Eat Coast Bass Fishing

The bass (Dicentrachus Labrax) is a true sport fish highly prized by all sea anglers. A muscular bar of silver, exempt in Irish inshore waters from commercial exploitation since 1990 and protected by specific bye-laws, bass can be targeted all the way along the east and southeast coasts from Co. Louth to Co. Wexford. Estuaries, mudflats, steep-to shingle beaches, sandy surf beaches, rocky shores, and headlands, tide races that channel baitfish are all areas where bass can be found.

The last twenty years have seen a vast improvement in bass numbers, and this is particularly apparent along the east coast. There are localized pockets of bass along the coast north of Dublin, with the Boyne estuary mouth a particular hot spot. Bass fishing in the greater Dublin area itself can be surprising, both in the quality and quantity of catches. South of Dublin, though, is where bass country really begins. The coastline of Counties Wicklow and Wexford offer superb opportunities to catch this hard-fighting species.

A supreme predator and opportunist feeder, bass have a varied diet; anything from worms and crustaceans to fish and shellfish are all fair game. This, in turn, is what makes fishing for bass so interesting. Anglers can surf cast, fish with hard and soft lures, fly fish, and even live bait. Bass can be caught year-round, but the best of the fishing kicks off in May and usually extends through until November, with the later months often producing the larger bass.

Bass Angling Locations, East Coast

Starting in the north of the region and working south. The River Boyne Estuary offers both boat and shore fishing for bass at Baltray on the northern side and Mornington on the southern shore. There is a slipway at Baltray for launching small boats, but this is not viable at low tide. The estuary mouth is a popular bass angling location during the summer months, and freelined sandeel is a traditional and very successful method for taking fish there. Legered crab has also accounted for specimen bass to over 11lbs (5kg) in recent years. Various types of lure are capable of producing fish in the right conditions, while fly fishing is popular and has proven very successful on dawn or dusk tides. The best period is the last hour of the ebb and the first two hours of the flooding tide.

Bass turn up spasmodically on all the beaches north and south of Dublin and in the large estuaries at Rogerstown, Malahide and River Liffey. Specimen fish can appear almost anywhere, with evening tides in autumn offering the best possibilities.

The Wicklow beaches at Greystones, Kilcoole, Silver Strand, Brittas Bay, and Ennereilly are well worth visiting in spring or autumn after easterly winds have pushed up a surf. Bass will feed freely in these conditions, particularly on the first few hours of a flooding tide, with crab, ragworm and lugworm being the best baits. On all these beaches, baits fished within forty metres of the shore are the key to success.

The stretch of east-facing coast from Kilmichael Point, south of Arklow, Co. Wicklow, to Raven Point in Co. Wexford offers good bass fishing possibilities from April through to October, when crab baits will outfish virtually everything else. Hotspots are Clogga, Clones, Ballinoulart, Morriscastle, Tinnabearna and Ballynamona. Evening tides into darkness are generally the most productive. Lure fishing around the various headlands and points south of Arklow, Co. Wicklow, can, on occasion, be a superlative sport, while fly fishing is also becoming popular there.

Every year, Wexford Harbour, which is a nursery area for juvenile bass, produces good fish catches. Much of the season is dominated by undersized fish, but larger bass enter the harbour in autumn. It is then that the elusive “double” is liable to turn up. Crab and ragworm are the best baits here.

Bass fishing is best during spring and autumn on all the southern Wexford beaches, particularly Rosslare Strand, Ballytrent, Carnsore, the “Coombe”, and Rostoonstown, where lugworm is the favoured local bait, but fish will also take crab, sandeel and mackerel strip.

The south-facing Wexford beaches, such as the Coombe and Rostoonstown, are steep shingle beaches with a depth of water close in and are subject to a lateral tidal current. Bass are generally caught close in, i.e. within forty metres. Any wind with a bit of south in it tends to push in floating weed, which makes shore angling difficult. In these conditions, it is better to fish the east-facing beaches.

Boat fishing in the tide races at the Splaugh Reef, below Rosslare ferry port and around the Saltee Islands, off Kilmore Quay, is very popular with bass anglers, and there is a good average size of fish at both sites. Live baiting with launce or “Joey” mackerel is a deadly method, while lure fishing and spinning with shad-type lures can also provide excellent sport.

To the east of Kilmore Quay is a south-facing finger of rock known as Forlorn Point. Bottom fishing and spinning from there can be excellent at times, with fish of over 12 lbs (5.5kg) recorded. The Burrow Strand extends west from Kilmore Quay and fishes best for bass on evening tides. Lugworm is the key bait along this stretch. Where the beach terminates at the entrance to Ballyteigue Lough, is an excellent bass-holding area. Spinning and fly fishing can be carried out here with great success in spring and early summer, while crab baits attract occasional double-figure fish.

Guiding Services

If you are new to bass fishing or fishing an area for the first time, it’s always a good idea to hire a guide who can orient you on the water, tell you the best times and, ultimately, give you a better chance of catching a bass. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, bass angling guides are in short supply on the east coast, but it’s worth checking our list of angling guides webpage in case that changes.

Bass Fishing Tips for the East Coast

The following is a list of bullet points that hopefully will aid all bass anglers, whether indigenous or tourist, in their pursuit of bass.

• Study tides and their relationship with the moon. Bass activity usually increases in the period before a new and full moon.
• Establish at what stage of the tide the chosen venue fishes best.
• The rough rule of thumb is that high tide in Dublin equates to low tide in Wexford.
• Bass tend to be more active at dawn and dusk.
• Natural bait should be fresh and of top quality. Establish bait digging and collecting locations and learn the correct methods for harvesting and storage.
• Within the eastern region lugworm are plentiful on Sandymount strand, Merrion strand, and Seapoint, all in south Dublin, and at the Burrow shore, Rosslare, Co. Wexford. Ragworm can be dug at Clontarf and Sutton, on Dublin’s north side, and again at the Burrow shore, Rosslare, Co. Wexford.
• The east facing beaches of Wicklow and Wexford fish best when there is a good roll on the sea. A breeze from the south or south east creates ideal conditions. Fishing into darkness usually increases the chance of a Bass.
• The south facing beaches of Co. Wexford tend to fish better from evening into darkness. Lugworm is the key bait.
• When bait fishing rock and reef venues, pick settled weather. Ideally after a blow when the sea has settled down but still has a bit of colour in it.
• When bait fishing aim to cast no more than forty metres out. It is surprising how close in Bass can be, sometimes no more than a rod length.
• Large fish and crab baits work well on rough ground venues. Try free lining a large bait close in.
• Single or twin hook paternosters baited with lugworm or crab are ideal for fishing clean ground venues.
• When lure or fly fishing there needs to be a good level of clarity in the water. Seek out rocky headlands, shallow weedy reefs, estuary mouths, and tide races.
• If new to the sport or unfamiliar with the area, hire a guide, it is money well spent.

The information provided above will increase the chances of catching bass within Ireland’s eastern region. Please fish responsibly and leave venues tidy. Tight Lines.

• East Coast – Carlingford to Balbriggan
• East Coast – Skerries to Wicklow
• East Coast – Wicklow to Blackwater
• East Coast – Curracloe to Cullenstown
• East Coast – Bass Fishing