Best time to fish in Carrickfergus
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (GMT) · Mid and East Antrim, United Kingdom Today, Wed, Oct 28 · GMT- High tides
- 12:04 pm
- Major periods
- 12:46–2:46 am and 1:17–3:17 pm
- Solunar activity
- High
- Sun
- 7:18 am–4:55 pm
Today, Wednesday, October 28, the best time to fish in Carrickfergus is 4:50 pm to 5:50 pm, with the 6:10 pm low tide, moonrise and sunset, though with rising pressure. It's an average day (6/10). The best day this week is Friday, October 30, at 6/10.
Your day in Carrickfergus at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; the blue curve is the tide; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | High tides | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 6average day | 4:50–5:50 pm | ▲ 12:04 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Thu 29 | 6average day | 6:40–7:40 am6:00–8:00 pm | ▲ 12:26 am ▲ 12:48 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 6average day | 4:00–5:30 pm6:40–8:20 am | ▲ 1:17 am ▲ 1:37 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 5average day | 7:20–8:20 am4:30–5:30 pm | ▲ 2:13 am ▲ 2:32 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 5average day | 3:50–4:30 pm10:10–11:00 pm | ▲ 3:16 am ▲ 3:34 pm | Last quarter |
| Mon 2 | 5average day | 3:50–5:20 pm6:50–7:50 am | ▲ 4:29 am ▲ 4:45 pm | Waning crescent |
| Tue 3 | 5average day | 6:40–8:30 am11:00 am–1:00 pm | ▲ 5:50 am ▲ 6:01 pm | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the tide, the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather.
What can you catch in Carrickfergus?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Carrickfergus: small-spotted catshark, whiting, European plaice, haddock and European flounder. October is one of the months when these are seen most: haddock and Atlantic mackerel.
- Small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula · shark · 1,611 records Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Whiting Merlangius merlangus · fish · 1,610 records Photo: Georges Jansoone ( JoJan ) - · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- European plaice Pleuronectes platessa · fish · 972 records Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus · fish · 752 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- European flounder Platichthys flesus · fish · 622 records Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic cod Gadus morhua · fish · 612 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus · fish · 382 records Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Pollack Pollachius pollachius · fish · 338 records Photo: Citron · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Jetty 0.3 mi
- Fisherman's Quay 0.4 mi
- Jetty 0.6 mi
- Jetty 1.6 mi
- Boat ramp 0.2 mi
- Boat ramp 0.4 mi
- Boat ramp 0.4 mi
- Boat ramp 1.1 mi
- Carrickfergus Marina 0.5 mi
- Marina 3.9 mi
- Woodford Fly Fishery 0.9 mi
- The Bait and Tackle Hut 2.3 mi
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps.
Artificial reefs and wrecks to fish from a boat
Artificial reefs and wrecks draw fish, so they make good spots to fish from a boat. The nearest ones, within 16 mi.
Check the rules before you go: some have closed seasons, protected zones or banned gear. Wreck and reef positions are approximate and not for navigation; a wreck’s depth runs from the top of the hull to the seabed.
Wrecks: EMODnet Human Activities (AND-International), from UK Hydrographic Office data, CC BY 4.0. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Tide: 2 to 3.5 points in the hour before and the hour after each high and low tide. Spring tides (high coefficient) score more, because the water moves faster.
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 3.4 of 5, moon 1 of 2, coefficient 1.5 of 2 and lineup 1 of 1; the weather multiplies the rating by 0.83.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules in Carrickfergus
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing in Carrickfergus
What's the best time to fish in Carrickfergus today?
4:50 pm to 5:50 pm, with the 6:10 pm low tide, moonrise and sunset, though with rising pressure. Today's rating: 6/10 (average day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in Carrickfergus?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: 6:40 am to 7:40 am, with a rating of 6/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in Carrickfergus?
Friday, October 30, at 6/10. Its best window is 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm.
What can you catch in Carrickfergus?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Carrickfergus: small-spotted catshark, whiting, European plaice, haddock and European flounder. October is one of the months when these are seen most: haddock and Atlantic mackerel. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in Carrickfergus today?
Major: 12:46–2:46 am and 1:17–3:17 pm. Minor: 10:34–11:34 am and 4:55–5:55 pm. Solunar activity today: high.
Does the tide affect fishing in Carrickfergus?
Yes. Today high tide is at 12:04 pm and low tide at 5:54 am and 6:10 pm, with a tide coefficient of 85 (average tides). The hours around each tide change tend to fish best, because moving water carries food.
How is the rating worked out?
From the tide, the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: rising pressure (+0.41 inHg in 24 h), light offshore wind (6 mph) and calm sea (0.9 ft waves). Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules in Carrickfergus?
Recreational fishing rules in Carrickfergus (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: Northern Ireland Government (nidirect). They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Carrickfergus today
Our own calculation: tide from Bangor (Environment Agency), sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0). This uses Environment Agency tide gauge data from the real-time data API (Beta): Bangor (E73824), https://environment.data.gov.uk/flood-monitoring/id/stations/E73824. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). Modified: harmonic constants fitted by TidePlanet from the 15-minute sea levels of 2025-10-29 to 2026-10-22 (356 days).