Plaice at Wicklow Head, Brides Head.

Quick facts

Mark type

Rock

Skill

Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Occasional

Why fish Plaice at Wicklow Head, Brides Head

NE face of Wicklow Head below the golf course. Reliable spinning mark for mackerel and pollack; safer than the lighthouse rocks.

The northeast face of Wicklow Head, accessed on foot from the R750 car park down past the golf course.

The safer of the three Wicklow Head rock marks, solid spinning ground for mackerel and pollack with float fishing for wrasse and coalfish.

Worm and crab over sand patches between the rocks turn up dabs and plaice in July and August.

Short: NE face of Wicklow Head below the golf course.

Clean sandy ground with shell and gravel, slightly deeper than typical flounder marks; Brides Head adds worm or crab over sand patches between rocks in July to August for plaice and dab alongside the spinning species.

Spinning mark below the golf course, reliable mackerel and pollack, safer than the lighthouse rocks.

Brides Head is the documented safer alternative to the Wicklow Head lighthouse rocks, same headland, fundamentally different risk profile.

The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board guide explicitly identifies this as a spinning mark below the golf course, with float fishing for the wrasse and coalfish.

The non-obvious tactical edge is the SAND PATCHES between the rocks, a worm or crab bait dropped onto these clean patches in July and August produces plaice and dabs that most anglers miss while focused on the rock species.

Season and tide

At Wicklow Head, Brides Head, Plaice is worth targeting in March to September. Coast-wide, Plaice runs March to September (peaks May to July on clean sand and shingle. Five Mile Point fishes best early in the season for plaice on worm or spoon, Kilcoole and Greystones South fish well on calm warm days with plaice inside about 30 yards, and Silver Strand holds fish close in around high water.).

Wider mark season: Pollack: year-round (fishes best from the rocks April to November, peak Sep to Nov), Mackerel: June to September, Wrasse: May to September, Coalfish: October to February, Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov; dawn/dusk lures), Plaice & Dab: July to August (worm/crab over sand patches)

Tide guidance here: Flooding tide for bass on across-current lures; dawn or dusk window. Most species accessible HW ± 2 hours.

Two hours either side of high water. Spring tides push plaice onto shallow feeding grounds. Warm calm days in April to June can produce fish at any state of tide over clean sand.

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

Tactics on this mark

On Kilcoole, Greystones South and Five Mile Point use the shingle-belt falling-tide pattern for much of your fishing, but still work the close-in plaice window after easterlies or flat warm spells, when fish hold inside about 30 yards and take worm or spoon in May. At Silver Strand expect plaice May to September, with the best of it close in around high water. Wicklow Head and Brides Head want crab or worm fished onto the sand pockets in mid-summer rather than long-range casting alone.

Spinning (mackerel/pollack); Float fishing (wrasse/coalfish); Lures across the current (bass); Worm/crab on running ledger over sand patches (flatfish)

Gear: rough rock. Facing NE.

• Running ledger with a 12 to 18 inch hooklink
• Two-hook flapper to cover ground
• Size 1 or 2 Aberdeen, light wire hook to present worm naturally
• Attractor beads above the hook, orange and red are plaice favourites
• Spinning (mackerel/pollack)
• Float fishing (wrasse/coalfish)
• Lures across the current (bass)
• Worm/crab on running ledger over sand patches (flatfish)

Baits and lures

Plaice baits and lures: Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel strip; Ragworm and mussel cocktails.

What this mark typically holds: Mackerel strip; Sandeel; Ragworm; Crab.

Mackerel strip; Sandeel; Ragworm; Crab

Access and ground

Walk required from the car park on the R750 to reach the rock fishing below the golf course on Brides Head. Rough but manageable terrain, sturdy boots essential.

Parking: R750 car park near Wicklow Head.

Safety: Walk-in from the R750 car park; rough cliff terrain. Less exposed than the lighthouse rocks but still requires care. Tide rip can be significant.

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town tackle shops, short drive north.

Nearest town: Wicklow. Skill level: Intermediate.

Size and identification

Typical shore size: 400 to 800 g from clean sand with shell patches. Specimen class: Plaice over 1.5 kg are excellent shore fish.

The most distinctive flatfish on the Irish coast, upper surface is brown with vivid orange or red spots, each with a pale border. Eyes on the right side. Smooth skin with a row of bony knobs along the lateral line above the head. The bright orange spots are unmistakable.

Tip: Plaice respond well to a moving bait and to visual attractors. Thread a few orange or red beads above the hook on the hooklink, plaice are visually attracted to colour. On clean sandy ground, casting and slowly retrieving covers more ground and produces more bites than fishing static.

Irish shore context: record class around 3.84 kg.

Same-mark companions

Other ranked targets on the same mark include Pollack, Mackerel, Wrasse, Coalfish. Open those pair pages or the full mark guide when you want a multi-species session.

Live ranked advice for Wicklow Head, Brides Head updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Plaice species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

Managed under EU rules with size limits; return undersized fish carefully and minimise handling time.

Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.

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

Other species at Wicklow Head, Brides Head

• Pollack
• Mackerel
• Wrasse
• Coalfish
• Bass
• Dab

Next steps

Live ranked session advice for this mark sits on Today's plan. Rules and bag limits: learn / rules.