Mark × species · Occasional
Dogfish at The Murrough.
Dogfish is an occasional catch at The Murrough near Wicklow. Best window on this ground: Year round. 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
- Occasional
Why fish Dogfish 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.
Clean sandy ground from shallow surf to deeper water, often around sandbars and gutters where food collects.
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, Dogfish is worth targeting in Year round. Coast-wide, Dogfish runs Year round (peaks November to December autumn through spring nights).
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.
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.
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.
- Two or three hook paternoster with size 1/0 to 2/0 Aberdeen hooks
- Any simple bottom rig works
- Shorter snoods reduce tangles
- Running ledger
- Float-fished bread or flake (mullet, specialist fishery)
- Surface lures (bass at outlet)
- Single-handed fly (sea trout)
Baits and lures
Dogfish baits and lures: Mackerel strip; Squid; Lugworm; Ragworm; Sandeel.
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: 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 Flounder, Bass, Sea trout, Grey mullet, Dab, Coalfish. 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 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 The Murrough
Full mark guide lists all 11 catalogue pair pages.
Next steps
Related article: What's Biting Now: Wicklow Shore, September and October
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.