A FORMER turkey farmer from the New Forest has turned his attentions to worms - all £10,000 worth of them.

Daily Echo sea angling correspondent Chris Clark has retired from his poultry business which has given him the time to organise the World Shore Angling Championships along Chesil Beach at Weymouth.

It is only the second time that the prestigious event has been held on English shores and Chris - a former world individual gold medallist - has the task making the four-day event work like clockwork.

Included in his brief is the job of finding enough rag worm and mackerel to keep more than 100 anglers from 15 different countries going for the four days - the bill for that alone if in excess of £10,000!

It has taken Chris, from Sway, two years to plan the event on behalf of the National Federation of Sea Anglers. He would dearly love to join his England colleagues to defend the title they won in Portugal in 2003 but cannot take part.

"Fishing is going to be superb," predicted Chris. "If the conditions are calm then I am expecting the gold medal to be won by England or Portugal. If the conditions are rough it will be between Wales, Belgium and England.

"The Welsh fish Chesil a lot anyway. They are not very good at catching garfish but they are very good with dogfish and pouting and that sort of thing."

Chris, who possesses more world Championship medals than any other person in world fishing history, including four team golds, is in charge of around 30 volunteer marshalls who will patrol a two-kilometre stretch of beach to impose the stringent measure and return rules.

"I have ten zone commanders who come from all over the country," Clark explained.

"They are senior match anglers who know what the set-up is. Then I have 20 other stewards who are all experienced anglers."

Anglers are allowed just one rod and three hooks each but a spare rod can be rigged and ready to go when necessary and contestants are only allowed to enter the water when they are reeling in a big catch!

And, down at Weymouth at least, size will really matter between September 27 and October 1.

The fish, which will be returned to the sea once measured, must be over 18cms from tip to tail to count - each centimetre thereafter giving the angler one point plus ten points for the catch.

And, apart from the spectators who are expected to turn out in numbers, it will be a quiet affair as no talking allowed by contestants - unless it is to the steward or an appointed manager.

In the list of rigid rules - printed in English, French and German - there is also an allowance made for the unlikely event of one fish being caught by different anglers at the same time. "If two competitors hook the same fish in the mouth the fish will be disqualified!" say the rules.

Don't miss Chris Clark's sea angling in the Echo every Tuesday.