A brace of potential record-breaking fish have been caught by Ernie Cuthbertson during an Ashlett SAC shore competition at Lepe's deep water section.

Cuthbertson landed a superb specimen sole which weighed in at 3lb 10oz and cracked the club's record which has stood since 1969.

He caught the record breaker on a size 2 hook baited with ragworm and tipped off with a sliver of squid.

Apart from the huge sole Cuthbertson, who comes from the Waterside, also landed a brace of black bream for a total weight of 4lb 14oz to win the event by a canter.

The runner-up with a red mullet, one black bream and a silver eel was Steve Pitman followed by Ralph Pitman with a solitary black bream.

Chris Bailey from Calmore, Totton, a member of the Lymington club, was also on the record-breaking trail when he targeted a mark along the western side of the upper reaches of Southampton Water where he landed a huge thick-lipped mullet which weighed 9lb 8oz.

The superb specimen sets a new club record as well as a NFSA Wessex Division regional record.

Bailey was targeting mullet with a bubble float with a 6ft long trace armed with a size 4 carp hook baited with a large floating crust.

Some quality bass have also figured on the local scene with Eric Johnson from Milford-on-Sea beaching a brace of beauties from the Hordle Cliff section weighing 7lb 6oz and 8lb 10oz.

The 38-year-old ground worker used mackerel presented on a 4/0 pennel to tempt the pair of predators during an evening flood tide, after weighing they were both returned alive.