Cod at Five Mile Point.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Seasonal

Why fish Cod 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.

Deep harbour channels, pier-wall snags and the Greystones to Wicklow shingle belt in winter, anywhere young cod gather around tidal flow and coloured water after a blow. Codling is the usual Wicklow shore size class, not a separate target species here.

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, Cod is worth targeting in October to December. Coast-wide, Cod runs October to December (peaks November to December on night tides at piers and shingle marks. Most Wicklow shore fish are young cod, or codling, rather than larger specimens.).

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.

Night sessions on piers and the shingle belt from late autumn through winter. Wicklow Town Pier fishes the channel flow windows, and Bray Harbour produces on the fill and through the night on the outer wall. Check the mark before committing to one tide rule.

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

Tactics on this mark

Run strong ledger or pulley rigs with worm or crab cocktails after dark. Wicklow Town Pier fishes the last two hours of ebb and the first of flood in the channel, while Bray Harbour produces on the first two hours of the fill plus night sessions on the outer wall for codling and dabs. On Kilcoole and Greystones South the shingle belt favours a falling-tide edge for general fishing, but check the mark before committing to one tide rule.

Pulley rig at distance (hounds); Two-hook flapper (flatfish); Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May); Light spinning (mackerel)

Gear: open beach. Facing E.

• Strong ledger or pulley rigs with worm or crab cocktails
• Fish after dark, when codling are most active
• Scale your hook and bait size to the mark you are fishing
• Pulley rig at distance (hounds)
• Two-hook flapper (flatfish)
• Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May)
• Light spinning (mackerel)

Baits and lures

Cod baits and lures: Lugworm; Ragworm; Crab baits; Mackerel and squid cocktails.

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: 1 to 3 lb codling-class fish from pier channels and shingle beaches. Specimen class: Fish over 5 lb are notable from the shore on this coast.

Robust cod family profile: barbel on the chin, three dorsal fins, two anal fins, lateral line curving above the pectoral fin. Shore fish are usually codling-sized and can overlap with coalfish and pollack in poor light, use barbel, fin count and mouth shape.

Tip: Most Wicklow shore cod are young fish, or codling, so take conservation and size rules seriously and watch for the coloured-water windows after a blow.

Irish shore context: record class around See the IFI records. Most Wicklow shore fish are young cod, or codling..

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 Cod species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

Stocks fluctuate; keep only smaller eating fish and return larger spawners where possible.

Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.

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

Other species at Five Mile Point

• Smoothhound
• Bass
• Ray
• Plaice
• Flounder
• Dogfish
• Mackerel
• Coalfish

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.