Bay (South End) updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Cod species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

Stocks fluctuate; keep only smaller eating fish and return larger spawners where possible.

Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.

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

Other species at Brittas Bay (South End)

• Bass
• Smoothhound
• Thornback ray
• Whiting
• Dogfish
• Flounder
• Dab
• Mackerel

Full mark guide lists all 11 catalogue pair pages.

Next steps

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