Plaice at Kilcoole Beach.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Beginner

Catalogue rank

Secondary target

Why fish Plaice at Kilcoole Beach

Flat shingle beach, great for beginners. Reliable flatfish year-round; codling and coalfish through the colder months.

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.

Clean sandy ground with shell and gravel, slightly deeper than typical flounder marks; Brides Head adds worm or crab over sand patches between rocks in July to August for plaice and dab alongside the spinning species.

Train access. Flat beach, good for beginners.

Flat shingle beach, forgiving for first sessions, reliable flatfish and winter codling when it is calm.

Kilcoole sits inside the 11-mile shingle belt that hosted the 1996 World Surf Casting Championship and the 1997 European Shore Angling Championships, match anglers know this ground intimately.

(1) the falling tide is the documented productive window for the whole shingle belt, not the flooding tide; (2) calm warm conditions bring plaice as close as 30 yards from shore, anglers who default to long casts in flat seas miss them entirely.

Codling is a regular catch here per the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, not an occasional one.

Season and tide

At Kilcoole Beach, Plaice is worth targeting in May to September (close-in calm). Coast-wide, Plaice runs March to September (peaks May to July on clean sand and shingle. Five Mile Point fishes best early in the season for plaice on worm or spoon, Kilcoole and Greystones South fish well on calm warm days with plaice inside about 30 yards, and Silver Strand holds fish close in around high water.).

Wider mark season: Flounder: October to March, Dab: October to February, Codling: October to February, Coalfish: October to January, Whiting: October to December, Plaice: May to September (close-in calm), Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Mackerel: June to September (close in)

Tide guidance here: 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.

Two hours either side of high water. Spring tides push plaice onto shallow feeding grounds. Warm calm days in April to June can produce fish at any state of tide over clean sand.

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

Tactics on this mark

On Kilcoole, Greystones South and Five Mile Point use the shingle-belt falling-tide pattern for much of your fishing, but still work the close-in plaice window after easterlies or flat warm spells, when fish hold inside about 30 yards and take worm or spoon in May. At Silver Strand expect plaice May to September, with the best of it close in around high water. Wicklow Head and Brides Head want crab or worm fished onto the sand pockets in mid-summer rather than long-range casting alone.

Two-hook flapper; Pulley rig; Running ledger; Worm cocktail with spoon attractor (plaice)

Gear: open beach. Facing ENE.

• Running ledger with a 12 to 18 inch hooklink
• Two-hook flapper to cover ground
• Size 1 or 2 Aberdeen, light wire hook to present worm naturally
• Attractor beads above the hook, orange and red are plaice favourites
• Two-hook flapper
• Pulley rig
• Running ledger
• Worm cocktail with spoon attractor (plaice)

Baits and lures

Plaice baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel strip; Ragworm and mussel cocktails.

What this mark typically holds: Lugworm (winter); Ragworm; Peeler crab; Mussel (cold months); Crab + rag tipped with mackerel (summer).

Lugworm (winter); Ragworm; Peeler crab; Mussel (cold months); Crab + rag tipped with mackerel (summer)

Access and ground

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.

Safety: The active railway line is the primary hazard, cross only at the designated level crossing and never climb the fences. Soft shingle can be unstable underfoot; wear boots with good ankle support. In rough conditions the wave wash can be deceptive, maintain a safe distance from the water edge.

Nearest tackle: Greystones Fishing Shop (approx. 5km north) is the nearest tackle supplier. Wicklow town has additional options about 15km south.

Nearest town: Kilcoole. Skill level: Beginner.

Size and identification

Typical shore size: 400 to 800 g from clean sand with shell patches. Specimen class: Plaice over 1.5 kg are excellent shore fish.

The most distinctive flatfish on the Irish coast, upper surface is brown with vivid orange or red spots, each with a pale border. Eyes on the right side. Smooth skin with a row of bony knobs along the lateral line above the head. The bright orange spots are unmistakable.

Tip: Plaice respond well to a moving bait and to visual attractors. Thread a few orange or red beads above the hook on the hooklink, plaice are visually attracted to colour. On clean sandy ground, casting and slowly retrieving covers more ground and produces more bites than fishing static.

Irish shore context: record class around 3.84 kg.

Same-mark companions

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

Live ranked advice for Kilcoole Beach updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Plaice species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

Managed under EU rules with size limits; return undersized fish carefully and minimise handling time.

Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.

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

Other species at Kilcoole Beach

• Flounder
• Dab
• Cod
• Coalfish
• Whiting
• Dogfish
• Rockling
• Bass

Full mark guide lists all 11 catalogue pair pages.

Next steps

Related article: Irish Plaice Season: Beach Marks and Rigs for Wicklow

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