A PIKE angler fishing a small lake near Ibsley has caught what is probably the largest carp ever caught on a lure in Britain.

Christchurch Angling Club member Adam Martin was pike fishing with a lure at Tompkins Lake, Ibsley, when he hooked into what he thought was a large pike.

His pike turned out to be a massive 46lb 4oz mirror carp, which had taken his lure as he retrieved it close to a tree on the lake edge.

The same carp had been caught a few days earlier when it snaffled some floaters.

Adam had caught a pike in the mid-20s a day or so earlier and had decided to have another go to see if there were any more large pike in the three-quarter-acre lake.

Two salmon, one at 25lb and another at 23lb were taken from the Avon last week from Ibsley Pool on the Somerley Estate.

Pete Dibden landed the smaller fish first last Thursday when he took a three-inch black and yellow brass tube fished on a fast sink line.

The next day he returned and took the 25 pounder at the same spot and using the same method.

But, the heaviest salmon to date came from the Avon on the Royalty fishery at Christchurch weighing in at 28lb.

With plenty of water in the Avon salmon are now entering the river at Christchurch in numbers and making their way upstream.

Hopefully the full river and good flow will encourage them to move right into the upper reaches.

Trout anglers at Avon Springs, Durrington, are using buzzers and pheasant tail nymph to tempt good-sized rainbows, with 8lb 6oz the best one re-ported from Willow Lake and 7lb 10oz from Club Lake.

A tench of just under 6lb and a perch of 3lb are among the highlights from Witherington Farm Fish-ery over the last few days.

Plenty of skimmers, the odd carp while the big tench and perch both came from Barnmoor Lake.

A match on the Snake at the weekend was won with 38lb.

Good news for disabled anglers from the Environ-ment Agency.

Almost three million people who receive Disability Living Allowance in England and Wales are now eligible for a half price fishing licence.

From April 1 the agency has extended the disability concession, which used to cover only Blue Badge holders with severe mobility problems, to include all people receiving Disability Living Allowance.

The agency hopes that by extending the concession more disabled people will be encouraged to take up angling.