Plaice at Five Mile Point.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Secondary target

Why fish Plaice 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 with shell and gravel, slightly deeper than typical flounder marks; Brides Head adds worm or crab over sand patches between rocks in July to August for plaice and dab alongside the spinning species.

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, Plaice is worth targeting in May. Coast-wide, Plaice runs March to September (peaks May to July on clean sand and shingle. Five Mile Point fishes best early in the season for plaice on worm or spoon, Kilcoole and Greystones South fish well on calm warm days with plaice inside about 30 yards, and Silver Strand holds fish close in around high water.).

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. Spring tides push plaice onto shallow feeding grounds. Warm calm days in April to June can produce fish at any state of tide over clean sand.

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

Tactics on this mark

On Kilcoole, Greystones South and Five Mile Point use the shingle-belt falling-tide pattern for much of your fishing, but still work the close-in plaice window after easterlies or flat warm spells, when fish hold inside about 30 yards and take worm or spoon in May. At Silver Strand expect plaice May to September, with the best of it close in around high water. Wicklow Head and Brides Head want crab or worm fished onto the sand pockets in mid-summer rather than long-range casting alone.

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 12 to 18 inch hooklink
• Two-hook flapper to cover ground
• Size 1 or 2 Aberdeen, light wire hook to present worm naturally
• Attractor beads above the hook, orange and red are plaice favourites
• Pulley rig at distance (hounds)
• Two-hook flapper (flatfish)
• Worm/spoon attractor (plaice in May)
• Light spinning (mackerel)

Baits and lures

Plaice baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel strip; Ragworm and mussel 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: 400 to 800 g from clean sand with shell patches. Specimen class: Plaice over 1.5 kg are excellent shore fish.

The most distinctive flatfish on the Irish coast, upper surface is brown with vivid orange or red spots, each with a pale border. Eyes on the right side. Smooth skin with a row of bony knobs along the lateral line above the head. The bright orange spots are unmistakable.

Tip: Plaice respond well to a moving bait and to visual attractors. Thread a few orange or red beads above the hook on the hooklink, plaice are visually attracted to colour. On clean sandy ground, casting and slowly retrieving covers more ground and produces more bites than fishing static.

Irish shore context: record class around 3.84 kg.

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Smoothhound, Bass, Homelyn ray, 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 Plaice species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

Managed under EU rules with size limits; return undersized fish carefully and minimise handling time.

Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.

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

Other species at Five Mile Point

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

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.