Mark × species · Primary target
Ray at Killoughter Beach.
Ray is a primary target at Killoughter Beach near Newcastle. Best window on this ground: May to September. Access via the local road from Newcastle/Ashford direction.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Beach
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Primary target
Why fish Ray at Killoughter Beach
Reputed best Wicklow beach venue. Specimen homelyn, thornback, smoothhound and bullhuss in the catch record.
A shingle beach in the heart of the Greystones-to-Wicklow shingle belt.
Documented in the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide as the regard of many anglers as the BEST of all the Wicklow beach venues, the beach turns up quality fish with regularity.
Specimen-class homelyn ray, thornback ray, smoothhound, bullhuss and occasional spurdog have all been recorded here.
Short: Reputed best Wicklow beach venue.
Clean to mixed sand off the Greystones to Wicklow shingle beaches, where thornback, homelyn ray and hounds share the same summer window. Distance casting reaches the rays while close-in worm baits pick up smaller flatfish.
Reputed specimen beach for rays and hounds on spring nights, not a beginner mark.
The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide explicitly states 'many anglers regard Killoughter as the best of all the Wicklow beach venues' on the basis that it produces quality fish with regularity.
Specimen-class homelyn ray, thornback, smoothhound and bullhuss are all in the catch record, this is a serious species venue, not a casual beach.
Two practical local notes: (1) the road in is poor, and (2) weed can shut the beach down after onshore wind, one SAI session was abandoned for that reason and turned out to be the wrong call (the weed cleared shortly after).
Season and tide
At Killoughter Beach, Ray is worth targeting in May to September. Coast-wide, Ray runs April to October (peaks June to August may at Killoughter and Five Mile Point, where homelyn ray peak alongside the hounds. Bullhuss show on summer evenings at Killoughter.).
Wider mark season: Smoothhound: May to October (specimen-class possible), Thornback ray: May to September, Homelyn ray: May to September, Bullhuss: summer evenings (specimen-class), Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Codling: October to February, Dab: October to February, Flounder: October to March, Spurdog: occasional summer night, Whiting: October to February
Tide guidance here: Falling tide for the shingle-belt pattern. Evening and night sessions for the predator species. Distance casting required for hounds and rays; close-in for codling and flatfish.
May to October on the shingle belt, where thornback, homelyn ray and hounds stack up together. Match your tide choice to the individual mark rather than a single generic rule.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Match the mark. Brittas Bay runs thornback ray May to September through the gullies on long-range pulley rigs, while Killoughter and Five Mile Point pair homelyn ray with specimen hound tactics on spring nights. Check the safety and tide notes for each beach before copying a single flood-or-ebb rule across them.
Pulley rig at distance (hounds/rays/huss); Standard flatfish rigs close in; Two-hook flapper
Gear: open beach. Facing E.
- Distance casting for rays on clean sand
- Worm-led close-in tactics for smaller flatfish on the same beaches
- Crab-led approaches when bullhuss appear in secondary lists
- Pulley rig at distance (hounds/rays/huss)
- Standard flatfish rigs close in
- Two-hook flapper
Baits and lures
Ray baits and lures: Sandeel; Ragworm and squid cocktails; Peeler or hardback crab for hound sessions; Fish strip pennel rigs.
What this mark typically holds: Hardback green crab (hounds, outlasts peeler against lesser species); Squid (rays); Lugworm (codling/dab); Mackerel head (bullhuss).
Hardback green crab (hounds, outlasts peeler against lesser species); Squid (rays); Lugworm (codling/dab); Mackerel head (bullhuss)
Access and ground
Access via the local road from Newcastle/Ashford direction. The road in is poor, described in SAI session reports as 'potholed' with limited improvement over the years. Small car park at the end. Railway crossing required for some access routes.
Parking: Small car park at end of access road; arrive early on quality conditions.
Safety: Railway crossing required for some access routes, designated points only. Standard shingle-beach safety. Weed can shut the beach down after onshore wind, judge the conditions on arrival.
Nearest tackle: Wicklow town or Greystones tackle shops.
Nearest town: Newcastle. Skill level: Intermediate.
Size and identification
Typical shore size: Varies by species, Killoughter ranks thornback ray, homelyn ray and bullhuss together as primary/secondary summer predators on the shingle belt. Specimen class: Specimen-class smoothhound and ray show at Killoughter. See each linked profile for thornback-specific sizes.
Thornback, homelyn and cuckoo ray are the rays you are most likely to meet on the Wicklow shore. Thornback are the commonest, with rows of spiny bucklers along the back and tail. Homelyn, the spotted ray, are smaller with dark spots across the wings, and cuckoo ray carry a distinctive dark, marbled eye-spot on each wing.
Tip: Killoughter and Five Mile Point pair homelyn ray with specimen hound tactics on spring nights. Read those marks carefully before committing gear or wading depth.
Irish shore context: record class around See thornback profile for specimen context.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Smoothhound, Thornback ray, Homelyn ray, Bullhuss, Bass, Codling. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.
Live ranked advice for Killoughter Beach updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Ray species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
Sharks and rays are easily stressed, support fish in the water, avoid lifting large rays clear of the surf, and release breeding-size fish when possible.
Guide conservation label: Catch & Release Recommended.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Ray species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.
Other species at Killoughter Beach
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.