WRECKS lying in deep water from the East of Lyme Bay to the West of the Eddystone are providing outstanding pollack wich shows no sign of diminishing just yet.

Paignton's Barry Amer had a run of four specimens, all in the 18lb class, when he fished off Berry Head. Ray Nathan bagged a heavyweight of 20lb 10oz and Mark Nathan a coalfish of 15lb 3oz, a species that seems to be making a welcome return to West waters.

All these catches were in the private boat category. Enthusiasts on Dartmouth's Gemini returned with plenty of pollack in high double figures and a coalfish of 21½lb was the prime catch made by Ian Holman owner; skipper of the Plymouth boat Bounty. Christopher Avery who fished from his own boat Hopeful Lad out of Plymouth had pollack to 20lb 4oz and James Strevens of Torpoint had several in the 20lb class.

Torbay & Babbacombe ASA held its annual awards night at Teignmouth, where Mike Johnson took the Association Trophy for the Best Overall Specimen: a thornback ray of 18lb 3oz, and other awards including the Lang Cup for the Best Cod, a fish of 12lb 2oz.

Sallie Date made repeated visits to the prize table for awards, notably for the heaviest conger – an excellent fish of 74lb 5oz – that gained her the British Conger Club's inscribed tankard.

Nigel Foord collected four trophies for shore and boat-caught specimens, in the former for a small-eyed of 9lb 8oz and a thornback of 14lb 4oz.

The junior section's William Messenger and Catherine Rouse received trophies for fish that included a bull huss of 8lb 9oz and a 4 lb 6oz ballan wrasse. Mrs Lorraine Hunt, representing the RNLI, received a cheque for £430 raised by the annual Christmas Flounder Match from the Teign estuary shore.

The opening week of the new carp season at Crediton's Creedy Manor featured several specimen-size fish. Best out was a 24lb 9oz common by Wiveliscombe's Tim Woodridge.

Onky Webber of Bridgwater got his quest for big fish off to a fine start when he fished black crab boilies two thirds the way up the right-hand bank. Fishing in mid-water depths he had commons of 23lb 8oz and 20lb.

James Wrigglesworth came down from Minehead and took a 19lb common from the boat-house bank and Taunton's Dwain Green who was at a swim nearby had a firm contact with a fish of 19lb 6oz. Cullompton's Patrick Saunders was well rewarded for trekking his gear up to the top lake with a trio of commons, two of them doubles to 17lb 4oz and he had the first green tench of the season a fish of 2lb.

Whiskery Catfish have started to prowl at Paignton's Town Parks. Local rod Dave Osmond fished Peg Six for a fish of 10lb 4oz and went on to take carp of 19lb 5oz, 16lb 2oz and two of lesser weight, all to popped up micro-corn.

Adele Barber had a great day's sport at Peg 14, which produced a beautifully scaled mirror of 14lb 2oz and several more commons around the same weight. Jason Fay was at Peg Two for mirrors of 14lb 12oz and 10lb 4oz.

Pike devotees had incredible sport during the final 'trials' at Bristol Water's Chew Valley Lake. The heaviest of six that weighed more than 30lb was a specimen of 38lb 8oz taken off the East shore by Alan Buckingham, who offered a dead-bait.

He was fishing with his brother and the pair also accounted for predators of 28lb 6oz and 23lb 4oz. A few days later Tony Rideout had a beauty of 38lb 6oz fishing close to Denny Island and TV's Chris Tarrant, ever the coarse fishing enthusiast, had a fish of 30lb 2oz.