Mark × species · Occasional
Bullhuss at Five Mile Point.
Bullhuss is an occasional catch at Five Mile Point near Newcastle. Best window on this ground: May to September. One-mile-long access road from the R761.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Beach
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Occasional
Why fish Bullhuss at Five Mile Point
Specimen smoothhound run on spring nights, the single insight justifying this mark. May ray/plaice; nursery beach the rest of the year.
A beach with more sand and less shingle than the rest of the Greystones-Wicklow shingle belt, distinct micro-geology that supports a specimen smoothhound run on spring nights (over 7 lb specimen size has been documented here).
May produces homelyn ray and plaice; summer produces mackerel close in.
Honest reality check: outside the specimen-hound spring-night window, this beach acts as a nursery for immature fish (cod, dab, flounder, whiting at ~6 inches) for much of the year.
Short: Specimen smoothhound run on spring nights, the single insight justifying this mark.
Clean to mixed sand and shingle off the Newcastle to Killoughter belt, where bullhuss share summer predator ground with smoothhound and rays.
Spring-night smoothhound venue, the main reason to fish here, nursery beach the rest of the year.
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).
Season and tide
At Five Mile Point, Bullhuss is worth targeting in May to September. Coast-wide, Bullhuss runs May to September (peaks July to August summer evenings on the Killoughter shingle belt).
Wider mark season: Smoothhound: May to October (specimen-class >7 lb on spring nights with ragworm and peeler), Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Homelyn ray: May (peak), Plaice: May, Mackerel: June to September (close in), Flounder: October to March (nursery), Cod/dab/whiting: nursery class for much of year
Tide guidance here: Falling tide pattern for the shingle belt. Spring-tide nights for the specimen hounds. Worm/spoon for plaice in May.
Summer evenings and early night on the Killoughter shingle belt. Pair with smoothhound and ray sessions rather than treating them as a separate all-day target.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Fish evenings and early night on the Killoughter shingle with fish-head baits on pulley or pennel rigs at medium to long range. Distance casting reaches the larger fish; keep baits fresh and replace after weed or crab attention.
Pulley rig at distance (hounds); Two-hook flapper (flatfish); Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May); Light spinning (mackerel)
Gear: open beach. Facing E.
- Pulley or pennel rigs with mackerel-head or fillet baits
- Medium to long range on the shingle belt
- Fresh fish baits replaced after crab or weed attention
- Pulley rig at distance (hounds)
- Two-hook flapper (flatfish)
- Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May)
- Light spinning (mackerel)
Baits and lures
Bullhuss baits and lures: Mackerel head; Mackerel fillet; Squid; Sandeel pennel.
What this mark typically holds: Ragworm AND peeler crab (the documented best baits for the spring hound run here); Lugworm; Sandeel (mackerel).
Ragworm AND peeler crab (the documented best baits for the spring hound run here); Lugworm; Sandeel (mackerel)
Access and ground
One-mile-long access road from the R761. Parking limited at the end. Beach access then via the dunes.
Parking: Limited at the end of the access road; arrive early on quality conditions.
Safety: One-mile road from the R761; parking limited. Standard shingle-beach safety.
Nearest tackle: Wicklow town or Greystones tackle shops.
Nearest town: Newcastle. Skill level: Intermediate.
Size and identification
Typical shore size: 2 to 5 kg from Wicklow shingle beaches. Specimen class: Specimen-class fish show at Killoughter on summer evenings.
Larger and more powerfully built than the common lesser spotted dogfish, with bigger dark spots and a broader head. Often called bull huss on the east coast.
Tip: Killoughter is one of the more reliable east-coast shore marks for bullhuss on summer evenings. Keep baits big and oily, and fish the same predator window you would for hounds and rays.
Irish shore context: record class around Specimen-class fish recorded on the east-coast shingle belt.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Smoothhound, Bass, Homelyn ray, Plaice, Flounder, Dogfish. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.
Live ranked advice for Five Mile Point updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Bullhuss species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
Greater spotted dogfish (bullhuss) grow slowly. Return large breeding fish and handle with wet hands clear of the mouth.
Guide conservation label: Highly Recommended C&R.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Bullhuss species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.
Other species at Five Mile Point
Full mark guide lists all 12 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.