From Wicklow Head to Mizen Head...

[fukwrk]

I noticed that you have no marks from Wicklow Head to Mizen Head. I have one half-decent access point to report so far... A small beach called Magheramor. If you go from Wicklow town on the coast road out past Silver Strand you will eventually reach a junction for Wicklow and Arklow. On the last bend before the straght leading up to this T junction there is a Gateway to a farm with a large black marble nameplate I think it's called Bellvue Farm. To the immediate right is a gravel driveway with big black gates. If you go down this driveway you will, at the end of one of the worst roads in Ireland, reach a carpark overlooking a cove about 1/4 mile accross. Either side are small headlands. On the right there is a rock shelf and a few deep water coves beyond. When we were there we fished the rising tide. But there was quite a rip so we couldn't detect any bites. looked like being totally unproductive untill at dusk and full tide we caught two Bass. One baby and another 3 - 4 pounder. Unfortunately work comitments ment we had to go but a night fish is definetly in order.

Bait used.. Rag and Frozen; Peelers, Squid and Mussel.
Only plain rag caught the fish. Maybe frozen bait is just a waste of time...
Brought a can of WD40 but didn't bother...

PS. Slightly further down the road there are two more beaches with access by road. the O.S. Discovery Series Map 62 shows the roads but we would never have found this place without the help of some locals.

PPS. Clones in Wexford, (Just south of Kilmichael) used to be good. I fished there when I was a kid and never went home empty-handed. Then it was decimated... In the last five years all it has yielded is transparent plaice....

[Donagh]

The area with the rock platform your on about is Jacks hole. Direct access from the road has been closed off due to Holiday home development but as you say you can make your way by coast. Autumn night fishing is supposed to be the best time here but I can't say for sure as I never fished outside of Wicklow TN when I lived there due to lack of transport. Magheramore is very popular with surfers and very exposed. It produces a smaller version of the sandbar at Brittas bay thats closer in and with a smaller lagoon. The guy that owns the beach is in dispute with the council last I heard, over planning permission and was trying to close the road down to it even though theres a right of way.

Donagh

[Donagh]

There's two access points to Jacks hole. Opposite McDaniels pub there's a caravan park with swipe barrier access and on the Wicklow side of this is a disused hotel and holiday homes with a private property keep out sign.

Silver strand is supposed to be a good mark with a surf in spring and autumn at night though again access would be through caravan parks and the beach separates into coves at high tide so don't get stranded. Blainroe beach can be accessed no hassles and of course so can Brittas bay.

Donagh

[Don]

Hi Andy,

Clones strand. I am surprised to see your comments on this. Please see the reports in the Forum on Clones Strand and Smoothound Wexford and I think you will see that it is not as bad as you make it out to be. When did you last fish it?

Don.

[Guest]

Gave up fishing Clones about a year ago... When the Doggies come out you do indeed catch loads but thats all.. Gets a bit boring. This beach used to be fantastic for big plaice and 9lb + Bass... So did everywhere 15 years ago... I love the beach though, good for camping. Any tips to help me change my opinion?

[fukwrk]

Sorry, forgot to log on!
Hi Don,
Just read the articles you mentioned... Fair enough. My experience is of loads of medium size dogfish and not much else. Looks like (thanks to all the bait tips) I'll have to give the beach another chance!

[Don]

Hi Andy,

I am interested in Clones Strand in particular because I bought a mobile home there last October for the kids (nothing to do with Dad wanting to go fishing of course).

Anyway I fished it a couple of weeks ago for the first time, for two hours with the young lad but had nothing other than a couple of fish that would split in two with the hook if I wanted to use them for bait.

I'm fairly new to sea fishing from the shore so I sent out those questions on the Forum to the guys who regularly log in to the site and fair play to them they gave me all the tips you saw in the reports.

If you do go down let me know how you get on or shoot me a mail to let me know when you are going down and if I'm going down there I'll meet up with you.

I'm looking forward to the smoothound run when it comes though.

One question for you on Clones, was there any particular point on the beach that outfished the others?

Cheers,
Don.

[fukwrk]

I'm going down hopefully weather permitting on Monday for a few hours in the afternoon. We will be alongside the rocky outcrop on the far right of the beach, I think it's the best place. But if you can get either side of the sandbank you're alright. Like you said though, the fish seem to be very small.

[Donagh]

Fished Maheramore off the rock platform under the old ruin from 7 to 9:30 with sand eel. The water is deepest at this point but it was low tide. I did get some flatty type bites but judging from the section that was taken from the sandeel I would have had to reduced my hook size to hook up and I was hoping for something a bit bigger.

There's a headland here that I didn't risk going out to that showed some vicious rip tides on a very calm sea and a lot of gulls around.

The road in here gets worse every year and some may not want to attempt it but the car park is fairly decent. It's safer at night and easier to walk through the fields using the coast fence as guidance rather than along the rock platform.

Donagh