Evening Bass and Pollack: South and West Coast Dropping Tide Report

Name’s Artificial Lure here, checking in with your coastal Ireland fishing report. We’re on a dropping tide through the late evening along much of the south and west coasts, with low water around midnight on the big Atlantic-facing marks and slightly earlier in the southeast. That ebb, especially the last two hours of the run, is fishing best where you’ve got current pinched over reefs, bar mouths, and rough ground gullies. Weather-wise it’s a classic mixed Irish coastal evening: light to moderate southwest breeze on the south and southwest coasts, a bit fresher and cooler on the west, easing after dark. Skies are broken cloud with enough clear gaps to let the temperature dip a touch once the sun goes down, which is helping push bait tight to shore. Seas are generally slight to moderate, choppiest on open west-facing ground, more settled inside bays and estuaries. Sunset is mid‑evening with proper darkness not settling in until late. That long twilight is giving a lovely window for bass, pollack, and coalies to come right into the edges. First light is early, and the pre‑dawn flood is also worth setting an alarm for if you’re serious. Bass activity along the south coast has picked up nicely. Reports the last few days from surf beaches in Waterford and Wexford mention schoolies in numbers with the odd fish nudging 6–7 lb, mostly caught on shallow diving minnows and 4–5 inch soft plastics in natural sand‑eel colours. Estuary marks around Cork Harbour and Youghal are producing good numbers of smaller bass on peeler crab and ragworm, especially on the last of the flood and first of the ebb after dark. Out west, around Clare and Galway, rock marks are giving pollack, coalies, and a few early wrasse. Pollack to 5–6 lb have been taken on 20–40 g metal jigs and lead‑headed soft shads worked mid‑water over kelp and rough ground. Coalies are hitting smaller metals and white soft plastics on a straight retrieve, particularly where gulls are dipping on sprats or sandeels tight to the surface. Mackerel shoals are patchy but improving. When they’re in, they’re close, with strings of feathers and small sabiki rigs taking half a dozen at a time from piers and headlands. A few scad are mixed in after dark. These are perfect for fresh bait strips if you’re soaking bottom rigs for rays or dogfish later on. Best lures this evening: - For bass in surf and estuaries: shallow‑running hard minnows in silver or bone, weightless or lightly weighted paddle‑tail soft plastics, and 20–30 g surface walkers during the last light over calm surf. - For rock fish: 20–40 g metals in silver or green, and 4–6 inch soft shads in dark backs / light bellies. Best natural baits: - Bass: peeler crab, fresh lugworm, and mackerel strip on simple pulley rigs. - Rays and huss: mackerel and squid cocktails on strong pennel rigs over clean to mixed ground. - Flatties: small lug and ragworm baits on two‑ or three‑hook flappers. A couple of hot spots to consider: Hook Peninsula, Wexford – Surf beaches and rocky points here are seeing consistent schoolie bass on both lure and bait, especially on the evening ebb into dark. Work the edges of bars and gutters with shallow plugs and soft plastics, then switch to crab or lug baits once the light goes. West Clare rock marks around Loop Head – Classic deep rock platforms with strong tidal flow. Pollack, coalies, and the chance of a better bass if you can get down a bit of a path. Metals and soft plastics fished into the tide are doing damage here on the dropping water, with a few decent wrasse on crab and hardback baits where you can find calmer pockets. As ever, mind the swell, check your access at low water, and fish with a mate or let someone know where you’re headed. There are fish about if you match your timing to the tide and stay mobile. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn