Garfish at Wicklow Town Pier.

Quick facts

Mark type

Pier

Skill

Beginner/Intermediate

Catalogue rank

Seasonal

Why fish Garfish at Wicklow Town Pier

Deep-water working-harbour pier. Pollack, coalfish, winter whiting; rare connection to autumn shore-tope traffic on big distance baits.

A substantial working harbour pier with deep-water access close in.

The outer pier wall drops into a channel that holds pollack, coalfish, whiting and the occasional bass.

Codling move in during winter nights.

Whiting are reliable through the colder months, confirmed across the regional guides.

Surface water around pier mouths and mixed rock marks where they track mackerel and sandeel shoals. Greystones Harbour, Wicklow Town Pier and Jack's Hole are the main Wicklow venues.

Deep water working pier. Year-round species.

Deep harbour pier, winter whiting and pollack, occasional autumn tope traffic on big baits at range.

Whiting is a documented winter pier target here.

The wrasse fishing attributed to this pier in some guides is actually on the rocks below the castle ruins on Wicklow Head proper, not the East Pier itself; treat wrasse here as occasional.

The non-obvious tactical edge is the connection to offshore tope traffic: when Wicklow Boat Charters is catching tope close in during October and early winter, distance casts of whole mackerel from the pier head can intercept stragglers, shore-caught tope to over 40 lb has been reported in this stretch.

Season and tide

At Wicklow Town Pier, Garfish is worth targeting in May to August. Coast-wide, Garfish runs May to August (peaks June to July garfish hold around harbour walls through summer, with the best sport on calm, warm summer evenings when there is some movement in the water.).

Wider mark season: Pollack: year-round (fishes best from the pier April to November), Coalfish: October to February, Whiting: October to February (night), Codling: October to January (night), Flounder: October to March, Mackerel: June to September, Bass: April to November (peak autumn Sep to Nov), Tope: October to early winter (shore-cast distance baits, low frequency)

Tide guidance here: Last two hours of ebb and first of flood concentrate fish in the channel. Pollack and coalfish present at most states of tide. Mackerel feathering most productive on the morning rising tide in summer. Night sessions on the outer wall in autumn and winter produce codling, whiting and bass.

Calm, warm summer evenings are the prime window. Moving water helps concentrate baitfish. Garfish are surface feeders and visible from pier walls when present.

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

Tactics on this mark

Float-fish strip or sandeel no more than 30 to 60 cm down. Fishing too deep is the common mistake. Watch for silver fish tracking the bait to the rod tip and slow the retrieve so garfish can commit.

Running ledger; Float rig; Mackerel feathers; Sidewinder/shad jigs; Distance pulley with whole mackerel (autumn tope chance)

Gear: pier wall. Facing E.

• Float fishing, set the bait just 30 to 60 cm below the surface
• Slow surface retrieve with a small lure or strip bait
• Light spinning rod, 6 to 10 lb mono or fluorocarbon
• Small size 6 to 8 hook, garfish have narrow mouths
• Running ledger
• Float rig
• Mackerel feathers
• Sidewinder/shad jigs
• Distance pulley with whole mackerel (autumn tope chance)

Baits and lures

Garfish baits and lures: Small strip of mackerel skin (bright side showing); Sandeel; Tiny soft plastics; Small spinners and spoons.

What this mark typically holds: Mackerel strip; Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel; Whole mackerel (tope baits).

Mackerel strip; Ragworm; Lugworm; Sandeel; Whole mackerel (tope baits)

Access and ground

Follow signs for Wicklow harbour from the town centre. Short drive from the main street.

Parking: Free parking on the pier and in the adjacent harbour area. Wicklow town has additional parking nearby.

Safety: Active fishing harbour, vehicle, forklift and trawler movement is the real safety issue, not slips. Stay alert for boat movements especially in the morning. Outer wall can be slippery, wear non-slip footwear. Keep away from boat launching activity.

Nearest tackle: Wicklow town centre has fishing tackle shops within easy walking distance of the pier.

Nearest town: Wicklow. Skill level: Beginner/Intermediate.

Size and identification

Typical shore size: 300 to 500 g and 40 to 70 cm long. Specimen class: Larger fish occasionally exceed 0.8 to 0.9 kg.

Unmistakable, very long, slender silver body with a pronounced beak-like jaw lined with small sharp teeth. Brilliant silver flanks, blue-green back. The bones are green (a result of biliverdin pigment) which surprises many anglers but is completely normal. Often seen skipping across the surface in calm conditions.

Tip: Garfish are surface creatures, the most common mistake is fishing too deep. Set the float so the bait is no more than 60 cm down. Garfish often follow the bait right to the rod tip before taking, so watch for a silver flash tracking your retrieve and slow down to let them commit. Fresh garfish filleted and pan fried in butter is excellent eating.

Irish shore context: record class around 0.95 kg.

Same-mark companions

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

Live ranked advice for Wicklow Town Pier updates on the daily plan. Pair this page with the Garfish species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.

Conservation

No restrictions; highly edible but often under-targeted, keep only what you will use.

Guide conservation label: No Restrictions.

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

Other species at Wicklow Town Pier

• Pollack
• Coalfish
• Mackerel
• Whiting
• Cod
• Bass
• Dogfish
• Rockling

Full mark guide lists all 18 catalogue pair pages.

Next steps

Related article: Garfish Fishing Ireland: Float Rigs, Baits and Marks

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