Anticipation that a big gilt head bream would appear at the scales following Camborne AA's annual open shore festival was more than fulfilled when Mounts Bay Angling Society member Gary Woolcock arrived with an outstanding 8lb 1oz 8dr specimen.

Although, the mark was not divulged it was almost certainly taken in the Hayle estuary an area now synonymous with this much sought after semi-exotic.

Scoring almost 216 per cent it had no rival in the result sheet but this was of quality with the first seven placed fish all scoring more than 100 per cent.

The junior category winner was Kieren Faisey of Mounts Bay who had a thick-lipped mullet of 3lb 8oz 4dr. Cornish shore angling is showing considerable improvement. In a match staged by Carnhell Green SAC, Camborne AA's Alan Rule had an excellent pollack of 7lb 6oz 1dr and pleasure fishing the club's Graham Johns registered a lesser spotted dogfish of 3lb 9oz 7dr. His club demolished Carnhell in an inter-club match so retained the Bill Ireland Trophy.

Big bag carp specialists enjoyed top-flight action at Crediton's Creedy Manor. Jonathon Soanes of Cullompton who is the lake's record holder had 22 fish in his single day session fishing the aerator swim, the fishery's most fancied and productive that had an aggregate of 343lb.

Local rod Mike Izzard had two notable sessions in his week of big fish. The first yielded 15 commons of which three weighed better than 20lb to a best weight of 23lb 5oz worth 249lb and the second 18 fish that made a total bag of 274lb.

The honour of the week's biggest individual common, however, went to Helston rod Paul Bassett who fished the top of the right-hand bank for a trio of 20's topped by a superb specimen of exactly 28lb.

The action continues to be good at Paignton's Town Parks Fishery where the lake's catfish are putting up a good show.

Heaviest to come out was a fish of 23lb 4oz by Plymouth's Mike Watkins who fished Peg 15 with crayfish and mussel boilies tight to the margin. Several bites were missed before the big cat took on. Locally based Jared Lewington tempted a specimen of 21lb 2oz with a spicy fish boilie offered from Peg 6 but success took over fifteen minutes to achieve.

Barnstaple's Tony Roberts fished a strawberry boilie from Peg 12 and found a cat with a sweet tooth of 20lb 3oz and backed it with a common carp of 22lb 3oz both coming from mid-water.

In the warmer conditions the Specimen Lake's big catfish will become even more active and two of the really big ones that are known to be in residence could be tempted to take a bait.

A new 12-lb class World Record for the Tarpon has been set by a junior angler Thomas Evans who was fishing off Pine Island near Fort Myers. He was engaged for two hours ten minutes after the 194lb 8oz giant took the brown toad fly. This outstanding fish exceeded the previous record by 17lb set off Homosassa Florida in May 1994.