- Specimens recorded
- 465 (2000–2025)
- Years on record
- 2000–2024
- Top venue by specimens
- Courtmacsherry
- Current specimen threshold
- 6.00kg (13lb 4oz)
- Irish record
- 6.85kg (15lb 2oz)
Coalfish in Ireland
Coalfish (Pollachius virens), also widely known in Ireland as coley or saithe, is a member of the cod family closely related to pollock, found around rocky coasts, harbours, and wrecks. Coalfish shoal in large numbers, especially as juveniles around piers and harbour walls, making them one of the most accessible sea species for beginner anglers while still capable of producing serious specimen-sized adults.
Distinguished from pollock by a straighter lateral line and a less pronounced lower jaw, coalfish are a mainstay of both shore and boat sea angling around the Irish coast.
The species is particularly associated with Ireland's south coast wreck and harbour fishing, where dense shoals of feeding coalfish are a reliable target for boat anglers.
When Coalfish Fish in Ireland
ISFC specimens peak strongly in August, July, and September — a clear late-summer pattern consistent with coalfish feeding hard on baitfish concentrations before the season turns.
Based on ISFC specimen records — reflects where anglers fish and submit claims, not necessarily where the species is most abundant.
Where Coalfish Fish Best
Venue rankings below come from ratified specimen submissions, not scientific stock surveys — popular, well-fished venues will always show more specimens than remote or lightly-fished ones holding the same fish.
Courtmacsherry dominates the coalfish specimen record by a wide margin, with Kinsale and Cork Harbour also contributing — south coast harbour and wreck marks are overwhelmingly where Irish coalfish specimens come from.
See every fishing.ie venue for coalfish — ISFC-ranked or not — in the full directory below.
Size and Specimens
A specimen coalfish is a genuinely large individual — most coalfish encountered, especially by shore anglers around piers, are considerably smaller shoal fish.
Based on ISFC specimen and threshold records — reflects where anglers fish and submit claims, not necessarily where the species is most abundant.
How to Catch Coalfish
Feathers, small jigs, and lures worked at various depths over wrecks and reef ground take coalfish readily, often in numbers once a feeding shoal is located.
Bigger, specimen-class coalfish tend to hold deeper and closer to structure than the smaller shoal fish typically encountered from piers and harbour walls.
Bait fishing with mackerel strip or squid also accounts for good coalfish, particularly from boats fishing static over productive ground.
Coalfish fight hard for their size with dogged, twisting runs, especially the bigger specimen-class fish found over deeper wreck ground.
Rules and Conservation
Coalfish (saithe) has an EU-wide Minimum Conservation Reference Size of 35cm — any fish under that length must be released.
No state licence is required for sea angling from shore or boat in the Republic of Ireland.
No licence is required for sea angling in Northern Ireland — DAERA rod licences apply to freshwater and game/coarse fishing, not sea fishing.
Coalfish Venues in Ireland
10 more waters with ISFC specimens (not yet on fishing.ie)
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a specimen coalfish in Ireland?
The current ISFC threshold is 6kg — a genuinely large coalfish, since most caught (especially around piers) are far smaller shoal fish.
Best time of year for coalfish?
Late summer, particularly August, based on the ISFC specimen record.
What's the difference between coalfish and pollock?
Coalfish (also called coley or saithe) has a straighter lateral line and less pronounced lower jaw than pollock; ISFC tracks them as separate species.
Do I need a licence for coalfish fishing?
No — sea angling from shore or boat doesn't require a licence in Ireland.