Wexford doesn't always get the attention it deserves from shore anglers. Kerry and Donegal tend to grab the headlines, and the south-east corner of the country can feel overlooked. But the Wexford coastline, stretching from the Hook Peninsula in the west around to Courtown in the north, offers a good mix of beach, rock, and estuary fishing that suits everyone from complete beginners to people who have been at it for decades. The fish are there. You just need to know where to look, and when.
A few things apply everywhere along this coast before you pick a spot. Check tide times before you leave the house, not when you're standing on the rocks. A lot of the better marks fish best in the two hours either side of high water, and some become completely inaccessible at full tide. Wexford weather in spring and autumn can turn quickly, so bring a layer more than you think you need. And if you're new to an area, a local tackle shop is worth more than any app. The staff tend to know what came in over the last week and they're usually happy to talk.
Fethard-on-Sea, Hook Peninsula
The Hook Peninsula is one of the most rewarding stretches of coastline in the south-east, and Fethard is a solid starting point. There's a small pier and some sheltered ground nearby that can produce bass, flounder, and the occasional wrasse depending on the season. Parking in the village is straightforward, and access to the shore is easy enough for most people.
The estuary approach here means flounder fishing can be productive from autumn through to early spring. Bass show up through the summer months, particularly in the evening or early morning on a flooding tide. Keep bait simple: lugworm, ragworm, or sand eel will all work. The ground is fairly clean for most of the marks close to the pier, so heavy lead and complicated rigs aren't necessary.
Duncannon Beach and Fort
Further up the Hook, Duncannon is a well-known spot that fishes well from the beach and from the rocks near the old fort. The beach itself produces flatfish and bass from the surf in summer. The rockier ground to the south of the beach can hold wrasse and pollack, though you'll lose some tackle if you're not careful with your weight. Parking is available in the village and near the strand, and the beach is accessible without any difficult walking.
Worth knowing: the beach is popular with families in July and August, which limits your early-morning window at weekends. Come in June or September and you'll have more space and often better conditions. The tide runs reasonably fast around the headland, so anchor your gear well if you're fishing the rocks.
Rosslare Strand
Rosslare is a long, open beach that takes the full force of a south-easterly. That can be uncomfortable, but it also means the surf builds quickly and produces the kind of broken water that bass love. The strand is accessible from several points, parking is easy, and you can fish almost anywhere along its length depending on where the sandbars and gullies are lying that season. Those features shift, so it pays to walk the beach at low water before you fish.
Bass are the main draw through summer and early autumn. Smoothhound also appear off Rosslare in warmer months, and the beach can produce some decent ray fishing after dark in settled weather. Peeler crab is a very good bait here if you can get it, though lugworm and ragworm are reliable alternatives.
Cahore Point
Cahore is a quieter mark, which is part of its appeal. The point sits roughly halfway between Wexford town and Courtown, and it's the kind of place you can have to yourself on a weekday morning. There's some rock fishing available, and the mixed ground between rock and sand produces a variety of species including bass, pollock, coalfish in cooler months, and wrasse on the rougher patches.
Access requires a short walk from wherever you park, but nothing difficult. Low tide reveals more of the rocky ground and gives you a chance to explore before the water comes back in. Cahore fishes well on an evening flood tide in summer, and it's worth staying into darkness if the bass are showing.
Courtown Harbour
Courtown is a popular holiday town at the northern end of Wexford, and the harbour area can produce some reasonable fishing alongside all the other activity. Mullet are present through the summer and, while they are notoriously frustrating to catch, they make for genuinely entertaining sport if you're prepared to scale right down in terms of hook size and approach. Flounder turn up in the harbour mouth in autumn, and the beach to the north of the harbour holds bass and flatfish.
Parking is available in the town, and access to the harbour wall is easy. Expect company in peak summer, but outside July and August it settles down considerably.
If you're making a proper trip of it and combining fishing with exploring the wider coastline on foot, thinking ahead about tides matters just as much for walking as it does for angling. Tide-aware planning, knowing what the water reveals and when, changes what's possible along any stretch of Irish coast, as anyone who has spent time reading a strand at low water will tell you.