Mark × species · Secondary target
Coalfish at The Murrough.
Coalfish is a regular secondary target at The Murrough near Wicklow. Best window on this ground: October to February. Access from Wicklow town beach car park or pull-ins along the Murrough coastal road, then a walk of 1 to 4 km depending on where you start.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Beach
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Secondary target
Why fish Coalfish at The Murrough
Broad Lough / Murrough wild beach. Flounder-focused wetland shore; bass and occasional sea trout.
A wild, unspoiled stretch of steep-to shingle beach along the Murrough and Broad Lough coastal wetland (ERFB Site 28 Broadlough), south of Wicklow town.
Remote and often unfished.
The steep shingle profile means deeper water is reached with shorter casts.
Flounder and bass are the main shore targets; sea trout and occasional grey mullet appear in season.
Harbour walls, pier mouths and rough ground where baitfish shoals run, especially in colder months when pollack fishing fades.
Remote wild beach. Bass, mullet, grey mullet.
Wild lagoon beach, specialist mullet and sea trout potential, not a casual first-mark choice.
ERFB Site 28 Broadlough is a flounder-first Murrough shore: flatfish stack along the Broad Lough freshwater edge through winter, with bass on the steep-to surf table in season.
Sea trout and occasional mullet appear but this is not the published specimen-mullet channel: that is Kilcoole Breaches (Site 23) under the rail bridge, 12 km north.
The Greystones-to-Wicklow shingle belt fishes best on a falling tide per regional sources.
Season and tide
At The Murrough, Coalfish is worth targeting in October to February. Coast-wide, Coalfish runs September to May (peaks October to March autumn and winter from piers).
Wider mark season: Flounder: October to March (primary), Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Grey mullet: May to October (occasional), Sea trout: July to October, Dab: October to February, Coalfish: October to February
Tide guidance here: Multi-source consensus for the Greystones-to-Wicklow shingle belt is that these venues fish best on a falling tide (Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, Planet Sea Fishing). Flounder concentrate at the Broad Lough freshwater interface; bass along the surf table at dawn/dusk.
Moving water around piers and harbour mouths. Night tides in autumn and winter often produce the biggest fish. Coalfish are less structure-dependent than pollack and will chase prey across open ground.
Fishable phases: first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, first-ebb.
Tactics on this mark
Fish small metals, feathers or natural baits in the flow around harbour mouths and deep pier edges, letting lures swing through the current in autumn and winter.
Running ledger; Float-fished bread or flake (mullet, specialist fishery); Surface lures (bass at outlet); Single-handed fly (sea trout)
Gear: general shore. Facing E.
- Same methods as pollack, spinning, jigging, feathers
- More aggressive takes than pollack, heavier gear can be used
- Running ledger
- Float-fished bread or flake (mullet, specialist fishery)
- Surface lures (bass at outlet)
- Single-handed fly (sea trout)
Baits and lures
Coalfish baits and lures: Feathers; Sandeel; Mackerel strip; Soft plastics; Metal jigs.
What this mark typically holds: Ragworm; Peeler crab; Bread/flake (mullet); Sandeels; Worm cocktail tipped with mackerel (summer).
Ragworm; Peeler crab; Bread/flake (mullet); Sandeels; Worm cocktail tipped with mackerel (summer)
Access and ground
Access from Wicklow town beach car park or pull-ins along the Murrough coastal road, then a walk of 1 to 4 km depending on where you start. No road on the beach itself. Productive ground is the Broad Lough / Murrough wetland edge (Site 28 Broadlough), not the Kilcoole Breaches rail-bridge outflow 12 km north (separate spot record).
Parking: Parking at The Murrough is limited and can be uncertain, options include small pull-ins along the coastal road but space is not guaranteed. Check conditions before travelling and be prepared to park further away and walk.
Safety: Very exposed to easterly winds, with patchy mobile coverage and a fast lagoon outlet at peak ebb. Never wade the outlet. Tell someone where you are going and your expected return time.
Nearest tackle: Wicklow town tackle shops. Stock up before making the walk in.
Nearest town: Wicklow. Skill level: Intermediate.
Size and identification
Typical shore size: 300 g to 1.5 kg on harbour and rock marks. Specimen class: Larger coalfish over 2 kg possible in deep water channels.
Very similar to pollack but distinguished by a straight lateral line (not curved), a white lateral line, and a jaw that is roughly equal (not strongly protruding). Dark green-black back, pale flanks. Young coalfish (known as 'billets' or 'cuddies') are common from pier walls.
Tip: Coalfish and pollack are often caught together from the same marks. The autumn run of coalfish through Greystones Harbour can produce excellent sport, small shoals of 500 g to 1 kg fish attack feather rigs in the harbour mouth from September onwards.
Irish shore context: record class around 7.26 kg.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Flounder, Bass, Sea trout, Grey mullet, Dab, Whiting. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.
Live ranked advice for The Murrough updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Coalfish species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
No major concerns but keep only what you will eat fresh.
Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Coalfish species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.
Other species at The Murrough
Full mark guide lists all 11 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.