Coastal Ireland Evening Report: Bass on the Flood, Big Tides and Grey Skies

This is Artificial Lure with your coastal Ireland fishing report for this evening and the coming tide. Along the south and west coasts we’ve a soft, damp Atlantic feel. Met Éireann is calling it mostly cloudy with scattered showers, light to moderate southwest breeze and air temps hovering 11–14°C along the shore. Seas are a bit lumpy but very fishable on most open coasts. Tides tonight are on the bigger side after the recent full moon. Around Cork and Waterford you’re looking at a late-night high tide rolling through close to midnight local, with a strong push of water over the next few hours. Similar story up the west—Galway Bay and Clare coasts are seeing a decent flood into the early hours. First light is around 5:20 am, with sunrise just after that, and sunset already stretching past 9:30 pm, so there’s a long crepuscular window either side. Those bigger tides and grey skies have the bass lads smiling. The last few evenings, local anglers from Youghal to Dungarvan report schoolies in numbers with the odd better fish into the 60 cm bracket, mostly on the flooding tide over shallow surf and estuary mouths. Soft plastics have led the way: 4–5 inch paddle-tails in white or sandeel colours on light jig heads, and weightless slug-style lures twitched over the top of the surf tables. A few fish have fallen to surface plugs at dusk, particularly walk‑the‑dog styles in calm pockets behind sandbars. Bait anglers are doing well with fresh lugworm and crab. Peeler crab is the standout along the south coast—fished on simple pulley rigs into the gutters and channels. Close in, you’re also in with a shout of flounder and the odd decent turbot on sandeel, especially on the last of the flood and first of the ebb. Up along Clare and Galway, there’s been solid pollack fishing off the rock ledges when the swell allows. Regulars near Black Head mention fish up to 6 lb hitting 20–40 g metal jigs and slim soft plastics worked tight to the kelp. Mackerel are patchy but starting to show in better numbers; small feathers and 25 g silver metals are turning a few strings when the shoals push tight to shore in the evening. On the east coast, the water’s a shade clearer and cooler, but there are whispers of early tope and hounds in the usual Wicklow and North Wexford marks. Crab again is king—whole or large cocktail baits on strong pulley pennels—fished into the deeper channels on the bigger tides after dark. Dogfish are ever-present, with the odd ray turning up where there’s a bit of clean sand. For tonight into tomorrow’s first light, if you’re chasing bass, aim for that last couple of hours of the flood and the first of the ebb, especially where there’s surf pushed over clean sand. Lure anglers should pack: - 4–5 inch white or sandeel soft plastics - A couple of dark-backed patterns for coloured water - One or two surface lures for the dusk and dawn glass-offs Bait anglers: fresh is best—lug, rag if you can get it, and good crab. Keep rigs simple and clipped for distance if there’s a stiff breeze. A couple of hot spots worth a mention: - Copper Coast, Co. Waterford: the small coves and surf beaches between Bunmahon and Annestown have produced bass and some fine flatties on both lure and bait over the last few tides, especially near high water in the evening. - North Clare rock marks around Black Head: great for pollack and the first of the mackerel on metals and shads when the swell drops, with a chance of a bonus wrasse close in on crab or weedless soft plastics. Mind the swell on the rocks, watch those rising tides in the coves, and keep an eye on the forecast if any fronts are pushing in. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more reports and stories from the shore. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn