Mark × species · Secondary target
Dogfish at Five Mile Point.
Dogfish is a regular secondary target at Five Mile Point near Newcastle. Best window on this ground: Year round. One-mile-long access road from the R761.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Beach
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Secondary target
Why fish Dogfish 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 sandy ground from shallow surf to deeper water, often around sandbars and gutters where food collects.
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, Dogfish is worth targeting in Year round. Coast-wide, Dogfish runs Year round (peaks November to December autumn through spring nights).
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.
Most consistent at night on any stage of tide from autumn to spring. Summer evenings also produce regular fish. Rarely affected by tide state, present on the bottom and they will find the bait.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Use simple two or three-hook bottom rigs with strips of fish or squid fished at short to medium range, especially at night on flooding and high water.
Pulley rig at distance (hounds); Two-hook flapper (flatfish); Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May); Light spinning (mackerel)
Gear: open beach. Facing E.
- Two or three hook paternoster with size 1/0 to 2/0 Aberdeen hooks
- Any simple bottom rig works
- Shorter snoods reduce tangles
- Pulley rig at distance (hounds)
- Two-hook flapper (flatfish)
- Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May)
- Light spinning (mackerel)
Baits and lures
Dogfish baits and lures: Mackerel strip; Squid; Lugworm; Ragworm; Sandeel.
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: 400 to 800 g from Wicklow beaches. Specimen class: Fish over 1.2 kg are unusual from the shore.
Sandy brown with darker brown spots all over. Catlike eyes. Rough sandpaper skin. Long, slim body with a small mouth. First fish for many young anglers fishing the Wicklow coast.
Tip: Dogfish are great sport for beginners and their abundance makes the Murrough and Greystones South Beach ideal match venues. If you're blanking on everything else, mackerel strip on a simple ledger will usually find a dogfish. Return them carefully, they're an important part of the ecosystem.
Irish shore context: record class around 1.21 kg.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Smoothhound, Bass, Homelyn ray, Plaice, Flounder. 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 Dogfish species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
Abundant; ideal for beginners to learn unhooking and handling skills.
Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Dogfish 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.