Mark × species · Secondary target
Flounder at Five Mile Point.
Flounder is a regular secondary target at Five Mile Point near Newcastle. Best window on this ground: October to March (nursery). One-mile-long access road from the R761.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Beach
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Secondary target
Why fish Flounder 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.
Estuaries, sandy beaches, muddy creeks and shallow inshore ground, especially around river mouths and drainage outflows.
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, Flounder is worth targeting in October to March (nursery). Coast-wide, Flounder runs Year round (peaks February to March and November to December on Wicklow beaches and estuaries).
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.
Two hours either side of high water. The flooding tide pushes flounder onto feeding grounds. Slack water periods produce most bites. Night fishing in autumn and winter is particularly reliable.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Fish short with running ledger or two-hook flapper rigs, slowly dragging baits across the bottom on flooding and high water to trigger takes in troughs and around estuary mouths.
Pulley rig at distance (hounds); Two-hook flapper (flatfish); Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May); Light spinning (mackerel)
Gear: open beach. Facing E.
- Running ledger with a short 6 to 8 inch hooklink
- Two-hook flapper for covering ground
- Small size 2 to 4 Aberdeen hooks, flounder have small mouths
- Slow retrieve to cover ground after casting
- Pulley rig at distance (hounds)
- Two-hook flapper (flatfish)
- Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May)
- Light spinning (mackerel)
Baits and lures
Flounder baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Harbour ragworm; Mussel; Small fish strips.
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: 200 to 400 g from Wicklow beaches and estuaries. Specimen class: Fish over 700 g are notable shore flounder.
Brown or grey-brown upper surface with orange-tipped spines along the lateral line. Eyes on the right side. Can develop reddish blotches, easily confused with plaice but lacks the vivid orange spots. The rough, prickly lateral line is the key identification feature.
Tip: Flounder are suckers for movement. Slowly dragging your bait across the bottom and pausing it triggers far more bites than static fishing. In estuaries, cast uptide and allow the bait to trundle downtide, the disturbance in the sand draws flounder in.
Irish shore context: record class around 2.71 kg.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Smoothhound, Bass, Homelyn ray, Plaice, 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 Flounder species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
No current restrictions but handle with wet hands and return small fish.
Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Flounder 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.