A poor weather forecast which later proved inaccurate forced Plymouth angler and charter skipper Aaron Lidstone to settle for a wreck closer into the coast than he would otherwise have chosen lying further out.

However, once again it proved unnecessary to go beyond the sight of land for a spectacular catch.

The hulk gave up a superb conger estimated by length to be 87lb in weight, pumped up through 36 fathoms by Lidstone himself, who had on board his boat Happy Days Clive and Christopher Way.

It was a good result for them as they had conger to 60lb, the best by Chris, and Clive reeled in one of the heaviest ling recorded for some time a specimen of 30lb. Pollack and cod in double figures were also accounted for by the trio.

Hopefully, conger in this class will feature strongly in the 42nd Borough of Torbay Sea Angling Festival, which begins its nine-day run this week.

Big eels, the heaviest 101lb by a visiting competitor, have won this prestige competition no less than four times in the past ten years.

Entry to the festival is through a brochure obtainable at Torbay area tackle shops and the fee for the whole run is £35 or £5 per day.

Postal entries must be accompanied by a SAE of 75p to Paul Vaggars. 83 Harbourne Avenue Paignton TQ4 7EQ.

It is a real bargain as the whole prize list is worth over £14,000.

The captor of the best overall specimen will pick up a cash prize of £650 and the best fish from wreck, shore and the inshore boat category will win their captors £325 prizes. There are 52 trophies each with a prize plus day and other awards.

Weigh stations at Paignton SAA Brixham SAC Breakwater Club hut, and on the Torquay Harbourside, will be open each evening from 7pm to 8pm.

The Two-Day Wyvern Division national small boat championships occupies the first two days of the Torbay Festival and this event can be entered from 7.30 am each day at the Festival HQ, Salcombe Youth Hall, at the entrance to the main car park.

£2,000 worth of prizes include Fish-finder and GPS electronics. Entry fee is £8.50 per day or £14 for both.

It will cost an additional £10 for the use of the Harbour Authority's trailer park and launching facility.

Camborne AA's open bass championship is scheduled for 5pm on Saturday through to the scales at 7pm Sunday. Entry points from 12pm to 5pm include most of the principal tackle shops in West Cornwall. First prize is £100 for the best specimen.

Continuing a competition- full September is a qualifying heat of the CFSA Shore Championship for the Western Morning News Cup, organised by Carnhell Green, over the weekend September 25-26, and on the same dates Tintagel SAC are staging an open event.

Shore anglers have had a level of success at marks on both sides of the South West peninsula. Unattached rock angler Glyn Jones made contact with an excellent pollack of 7lb 2½oz at a North Cornwall coast mark and beaches have given bass to 7lb.

The Cornish Federation's best bass to date, a fish of 9lb 3oz 2dr has been recorded by Pete El-Balawi, a member of Trenninick Tavern SAC, and the organisation's shore championship is being led by Truro City SAC's Simon Toms, who has a ten-species score well in advance of his nearest rival.

The equivalent boat championship is a close-run thing between Looe SAA's Bob Pollard and Truro City SAC members Andy Butler and Adrian Hill. All three have recorded ten different species.