THE long-standing Avon roach record has been broken with a massive 3lb 15oz specimen caught last week at Ibsley.

The roach was one of three 3lb-plus specimens caught by an unnamed angler who is a regular customer at the Avon Angling Centre in Ringwood.

He visited the Avon at Ibsley on Sunday last week and caught a roach of 3lb 6oz. He returned on the following Tuesday and caught a roach of 3lb 8oz before hooking the record-breaker.

His fish beats the old Avon record by one ounce and is only five ounces below the British record which is held by the 4lb 4oz roach from the Stour.

Big roach are definitely in the news because a trio of specimens have also been taken from a private stretch of the Avon in Salisbury weighing in at 2lb 6oz and two others topping 2lb.

It has been an interesting week as two bags of quality grayling have been taken from the Avon in Amesbury, a sea trout was caught in Salisbury and there have been sightings of salmon in and around the city.

A member of Salisbury Angling Club caught a sea trout from the Avon in Salisbury last week - which is a rarity so far upstream - and several anglers have reported seeing quite a few salmon moving upstream both in the Avon and Nadder, in and above Salisbury.

The quality grayling were caught during a Salisbury AC match on the Avon at Lord's Walk, Amesbury, on Sunday.

John Munday fished the top peg near the A303 road bridge and caught a winning bag of 14lb 8oz of big grayling. Steve Brown was second with 8lb 8oz also made up of a few big grayling. The top and bottom stretches fished well but competitors on the centre pegs struggled.

Weights were down slightly in a match at Witherington Farm Fishery on Saturday and only Cottage Lake fished reasonable well. It is thought the cold rain lowered water temperatures and put fish off.

Nick Merry won with 49lb and John Gray was second with 42lb.

Some big pike have come from Waldens Farm Fishery with Don Farthing catching three for 31lb 12oz from Bishops Lake to legered lamprey, the heaviest at 18lb 4oz.

Mark Bishop was fishing for perch with float-fished lobworm when a ghost carp of 15lb 4oz snaffled his bait.

On Abbots Lake plenty of pike from all pegs to 14lb with John Stoddart taking the lake's best at 17lb. Carp have also been showing with Terry Greenstock taking one of two 14 pounders caught with other anglers landing carp to 13lb.

Skimmers, roach, rudd and chub from Monks Lake and Popes Lake while Sunday's match on Deacons was won by Shaun Franks with a mixed bag weighing 30lb 1oz.

Roy Wallis was runner-up with 25lb 2oz and Gordon Tedd was third with 22lb 14oz.