DESPITE WARM weather, quality cod continue to figure from wrecks southwest of the Needles.

Local builder Charlie Draper from Southampton caught this 23lb beauty, pictured above, from the Lymington-based Sundance II, skippered by Roger Bayzand - on a twin tail lure, rigged on a lead head jig fished close to the bottom.

John Delaney from Fareham easily won the junior open boat contest held out from Langston. The youngster finished with a 23lb 4oz mixed bag. Darryl Green caught 8lb 15oz. They were fishing from the boat Torbay Belle.

The day's heaviest fish was a 7lb 4oz smoothhound bagged by Joshua Sizer while Matt Keiller picked up the prize for the most species - smoothhound, ballan wrasse, black bream, poor cod, pouting and mackerel.

Top performer on the second boat, Starfish, was Fred Austin, with 17lb, ahead of Zac Cairns, with 16lb 4oz. Heaviest fish was a 12lb 8oz smoothhound bagged by young Austin. Twenty youngsters went afloat in the event organised by John Trapmore and Adrian Carter.

Bass and flounders provided the action during the fourth round of the Hansfords Junior Beach League, at Wicor. Aaron Hayter won with 14 fish worth 178 points (the event was fished to a catch-and-release system). Runner-up was Dan Pope, with seven fish worth 92 points. Macauley Pope had five fish worth 87.

Matches in the series are open to any juniors. There are three left, the next set for August 22 at Fareham Creek. Hansfords' Claire has details (01329 280213).

The Wessex Division of the National Federation of Sea Anglers latest junior fish-of-the-month awards, sponsored by Hansfords at Fareham, go to seven-year-old Brad Smith, of the Lymington club, with a 6lb 10oz smoothhound beached along the Solent's northern shoreline, and runner-up Alex Bridge, 15, Bournemouth & District SAA, with a 1lb 5.oz sole beached at Hengistbury Head. Tom Short (Lymington), came third with a 1lb 15oz flounder from the backwater behind the Milford Shingle bank.

All eyes will be on the Lymington & Pennington sea wall on Saturday when the Wessex Division of the NFSA Champion of Champions seniors shore championships will be staged in conjunction with the Lymington Summer Open which also doubles as the Wessex National Guernsey qualifier.

Fishing time for all three events are from 7pm to midnight with registration under way from the Lymington clubhouse at 5pm.

Tickets for the Lymington Open are £10 for seniors and £3 for juniors plus a two-man team event. There are no hidden pools.

The weight-for-length system will be used for smoothhound which will be measured and released at the point of capture.

The summer open winner gets an expenses-paid trip to Guernsey for the national finals along with ten other regional finalists.

Competitors entering the Champion of Champions fixture, which will see the top angler heading off to the finals in Alderney, should note that the event will be run to the traditional weigh system. They will also have to draw for their zone, as with the competitors entering the summer open.