PLYMOUTH'S Paul Voisin, who is a Senior Master Mariner based in Florida, had one of the most remarkable catches of tarpon when he fished Pine Island Sound a few miles inside the famed Boca Grande Pass.

Fishing with medium spin tackle, he achieved four hook-ups with fish estimated to weigh 200lbs, 175lbs, 170lbs and 100lbs. Taking up to 40 minutes to beat, all were safely released back into the Gulf of Mexico.

At this time of the year literally thousands of huge tarpon move through the pass and there can be as many as 200 boats waiting in ambush for the groups of fish to come within spin and float fishing range.

Having a mouth that is extremely hard, only a one in ten hook-up is successful, and even when this is achieved many fish succeed in throwing it during spectacular leaps that can take it ten feet clear of the water.

My best in the pass weighed an estimated 125 lbs, equalled by fellow Conger Club member Roger McDougall when he fished there with former Plymouth charter skipper Tony Allen, who is now running an angling charter business in Florida and is the British Conger Club website manager.

Seventy-four anglers representing countries as far away as Russia and Iceland came to Plymouth to take part in the European Federation of Sea Anglers 'European Species Conger Championship'.

A total of 413 eels to a top weight of 70lbs taken at the Eddystone reef from Scorpion were caught and released during the two-day event fished principally at reef marks.

Strong winds at times reaching force seven prevented visits to deep water wrecks much further out in the Channel but the reef result showed the quality of fishing that exists within ten miles of the coast.

Southampton's Ray Barron, who has won the Plymouth International no less than seven times, and many other top-class competitions including the European Championship ran out the individual winner with a total of 16 fish, one more than a Russian angler, and an Irish competitor filled third place. Russian ladies took first and second places in their section of the Championship and received much applause when they received their awards.

England A which included Barron were the International Team Champions over Russia A and Wales A. Sea Angler skippered by Malcolm Jones was Top Boat with a 94-fish score over Happy Days and Scorpion. This prestigious event hosted by EFSA England is reminiscent of the four European Boat and Line Championships that were fished from Plymouth as far back as 1973.

Competitions such as these bring a vast amount of revenue to the city, but in recent years these events have found a more accommodating home in Weymouth.

Fortunately, Queen Anne Battery and the Mount Batten Watersports Centre are now providing the facilities required and hopefully Plymouth will in time regain its former stature as Europe's Charter Angling Mecca.

The British Conger Club is also using the Marina at Queen Anne Battery over the weekend July 4-5 for it's Championships.