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Print versionKilmore Quay, Co. Wexford
Straight off the Fishguard/Rosslare ferry, take the N25 for about 4 miles and look for the signs to Kilmore Quay on the left. Plenty of parking is available around the harbour complex.
The breakwater forms the western side of Kilmore Quay harbour and the Marina. The harbour houses both commercial and charter fishing craft, plus pleasure boats. The harbour complex also includes and excellent easy access high water slipway, and with the famous Saltee Islands just offshore, it is popular venue with visiting UK dinghy anglers.
You can either fish the concrete jetty at the end of the breakwater, or walk over on to the western side of the breakwater itself and fish seawards.
The outside of the breakwater is excellent for wrasse with fish to 4lbs reported. These show from early May onwards staying through until late November and even later in milder years. May and June sees the odd plaice taken. Pollack can be caught spinning or redgilling over the rough ground from May until October. Big mullet move inside the harbour in May and will still be there in early October. Garfish and mackerel are taken on high water spring tides during June, July and August. Bottom baits find conger to double figures, gurnards, dogfish and bass between April and November. Flounder show all year around the harbour entrance.
Winter fishing is for codling, conger and coalfish over the rough ground, plus whiting, dabs and dogfish over any cleaner patches.
Casting seawards off the breakwater, the bottom is a mix of rough and clean, but longer casts can find a few more extensive cleaner patches of shingle and sand. The bottom inside the harbour is mostly clean.
A beachcaster and 7000 sized reel or big fixed spool loaded with 18lb line is ideal for casting off the breakwater for the conger, coalies and codling, and for finding the cleaner ground at range. A bass rod and reel loaded with 18lb line is best for the wrasse which can run over 4lbs.
Take a spinning rod and reel loaded with 12lb line and Toby or Dexter Wedge lures and Redgills for the bass and pollack. The mullet take floating crust occasionally at dawn, or pre-bait with mackerel and mashed bread and float fish a small slice of mackerel flesh without the skin attached.
Pulley rigs prove best when casting off the breakwater seawards, but inside the harbour switch to a one up one down rig for the whiting, dabs and gurnards. For the wrasse, stick to a simple one hook rig with a rotten bottom and short 10in hook length.
The breakwater fishes best either side of high water on both springs and neaps as does the inner harbour. Bass and conger show at range over low water off the breakwater.
A steady force 3 south-westerly wind fishes well for the bass.
Try fishing inside the breakwater casting in to the harbour in spring and summer for dabs, gurnards, flounder and bass, and in winter for prime dabs and some sizeable whiting and coalies. Codling move inside the harbour over high water spring tides, especially during a gale.
Peeler crab takes the wrasse, flounder, bass, codling and coalies. Worm baits pick out the whiting, dabs and plaice. Fish baits attract the conger, dogfish and gurnards. Try half a sandeel for the bigger whiting late in the year.
A float fished live sandeel is deadly worked around the harbour entrance for good bass.
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