A CRACKING brill weighing more than 6lbs was the icing on the cake for Basildon angler Mick Toomer when he boated 23 sizable turbot and three decent brill during a short trip to the Channel Islands.

The trip almost fell foul of the gales, but after a day’s delay the wind eased enough for skipper Paul Whittal to get his Weymouth-based charter boat Offshore Rebel across to Alderney.

Even then the journey took three hours longer than usual.

But the following day the wind had dropped enough to get out to the favoured sandbanks where Toomer landed eight sizable turbot to around 8lbs and two decent brill.

The following day the weather was even better, with Toomer boating 11 good turbot and the big brill.

And the next morning Toomer added another four turbot to his tally in a few hours’ fishing before the boat set off back to Weymouth.

The fish were all taken on the drift with frozen mackerel baits proving just as effective as fresh mackerel or live sandeels.