Guide last updated 12 June 2026Live score checked today
You can catch Flounder, Dab and Codling here. Bring lugworm or ragworm, and fish a two-hook flapper.
A long, flat shingle and sand beach stretching south from Kilcoole. One of the most reliable beginner marks on the Wicklow coast and part of the 11-mile shingle belt that has hosted World and European Surf Casting Championships. The beach shelves gently and produces flounder, dabs, codling, coalfish and the occasional bass, particularly after autumn storms. The freshwater outflow at the northern end can concentrate fish in settled conditions.
TodayPOSSIBLE
WicklowModel
Mark · Excellent
Beginner friendly
Bring
Lugworm (winter) · Two-hook flapper
ModelThe live call prefers Greystones Harbour & Pier (11:00 PM to 12:00 AM). Fish here only if you already know the ground.
Session intelligence
One tap on how it went. Bait and a short note stay on this device; the outcome sharpens the forecast for Kilcoole Beach anonymously.
How did it go?
Bait or method
Stays on this device only. Max 120 characters.
Hourly session fit with the Wicklow tide curve overlaid
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| 69 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 63 | 69 | 76 | 73 | 78 | 65 | 34 | 68 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 78 | 81 | 74 | 81 | 74 | 81 | 78 | 48 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 69 | 84 | 78 | 80 | 66 | 69 | 38 | 69 | 73 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 73 | 77 | 71 | 81 | 80 | 81 | 37 |
Scroll for all 48 hours
Species running this month on this mark
Also: Flounder, Plaice, Tope, Cod, Rockling, Whiting
Bass is peaking this month.
Peak and catchable months for every species listed at this mark.
| Species | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Off | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Catchable | Jul: Catchable | Aug: Catchable | Sep: Peak | Oct: Peak | Nov: Peak | Dec: Off |
| Coalfish | Jan: Peak | Feb: Peak | Mar: Peak | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Off | Jul: Off | Aug: Off | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Peak | Nov: Peak | Dec: Peak |
| Dab | Jan: Catchable | Feb: Peak | Mar: Peak | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Catchable | Jul: Catchable | Aug: Catchable | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Peak | Dec: Peak |
| Dogfish | Jan: Catchable | Feb: Catchable | Mar: Catchable | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Catchable | Jul: Catchable | Aug: Catchable | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Peak | Dec: Peak |
| Mackerel | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Off | Apr: Off | May: Off | Jun: Catchable | Jul: Peak | Aug: Peak | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Off | Dec: Off |
| Flounder | Jan: Catchable | Feb: Peak | Mar: Peak | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Catchable | Jul: Catchable | Aug: Catchable | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Peak | Dec: Peak |
| Plaice | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Catchable | Apr: Catchable | May: Peak | Jun: Peak | Jul: Peak | Aug: Catchable | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Off | Nov: Off | Dec: Off |
| Tope | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Off | Apr: Off | May: Off | Jun: Off | Jul: Off | Aug: Off | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Peak | Dec: Catchable |
| Cod | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Off | Apr: Off | May: Off | Jun: Off | Jul: Off | Aug: Off | Sep: Off | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Peak | Dec: Peak |
| Rockling | Jan: Catchable | Feb: Peak | Mar: Catchable | Apr: Catchable | May: Off | Jun: Off | Jul: Off | Aug: Off | Sep: Off | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Catchable | Dec: Peak |
| Whiting | Jan: Catchable | Feb: Peak | Mar: Peak | Apr: Catchable | May: Off | Jun: Off | Jul: Off | Aug: Off | Sep: Off | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Peak | Dec: Peak |
Table scrolls horizontally to show all twelve months.
What to bring, and the rig that matches conditions
Big bait and distance on Kilcoole Beach, so the pulley pennel protects the cast and presents cleanly on the drop. A light grip lead still casts clean on calm sand.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. We only recommend gear we've used or would genuinely buy ourselves.
Strong wire circles for pennel mounting of peeler crab and sandeel. Smoothhound and bass standard on Wicklow marks.
View on AmazonBreakaway grips for surf pulley fishing at distance on open Wicklow beaches.
View on AmazonRecommendations follow the same Wicklow-first editorial standards as the rest of the site.
Pack next
Today's conditions at Kilcoole Beach suit a pulley pennel rig. A heavy-duty distance rig that protects large soft baits during the cast. The hooklink slides through a pulley swivel so bait and hooks lift on splash-down while the lead anchors.
Tide, tactics, and local read
If I were fishing here
If I were fishing Kilcoole Beach, I'd walk the tide line first, find the gutter or colour, then fish flounder with one honest flood or ebb rather than casting blind for hours.
I'd skip when…
I'd skip a dumping shore-break, a hard onshore gale that fills the gutters with weed, or a dead slack with no colour.
When it fishes well
Multi-source consensus for the Greystones-to-Wicklow shingle belt is that these venues fish best on a falling tide, this is the documented local pattern (Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, Planet Sea Fishing). Long casts (~100m) needed in summer; short casts adequate after a storm. Two hours either side of high water remains a viable window for flatfish in settled conditions.
Flat shingle beach, forgiving for first sessions, reliable flatfish and winter codling when it is calm.
Baits
Methods
Access, parking, hazards, and getting back safe
Access
Park at Kilcoole train station. Cross the railway at the designated level crossing, wait for trains and follow the signs. Walk south along the shingle for 5 minutes to reach good ground.
Parking
Free parking at Kilcoole train station. Do not block the station entrance.
Hazards
Statutory rules for the regulated species at this mark. Everything else here has no bag limit or closed season.
42 cm
Rules checked 29 June 2026Bass Fishing Conservation Bye-Law No. 826 of 2007, Council Regulation (EU) 2026/249
Rules change. Check the linked authority before you keep a fish: see all size and bag limits.
Beginners · 10 min read
Shore Fishing for Beginners: Ireland Start Guide
Start shore fishing in Ireland with one rod, one rig and a safe beach mark. Honest gear, bait and tide advice for your first sessions on the Wicklow coast.
Read guide →Species · 6 min read
Winter Flounder Ireland: Beach Marks and Rigs
Winter flounder on Irish beaches, October to March. Estuary mouths, short casts, ragworm ledger rigs and the flood tides that put flatfish at your feet.
Read guide →Seasonal · 8 min read
Winter Fishing Wicklow: What to Catch October to February
Wicklow beaches keep producing all winter: whiting, flounder, dab and codling. The marks that fish in a blow, the rigs to use and the gear that keeps you out.
Read guide →Species, tactics, tides, and today's plan for this mark
Where to top up
Greystones Fishing Shop (approx. 5km north) is the nearest tackle supplier. Wicklow town has additional options about 15km south.
Eric
Based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, fishing the Irish coast since 2018
Good day or better. Email when conditions score well
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