Mark × species · Primary target
Pollack at Wicklow Town Pier.
Pollack is a primary target at Wicklow Town Pier near Wicklow. Best window on this ground: year-round (fishes best from the pier April to November). Follow signs for Wicklow harbour from the town centre.
Quick facts
- Mark type
- Pier
- Skill
- Beginner/Intermediate
- Catalogue rank
- Primary target
Why fish Pollack 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.
Rocky kelp ground, harbour walls and pier pilings where current runs past structure, often tight to the wall or reef edges.
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, Pollack is worth targeting in year-round (fishes best from the pier April to November). Coast-wide, Pollack runs Year round (peaks May to August from piers and rocks).
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.
Moving water is essential, slack water kills pollack fishing. Last two hours of flood and first of ebb around pier and rock marks. Dusk and dawn consistently produce the biggest fish from harbour walls.
Fishable phases: low, first-flood, mid-flood, high, first-ebb, mid-ebb. Peak: mid-flood, high.
Tactics on this mark
Work soft plastics or metals through the water column around structure with sink-and-draw retrieves, or float-fish sandeel just above kelp on moving water.
Running ledger; Float rig; Mackerel feathers; Sidewinder/shad jigs; Distance pulley with whole mackerel (autumn tope chance)
Gear: pier wall. Facing E.
- Spinning and jigging with 10 to 20g heads
- Float fishing close to the wall with a live or dead sandeel
- Feathers for multiple fish in a shoal
- Light lure rod, pollack are an outstanding sport fish on balanced gear
- Running ledger
- Float rig
- Mackerel feathers
- Sidewinder/shad jigs
- Distance pulley with whole mackerel (autumn tope chance)
Baits and lures
Pollack baits and lures: Sandeel; Mackerel strip; Soft plastic shads; Metal jigs; Feathers.
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: 0.5 to 2 kg on Wicklow rock and pier marks. Specimen class: Pollack over 3 kg are realistic from deep rough ground.
Dark green or brown back, silvery-white flanks. Lower jaw protrudes noticeably beyond the upper jaw, the clearest identification feature. Lateral line curves strongly upward above the pectoral fin. Eyes large and golden.
Tip: Pollack almost always take a moving bait. Work your lure or bait at a medium retrieve and be ready for the take, pollack hit hard and immediately dive for the kelp. Keep pressure on at all times or they'll cut you off. From pier walls, drop a float-rigged sandeel straight down the wall face and let the current work it.
Irish shore context: record class around 9.53 kg.
Same-mark companions
Other ranked targets on the same mark include Coalfish, Mackerel, Whiting, Codling, Bass, Dogfish. 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 Pollack species guide for coast-wide season bars and conservation detail.
Conservation
There is a statutory minimum conservation reference size of 30 cm for pollack in the Irish EEZ (SFPA MCRS list). Since 1 June 2026, the 2026 pollack bye-law (Pollack Fishing Conservation Bye-Law No. 1028 of 2026) limits recreational anglers to three pollack per day, then catch and release. Returning larger breeding fish is strongly advised.
Guide conservation label: Bag Limit Applies.
Confirm current bag limits and closures on the Pollack species guide and /learn/rules before retaining fish.
Other species at Wicklow Town Pier
Full mark guide lists all 18 catalogue pair pages.
Next steps
Related article: Coalfish vs Pollack Ireland: How to ID and Catch Both
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.