WAYNE Little's Milton Abbas carp syndicate is usually in top form by the second week in December - but this year it has been almost a month later before anyone has seen any action.

If last week is anything to go by, however, there are some real surprises on the way.

Totton carp ace Lee Hankins has been through a quiet spell in recent months in the UK but finally turned the corner with fish of 19lb 2oz, 25lb 7oz, 27lb 12oz, 30lb 9oz and 30lb 9oz.

Both the thirties were caught above that weight for the first time, with the two-tone Linear at 30lb 9oz, up from its previous best of 28lb and the Village Idiot up from its previous best of 27lb 8oz, also at 30lb 9oz.

The 27lb 12oz fish was Doris, up from its previous best of 24lb 1oz, while a fish that has not been caught for six years since being stocked at 5lb surfaced at 25lb 7oz.

Carp farmer Andy Parker produced the shock of the week when landing Broken Pecs at a massive 44lb. The fish was stocked in March, 1997, at 3lb 8oz and was last out in January, 2004 at 27lb 2oz.

Others for the week included fish of 16lb 8oz, 17lb 8oz, 20lb 12oz and 22lb 4oz for Steve Nash-Whiteway, a 16lb 10oz common for Martin Head and 17lb 4oz common for Chris Gillett.

Darren Jones also produced a surprise in the shape of a 21lb 6oz mirror not recorded since September, 1998 at 10lb.

With the male fish steadily putting it on - Broken Pecs at 33lb was up 5lb 14oz - the lake's biggest fish, the Melbury Common, Houdini, the Horse, Lucky, the Baby Common and Super Pup are eagerly awaited on the bank.

Isle of Wight carp waters were at a virtual standstill, without a carp angler in sight on Monks Pool and Blackwater and it was left to Southampton angler Mark Roberts to be rewarded for his pilgrimage to the Island for a brace at 19lb 14oz and 19lb 10oz from Rookley Park.

Broadlands Lake again saw plenty of good pike action, with the fish fry feeding in the Boat Bay and Blackwater Corner. Luke Hatch from Totton fished peg 21 for nine fish to 13lb, while David Gray took 11 fish to 16lb 4oz from the Boat Bay. Best fish of the week at 20lb 7oz fell to Andy Roberts of Brighton from the Blackwater Corner. Carp syndicate member Derek Maidment had a brace of carp at 13lb and 17lb 8oz from peg 28.

Longbridge continues to produce nice bags of carp with Dave Turnbull of Southampton fishing peg 23 on hair-rigged pellet over pva bags to land 11 carp, including doubles of 12lb 8oz and 11lb.

Steve Golding of Eastleigh fished 24 hours on peg 21 to land 12 carp, including ghosties of 17lb 4oz and 15lb 8oz on halibut pellets.

Nick Hall of Portsmouth fished peg 40 on corn and worm over pellet on the canal for a 60lb-plus mixed bag with seven carp to 6lb, 25 tench to 3lb, seven crucians to 1lb and 10lb of silver fish.

Best pike of the week from Waldens Farm was a 16lb 10oz from Bishops Lake on a ledgered smelt. Ian Jones of Eastleigh also did well on Bishops, taking a brace of perch at exactly 2lb 6oz each on chopped worm.

Abbots saw Daniel Evans of Amesbury take 28lb of roach on waggler and maggot, along with a 9lb ghostie, while, on Popes Lake, Horasio