Good times are rolling again for conger hunters at the offshore marks.

Top eel reported was a fish of 74lb taken by a visiting angler Chris Holden, who was aboard the Plymouth charter boat Sea Angler II out in association with the brand new Torpoint-based Tamesis II.

In addition to conger, cod in the 20lb class, spurdog to 12lb, pollack nudging 17lb and ling the heaviest 27lb by Stewart Donaldson made up a memorable double charter.

Brixham SAC conger aces, John Heather and Lee Piddington, who can both boast of 'ton up' captures, were over a wreck in Lyme Bay that gave nine eels to 65lb all being released.

Much of the hot shore action is in the Westward Ho! area of North Devon where smoothound have suddenly become numerous.

A specimen of 14lb 13oz fell to Plymouth Rodbender's Mark Bryce and many more in lower double figures along with bull huss have also been accounted for during the night hours.

A big 'bully' of 15lb 16oz was captured by Plymouth Castaway's SAC member Jeffery Brownlow during a session from his own boat Desert Star at a mark off South East Cornwall's Rame Head, the fish was a personal best and a new club record.

The latest issue of the Angling Trust Newsletter carries a feature on the proposed arrangements for policing controversial Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) now moving through the later stages of the setting up process.

Involvement will include the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and others, but the inclusion of the Royal Navy will surely come in for heavy criticism.

It begs the question who is going to pick up the tab for this totally unnecessary exercise from a recreational angling point of view, in these times of great economic constraint?

Exmouth Deep Sea Fishing Club in association with the Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club is offering a Best Specimen prize of £250 and many more awards in a competition to be fished on Saturday, July 3 from Exmouth Docks.

Entries must be in by June 26 to Lee Pearson. Telephone him on 07809321516.

Pentewan's Oli Evans continued his expansive carp season with a 14 fish session at Crediton's Creedy.

The 172lb aggregate featured ten commons in double figures to 23lb 2oz and during a later evening session five of which three of over 20lb were banked.

St Austell's Mike Body had a great day's sport during which he took nine carp no less than five of them weighing 20lb to a best weight of 24lb 9oz.

The heaviest fish a common of 27lb 4oz fell to a visitor from Oxford, Lesley Bush who achieved a new personal best and before the session ended she had brought in several more to 14lb 8oz.

The heaviest rainbow recorded by South West Lakes Trust Trout Fisheries was a 6lb 4oz beauty taken at Kennick by local Bridford angler Bob Jones who fished a black buzzer from the bank.

Fish of 5lb 8oz and 3lb 5oz were part of a limit bag made from the bank in Clampitts Bay by Plymouth's Kevin Mildren, who offered a small orange and white fritz lure. Siblyback is fishing reasonably well and the best was a 6 lb rainbow (Westlake – Crafthole) taken on a buzzer and a 5lb 5oz fish fell to a viva (Evans – Plymouth).