BLUSTERY conditions didn't stop more than 100 competitors going afloat for the Lymington open species boat competition - and catching pretty good fish.

Top prize in an event sponsored by Lowrance and the Sea Angler magazine was a Lowrance Echo echo sounder worth nearly £800 - along with £300 in cash.

The best specimen fish which won it was caught by Ricky Bonner from Broadchalk, a undulate ray which tipped the scales down to 14lb 2oz, just over 100 per cent of the specimen size.

Bonner used a slither of squid presented on a size 1/0 hook intended for bream. He also collected another echo sounder for landing the day's heaviest fish as well as pocketing £94 in pools. He was fishing from the Lymington based boat Sundance II, skippered by Roger Bayzand.

The prize for the top point scorer in the event was won by Paul Holyoak from New Milton with 49 points. Gary Withers was just one point adrift and Ricky Bonner third with 44 points.

Others: 39, S Batchelor 39, M Jennings 38, R Whitcher and J Sherlock both 36.

Considering the adverse weather conditions the action was pretty good, 51 competitors weighing in undulate rays, thorneback rays, silver eels, smoothhound, wrasse, scad, pollack, dogfish, black bream, bull huss, pouting and bass.

The two-man team event was won by Steve Batchelor and Paul Holyoak with 88 points, followed by R Withers and J Sherlock with 72 and R Bull and R Whitcher with 38.

Of the juniors, 14-year-old Craig Moore from Sway also got among the hounds, landing a fish of 7lb 7oz, while the prize for the best specimen in the junior section was won by Martin Smith from the Waterside with a 1lb 13.5oz dogfish.

Top point-scorer in the junior section was Craig Hopkins from New Milton with 24 points followed by Tom Short 22, M Jones 15, Oliver Hopkins 14 and Sarah Jones with seven.