Fishing in Co. Wexford

Wexford sits at Ireland's southeastern corner, where the country turns its face toward the Irish Sea.

It's a county of contrasts on the water — long sandy beaches and sheltered estuaries along the coast, and inland, a network of rivers draining the Wicklow Hills southward.

The fishing reflects that geography: saltwater and freshwater, shore and boat, often within a short drive of each other. The River Slaney is the county's backbone.

It rises in Wicklow and runs roughly 75 miles before meeting the sea at Wexford town, and for much of that length it's a serious salmon and sea trout river.

Spring salmon arrive in April and May, with the best of the run typically through early June; September brings some larger fish back.

Sea trout fishing on the lower and middle reaches can be excellent, with most fish running half a pound to two pounds, though three- and four-pound fish show up regularly.

The Slaney fishes best as it drops after a spate — it takes around three days to fine down — and wading is difficult in most conditions, so bank fishing dominates. Spey casting is genuinely useful here, not just a nice-to-have.

Salmon and sea trout require a State Licence plus a local permit; check with Inland Fisheries Ireland for current regulations before you go, as rules on individual rivers change.

Where the Slaney meets the sea, Wexford Harbour opens into a wide tidal estuary of mudflats and channels. Flounder are the signature species here, and the harbour has a national reputation for flatfish.

Kaats Strand and the Ardcavan shoreline are well-known match venues. Bass and mullet also move through, and the town quays give accessible marks without needing a boat.

The last hour of the flood and the first two hours of the ebb tend to fish best from the shore marks; the two hours either side of high water works well from the quays.

Further down the coast, Bannow Bay holds bass, flounder, and mullet, and Curracloe Beach is a reliable surf fishing mark for bass and rays. Kilmore Quay is the departure point for offshore work — cod, pollock, and blue shark are the main targets out there.

For coarse fishing, Loch Mahon near Adamstown runs three spring-fed lakes stocked with carp, rudd, roach, and tench. The specimen lake holds fish to 20 pounds and above; the family lake is the place to bring someone new to the sport.

Wexford rewards anglers who read the tides and the seasons rather than just showing up. The coast fishes year-round with the right conditions, the Slaney has its windows, and the estuaries have their rhythms. Get those right and the county delivers.