STEVE GEORGE, the skipper of the Mudeford-based boat Black Jack, has enjoyed a casino-like roll recently.

Huge conger and specimen black bream have been making the news during the past week with the best bream, which weighed 4lb 14oz after it had been cleaned, falling to George.

There is little doubt that the huge specimen, which was full of roe, would have broken the 5lb barrier if it had been weighed when first captured. George used squid presented on a 2/0 hook intended for larger species to tempt the specimen off Christchurch Ledge.

The Bembridge AC and the Island's black bream record also took a tumble when Hugh Rackett fished from his son's 14ft boat over a mark near the Nab Tower where he landed a beauty which tipped the scales down to 4lb 11.50oz. Rackett used a light rod, which he made for himself over 30 years ago to tame the record-breaker.

On the conger front, Steve Bishop landed a beauty while fishing from the Tout at Warbarrow during a club fixture. The conger thumped the scales at 31lb 4oz, and landing a fish of that size by yourself is a real feat of angling, especially when fishing from a rock mark.

Bishop went on to land 20 garfish, three ballan wrasse, one cuckoo wrasse and a brace of pollack together totalling 44lb 5oz to win the event by a canter.

On the Isle of Wight, a 22lb 8oz conger put Spencer Simpson on the road to victory during the NFSA Isle of Wight Division Charity Open which attracted 170 competitors and raised £330 for the Kerry Green Trust.

Spencer went on to land a couple of smaller fish to give him a winning weight of 26lb 5oz to collect the £200 top prize. The runner-up, who collected £100, was Jamie Currie with 12lb 10oz, followed by Kerry Egerton with 11lb 15oz. Steve Cooke was also smiling all the way to the bank after beaching a 4lb 6.75oz ballan wrasse to land £150 for the best specimen. The ladies' prize went to Sharon Painter with 3lb 15.75oz, while Arthur Bradbury won the junior section with 3lb 8.50oz.

Flounders, pouting and silver eels supplied limited action during the Paige's Open shore competition held along Hayling Island where Dave Ware from Havant won A section and the match with 3lb 14oz.

Runner-up in the section was Reg Clough from East Woodyates followed by Mike Delaney from Fareham with 3lb 3.50oz. Ben Assariti won B section with 3lb 6oz followed by Chris Clark from Lymington 1lb 14oz and then Ryan Whitcombe with 1lb 13oz.