◀ Locations

Power Head

East of Cork Harbour · shore

Fish you'll catch here

MackerelPollackBallan WrasseBassFlounder

How to fish it

SpinningFloat FishingBottom Fishing

Gear & bait

Beginner spinning setupBass Beachcaster Metal luresRagwormPeeler CrabMackerel Strip

When to go

Summer–autumn (May–October) · High water and the first two hours of the ebb

Power Head is a rocky headland projecting into open water east of Cork Harbour, offering access to deeper water and fast tidal runs that attract a wider range of species than the sheltered inner harbour marks nearby. The headland’s position and exposure mean conditions here are more demanding than the surrounding beaches, but the return in terms of species variety and sport quality is considerable. Mackerel and pollack are the main summer draws, showing from May onwards and best approached with metal lures or rubber eels worked through the tide on a spinning rod — the tidal run off the rocks concentrates bait fish and the predators follow. High water and the first two hours of the ebb are the productive windows, when the moving water pushes past the headland’s ledges and gullies.

Float fishing with ragworm or peeler crab off the lower rock faces produces ballan wrasse through the summer months; wrasse are strongly territorial and tend to work tight to the kelp and rock features at the base of the headland. Bottom fishing with a beachcaster from the flatter ledge positions accesses sandy and mixed ground on the edges of the rock, where bass and flounder are taken on peeler crab and ragworm; check current bass regulations with IFI before keeping any bass. The approach to the best marks involves some scrambling over uneven terrain, and anglers should wear boots with good grip and be fully aware of the state of the sea before committing to any position on the rocks.

Where it is