The tide. Falling tide pattern for the shingle belt. Spring-tide nights for the specimen hounds. Worm/spoon for plaice in May.
Methods. Pulley rig at distance (hounds); Two-hook flapper (flatfish); Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May); Light spinning (mackerel).
Baits. Ragworm AND peeler crab (the documented best baits for the spring hound run here); Lugworm; Sandeel (mackerel).
Local knowledge. The single piece of intelligence that justifies adding this mark: the specimen smoothhound run on spring nights, with fish over the 7 lb specimen size documented and ragworm or peeler crab named as the best baits. Most anglers fishing the Wicklow shingle in spring chase bass on the surf, but Five Mile Point's softer sand profile produces specimen-class hounds in the dark. Set expectations honestly outside that window: this is a small-fish nursery beach for much of the year (cod, dab, flounder, whiting all at ~6 inches). The seasonal contrast is sharp, May is the peak month for ray and plaice; the rest of the year is plain. Pair with Killoughter and the Breaches as a Newcastle cluster. The micro-geology distinction (more sand, less shingle than the surrounding beaches) is the structural reason for the species mix.
From the mark’s guide, not checked on site.
