WHILE most anglers have been heading off to marks to the south of the Needles or the Nab Tower area, Shawn Ancill from Blackfield settled for a session just off the West Lepe buoy in the western Solent where he heaved a huge cod over the gunnels.

Ancill (32), was fishing from his friend's small boat "Blue Ice" when the huge specimen, which nudged the scales to a very impressive 32lb, snapped up his squid bait presented on a pennel rig.

Few cod have smashed the 30lb barrier this season, but to catch such a specimen from the Solent is a tremendous feat. It was also the first ever cod that Ancill had managed to land.

Also on the boats, Jason Saunders landed a 4lb 14.59oz specimen whiting from his own boat while fishing over a mark just south of the Needles.

Saunders, a 47-year-old engineer from Southampton, caught the specimen on a whole squid while targeting cod which were conspicuous by their absence during the session.

The sixth round of the Wessex Junior Flounder League held at Baiter saw 14-year-old Hannah Powell from New Milton land a trio of flatties weighing 1lb 8oz for a clear victory. Joe Poole won the midget section with a 15oz silver eel.

A Chesil League fixture held at Abbotsbury produced some excellent sport with Dave Lane winning a section with a mixed haul of pout, dogfish and whiting weighing 24lb 4.75oz.

He was followed by Josh Simmonds and John Linton with 15lb 5oz & 13lb 8oz respectively.

Rob Marshall was the top performer in the B section with 18lb 1.75oz, followed by Ant Buick 12lb 5.50oz and Richard Cleal 11lb 5.50oz.

The top junior was Lee Cullen from Southampton, who is a member of the Shirley club, with 7lb 9.50oz.