Guide last updated 24 May 2026Live score checked today
You can catch Mackerel, Pollack and Bass here. Bring mackerel strip or sandeel, and fish a spinning.
The southern rock mark on Wicklow Head, named locally as 'Long Rock'. Spinning produces mackerel and pollack; lures cast across the current take bass with dawn or dusk being the documented prime window. Fish baits will produce occasional conger.
Long Rock is the southern Wicklow Head sub-mark named locally as Long Rock. The catalogue positions it as the bass-on-lures venue where lures cast across the current at dawn or dusk are the explicit Eastern Regional Fisheries Board prescription, with mackerel and pollack on standard spinning gear and conger only occasional on whole-fish baits while most anglers run surface gear.
TodayPOSSIBLE
WicklowModel
Mark · Good
Experienced anglers only
Bring
Mackerel strip · Spinning
ModelThe live call prefers Greystones Harbour & Pier (11:00 PM to 12:00 AM). Fish here only if you already know the ground.
Session intelligence
One tap on how it went. Bait and a short note stay on this device; the outcome sharpens the forecast for Wicklow Head, Long Rock anonymously.
How did it go?
Bait or method
Stays on this device only. Max 120 characters.
Hourly session fit with the Wicklow tide curve overlaid
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| 63 | 61 | 61 | 59 | 54 | 62 | 36 | 16 | 49 | 46 | 42 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 78 | 83 | 52 | 49 | 49 | 35 | 56 | 59 | 60 | 63 | 61 | 63 | 60 | 72 | 38 | 50 | 46 | 47 | 43 | 74 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 78 | 83 | 52 | 52 | 54 | 42 | 30 |
Scroll for all 48 hours
Species running this month on this mark
Bass, Conger eel, Wrasse are peaking this month.
Peak and catchable months for every species listed at this mark.
| Species | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Off | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Catchable | Jul: Catchable | Aug: Catchable | Sep: Peak | Oct: Peak | Nov: Peak | Dec: Off |
| Conger eel | Jan: Catchable | Feb: Catchable | Mar: Catchable | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Peak | Jul: Peak | Aug: Peak | Sep: Peak | Oct: Peak | Nov: Catchable | Dec: Catchable |
| Wrasse | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Off | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Peak | Jul: Peak | Aug: Peak | Sep: Peak | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Catchable | Dec: Off |
| Coalfish | Jan: Peak | Feb: Peak | Mar: Peak | Apr: Catchable | May: Catchable | Jun: Off | Jul: Off | Aug: Off | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Peak | Nov: Peak | Dec: Peak |
| Mackerel | Jan: Off | Feb: Off | Mar: Off | Apr: Off | May: Off | Jun: Catchable | Jul: Peak | Aug: Peak | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Off | Dec: Off |
| Pollack | Jan: Catchable | Feb: Catchable | Mar: Catchable | Apr: Catchable | May: Peak | Jun: Peak | Jul: Peak | Aug: Peak | Sep: Catchable | Oct: Catchable | Nov: Catchable | Dec: Catchable |
Table scrolls horizontally to show all twelve months.
What to bring, and the rig that matches conditions
Big bait and distance on Wicklow Head, Long Rock, so the pulley pennel protects the cast and presents cleanly on the drop. A light grip lead still casts clean on calm sand.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. We only recommend gear we've used or would genuinely buy ourselves.
Strong wire circles for pennel mounting of peeler crab and sandeel. Smoothhound and bass standard on Wicklow marks.
View on AmazonBreakaway grips for surf pulley fishing at distance on open Wicklow beaches.
View on AmazonRecommendations follow the same Wicklow-first editorial standards as the rest of the site.
Pack next
Today's conditions at Wicklow Head, Long Rock suit a pulley pennel rig. A heavy-duty distance rig that protects large soft baits during the cast. The hooklink slides through a pulley swivel so bait and hooks lift on splash-down while the lead anchors.
Tide, tactics, and local read
If I were fishing here
If I were fishing Wicklow Head, Long Rock, I'd get settled before the best water arrives, keep a clean exit route, and fish mackerel close to structure instead of punching unnecessary distance.
I'd skip when…
I'd skip when swell is up, the rock is greasy, or I'm fishing alone. Wicklow Head, Long Rock does not forgive a casual call.
When it fishes well
Across-current lure work for bass on the flooding tide at dawn or dusk is the documented prime window for the biggest fish.
Southern Head rock, lure fishing for mackerel and pollack, bass on across-current lures at dawn.
Baits
Methods
Access, parking, hazards, and getting back safe
Access
Access from the southern side of Wicklow Head. Walk required. Rough terrain.
Parking
R750 car park area.
Hazards
Statutory rules for the regulated species at this mark. Everything else here has no bag limit or closed season.
30 cm
Rules checked 29 June 2026Pollack Fishing Conservation Bye-Law No. 1028 of 2026, Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 (SFPA MCRS list, Irish EEZ)
42 cm
Rules checked 29 June 2026Bass Fishing Conservation Bye-Law No. 826 of 2007, Council Regulation (EU) 2026/249
Rules change. Check the linked authority before you keep a fish: see all size and bag limits.
Spots · 7 min read
Wicklow Head Fishing 2026: Pollack, Wrasse and Mackerel
Wicklow Head is the county's best rock mark: pollack, wrasse and mackerel from May to August. The three platforms, how to reach them, and what to throw.
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The bass lures that consistently produce from Irish beaches and piers: soft plastics, surface lures and metals, plus the colours and retrieves for each.
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Mackerel Fishing Ireland 2026: Season, Marks and Rigs
Are the mackerel in yet? When they run in Ireland, the best piers and rock marks to catch them, and the feather rig that works. Wicklow coast conditions updated daily.
Read guide →Species, tactics, tides, and today's plan for this mark
Where to top up
Wicklow town tackle shops.
Eric
Based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, fishing the Irish coast since 2018
Good day or better. Email when conditions score well
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