Mark × species · Occasional
Turbot at Greystones South Beach.
Turbot is an occasional catch at Greystones South Beach near Greystones. Best window on this ground: May to September. Walk south from Greystones harbour along the seafront path.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Beach
- Skill
- Beginner/Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Occasional
Why fish Turbot at Greystones South Beach
Accessible competition-grade town beach with reliable winter codling and close-in plaice in calm weather.
A popular shingle/sand beach directly south of Greystones town with rock outcrops at the southern end and a council-installed boulder reinforcement at the Ballygannon section.
Hosts SAI/Henry's Tackle competitions, competition-grade venue.
Produces good autumn bass along the wave line, codling and coalfish through winter, and plaice close in during calm warm spells.
The southern end and the named hotspots at Hungry Acre and the Ballygannon stream are the productive ground.
Clean sand and mixed ground where turbot hunt sandeel and small flatfish. On this coast they are an occasional harbour and beach bonus, not a dedicated target.
Falling tide after an easterly colours the shingle belt.
Town beach with real competition history, codling and plaice in winter, bass after colour in the water.
Two named local hotspots that don't show on any map, opposite the outflow pipe at the Hungry Acre, and at the Ballygannon stream where the council placed boulders to slow erosion.
Both work on the same principle: freshwater stir + structural break = flatfish concentration.
The clear-and-calm-day rule is INVERTED from elsewhere on the coast, Sea Angler reports plaice moving as close as 30 yards from shore in warm settled conditions.
Season and tide
At Greystones South Beach, Turbot is worth targeting in May to September. Coast-wide, Turbot runs May to September (peaks July to August summer after easterly colour on sand marks).
Wider mark season: Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Codling: October to February, Coalfish: October to February, Pollack: year-round (fishes best from the rocks April to November), Plaice: May to September (calm), Dab: October to February, Smoothhound: May to October, Mackerel: June to September, Tope: October to November (recent shore catches reported, low frequency)
Tide guidance here: Falling tide is the documented productive window for the broader shingle belt this beach belongs to. The hour either side of high water remains the bite-cluster window for close-in flatfish. Strong undercurrents, grip leads (4 to 5oz breakaway) are essential at all states.
Summer sand sessions after easterly colour. Treat as a bonus on Greystones and Brittas rather than a dedicated target.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Fish sandeel on a running ledger or pulley when the water is coloured after an easterly. Treat turbot as a bonus on general summer sand sessions rather than building the day around them.
Running ledger; Two-hook flapper; Worm cocktail with spoon attractor (plaice); Lure fishing (bass)
Gear: open beach. Facing E.
- Running ledger or pulley with live or dead sandeel
- Mackerel or flatfish strip on clean sand
- Running ledger
- Two-hook flapper
- Worm cocktail with spoon attractor (plaice)
- Lure fishing (bass)
Baits and lures
Turbot baits and lures: Live or dead sandeel; Mackerel strip; Small flatfish strip.
What this mark typically holds: Ragworm; Lugworm (winter); Peeler crab (summer); Sandeel; Mussel (cold months).
Ragworm; Lugworm (winter); Peeler crab (summer); Sandeel; Mussel (cold months)
Access and ground
Walk south from Greystones harbour along the seafront path. The beach begins just past the harbour wall. Two named hotspots: opposite the outflow pipe at the Hungry Acre, and around the stream at Ballygannon (where county council reinforcement creates a structural break). The most productive ground is the southern 300m near the rocky outcrops.
Parking: Best option is the Park and Ride on the outskirts of Greystones, it is free. From there it is a reasonable walk to the beach so pack light and only bring what you need for the session. Avoid overloading yourself with gear.
Safety: Rocky outcrops at the southern end can be slippery at low water. Busy with swimmers and walkers in summer; fish dawn and dusk. Longshore drift can be strong after a south-easterly blow.
Nearest tackle: Greystones town centre has a fishing tackle shop within a short walk of the harbour. Well stocked for sea fishing essentials.
Nearest town: Greystones. Skill level: Beginner/Intermediate.
Size and identification
Typical shore size: 1 to 3 kg from east-coast sand when they show. Specimen class: Larger fish are rare from Wicklow shore marks.
Left-eyed flatfish with a diamond-shaped body and bony tubercles on the eyed side. Larger and thicker than brill when mature.
Tip: Do not rebuild a Wicklow day around turbot. Fish sandeel when the water is coloured and accept them as a rare Greystones Harbour and sand-mark bonus.
Irish shore context: record class around Occasional east-coast shore fish; not a Wicklow staple.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Codling, Pollack, Dab, Coalfish, Plaice, Dogfish. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.
Live ranked advice for Greystones South Beach updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Turbot species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
Quality eating fish; keep only what you will use and return large breeding fish.
Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Turbot species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.
Other species at Greystones South Beach
Full mark guide lists all 15 catalogue pair pages.
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.