Flounder at The Murrough.

Quick facts

Mark type

Beach

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Primary target

Why fish Flounder 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.

Estuaries, sandy beaches, muddy creeks and shallow inshore ground, especially around river mouths and drainage outflows.

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, Flounder is worth targeting in October to March (primary). Coast-wide, Flounder runs Year round (peaks February to March and November to December on Wicklow beaches and estuaries).

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.

Two hours either side of high water. The flooding tide pushes flounder onto feeding grounds. Slack water periods produce most bites. Night fishing in autumn and winter is particularly reliable.

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

Tactics on this mark

Fish short with running ledger or two-hook flapper rigs, slowly dragging baits across the bottom on flooding and high water to trigger takes in troughs and around estuary mouths.

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.

• Running ledger with a short 6 to 8 inch hooklink
• Two-hook flapper for covering ground
• Small size 2 to 4 Aberdeen hooks, flounder have small mouths
• Slow retrieve to cover ground after casting
• Running ledger
• Float-fished bread or flake (mullet, specialist fishery)
• Surface lures (bass at outlet)
• Single-handed fly (sea trout)

Baits and lures

Flounder baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Harbour ragworm; Mussel; Small fish strips.

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: 200 to 400 g from Wicklow beaches and estuaries. Specimen class: Fish over 700 g are notable shore flounder.

Brown or grey-brown upper surface with orange-tipped spines along the lateral line. Eyes on the right side. Can develop reddish blotches, easily confused with plaice but lacks the vivid orange spots. The rough, prickly lateral line is the key identification feature.

Tip: Flounder are suckers for movement. Slowly dragging your bait across the bottom and pausing it triggers far more bites than static fishing. In estuaries, cast uptide and allow the bait to trundle downtide, the disturbance in the sand draws flounder in.

Irish shore context: record class around 2.71 kg.

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Bass, Sea trout, Grey mullet, Dab, Coalfish, 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 Flounder species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

No current restrictions but handle with wet hands and return small fish.

Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.

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

Other species at The Murrough

• Bass
• Sea trout
• Grey mullet
• Dab
• Coalfish
• Whiting
• Rockling
• Mackerel

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.