Mark × species · Primary target

Dogfish at Magheramore Beach.

Dogfish is a primary target at Magheramore Beach near Wicklow. Best window on this ground: year round (the dominant species in honest local reports). Access via the Bellvue Farm gateway off the coast road between Wicklow and Arklow, gravel driveway with big black gates.

Full mark guide Dogfish species guide

Magheramore Beach, Wicklow shore fishing mark

Mark type: Beach
Skill: Intermediate
Catalogue rank: Primary target

Why fish Dogfish at Magheramore Beach

Surf-shared cove. Honest reality: dogfish-dominated beach. Bass potential off the south rock shelf in calm conditions.

Small surf cove (~1/4 mile across) between Wicklow Head/Silver Strand and Brittas Bay, with a rock shelf and deep-water coves on the south (right) side.

Predominantly a surfing beach (Brittas Bay Surf School operates here), honest catch profile from local SAI reports is 'medium-size dogfish in numbers, not much else'.

The south rock shelf has tactical bass potential on lures in the right conditions but the tide rip makes bait fishing difficult.

Short: Surf-shared cove.

Clean sandy ground from shallow surf to deeper water, often around sandbars and gutters where food collects.

Honest dogfish beach, bass only on the south shelf in calm conditions, do not expect a busy session.

Magheramore is more of a surfing beach than a fishing beach, the honest catch profile from local SAI reports is 'loads of medium-size dogfish and not much else'.

Do not oversell it.

The south rock shelf has tactical potential for bass on lures in the right conditions but the tide rip makes bait fishing difficult, in those conditions, lures are the only practical approach.

Season and tide

At Magheramore Beach, Dogfish is worth targeting in year round (the dominant species in honest local reports). Coast-wide, Dogfish runs Year round (peaks November to December autumn through spring nights).

Wider mark season: Dogfish: year round (the dominant species in honest local reports), Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov; off rock shelf on lures, conditions-dependent), Flounder: October to March, Mackerel: June to September (off rock shelf), Pollack: small fish off rocks

Tide guidance here: Standard surf-beach windows. Tide rip on the south rock shelf is significant, fish around it on lures rather than bait in those conditions.

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.

Standard ledger from the beach (dogfish dominant); Lures off the south rock shelf (bass, conditions-dependent)

Gear: general shore. Facing ESE.

Two or three hook paternoster with size 1/0 to 2/0 Aberdeen hooks
Any simple bottom rig works
Shorter snoods reduce tangles
Standard ledger from the beach (dogfish dominant)
Lures off the south rock shelf (bass, conditions-dependent)

Baits and lures

Dogfish baits and lures: Mackerel strip; Squid; Lugworm; Ragworm; Sandeel.

What this mark typically holds: Lugworm; Ragworm; Crab (incidental).

Lugworm; Ragworm; Crab (incidental)

Access and ground

Access via the Bellvue Farm gateway off the coast road between Wicklow and Arklow, gravel driveway with big black gates. Documented as one of the worst access roads in the area. Small car park overlooking the cove. Surfers use the same access (Brittas Bay Surf School operates here). Lane is privately owned. Two more small beaches further down the same road per OS Discovery Series Map 62, local-knowledge dependent access.

Parking: Small car park at the end of the lane.

Safety: Very exposed; check forecast carefully. Rock shelf currents. Beach is shared with surfers, surf school activity affects daytime access.

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town tackle shops.

Nearest town: Wicklow. 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 Bass, Flounder, Dab. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.

Live ranked advice for Magheramore Beach 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 Magheramore Beach

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.