THE second week of the pike trials at Chew Valley has seen more extraordinary fish taken.

Steve Kiff took a beautiful specimen of 35lb 4oz on a smelt from the Stratford area and Pete Gregory had a 33lb 8oz beauty from Villice on a mackerel bait.

Woodford Bank produced a 30lb 4oz fish for William House, who was fishing from a boat with a dead bait and who crowned his day with another specimen of 23lb.

Andrew Cowley landed a 26lb 14oz specimen; Richard Barnes a 23lb 9oz fish and Phil Wakeford a fish of 22lb 4oz. Five fish topping 30lb have been taken this season.

The Wednesday open match at Ivy House fishery, near Chippenham, produced reasonable sport with carp making up the weights.

Ivy House matchman Simon Jones won with a carp catch weighing 45lb, taken on long-pole fished pellets on a 14 hook. Runner-up was Dave Bacon, of Bath, with another carp catch weighing 31lb, also taken on pole-fished pellets on a 16 hook.

He was followed by fishery manager Jo Warner with a carp catch weighing 23lb 10oz and Julian Heaven, of Chippenham, with a carp catch weighing 19lb 8oz.

Competitors in the Airsprung Sweepstake enjoyed reasonable sport on the canal at Hilperton on Sunday.

John Atkins, of Trowbridge, won with a catch of small roach, skimmers and perch of 5lb 1oz, taken alternating with pole-fished punched bread and red maggots.

Similar tactics gave second prize to Dean Bird, of Bradford, with a roach, skimmer and perch catch weighing 4lb 13oz. Steve Southern, of Trowbridge, was third with a mixed catch of roach and skimmers weighing 3lb 6oz, taken on pole fished red maggots and casters.

Other placings: 4 Paul Rigby, Trowbridge, 2lb 9oz; 5 Roger Green, Trowbridge, and Richard Stainer, Trowbridge, 2lb 1oz.

Small fish made up the weights in the Calne match at Hazeland on Sunday.

Martin Dolman, of Calne, won with an all-gudgeon catch of 4lb 15oz, taken on stick-floated red maggots on a 20 hook.

Trevor Payne, of Chippenham, was second with a mixed catch of chub, roach and gudgeon weighing 4lb 5oz, taken on feeder-fished red maggots on an 18 hook.

He was followed by Paul Cadogan, of Calne, with another all-gudgeon catch weighing 2lb 3oz, taken on stick-floated red maggots on a 20 hook.

Other placings: 4 Rob Bullock, Chippenham, 2lb; 5 Tim Carr, Calne, 1lb 12oz; 6 Guy Manners, Calne, 1lb 5oz.

Fish were hard to tempt in the Wilts Angling open match fished on Sunday on the Avon at Staverton.

Aubrey Gumm, of Trowbridge, won with a mixed catch of small roach and gudgeon weighing 5lb 7oz 8dm, taken on pole-fished red maggots on a 20 hook.

Paul Cooper, of Melksham, was second with a catch of small chub weighing 4lb 8oz, taken on waggler fished red maggots on a 20 hook. Vic Abbott, of Trowbridge, was third with a mixed catch of roach, chub and gudgeon weighing 4lb 3oz, taken on waggler-fished casters on a 20 hook.

Other placings: 4 Colin Gittings, Trowbridge, 3lb 4oz 8dm; 5 Dave Bancroft, Trowbridge, 3lb 2oz; 6 Dean Adams, Bradford, 3lb.