WAVENEY VALLEY: There is still great fishing to be had at many of the venues around, and the Broome Pits complex continues to dominate the scene. Bailiff Keith Brown reports a 110lb bag of quality bream to 7lb 12oz from B Pit taken by Mr Pinder on his day ticket purchase.

There is still great fishing to be had at many of the venues around, and the Broome Pits complex continues to dominate the scene.

Bailiff Keith Brown reports a 110lb bag of quality bream to 7lb 12oz from B Pit taken by Mr Pinder on his day ticket purchase.

The central Kidney Pit has begun to take on more colour with fish becoming active but the biggest pits here are taking some time for the water to warm up, as are many large gravel pits.

Topcroft consistently provides matches with winning bags of over 50lb and the veteran's backing weights have been good, where clearly age and experience is no inhibitor to performance in the sport - providing there is no long hike involved.

It was good news for the upstream river when the Environment Agency had a proper go at the weeds and the Waveney riverbed near to Denmark Bridge up at Diss last year. Their efforts at turning the waters there away from an almost stagnant mess were commendable.

A view this week makes one wonder just how bad the nitrates problem is in these and the most upstream areas of a mile or two below where the sad featureless re-routed course runs through Blooms of Bressingham.

Here in Diss it is plain to see the amphibious bistort and other aquatic plants already beginning to choke it up again before summer growth takes place. The further one walks upstream the worse it appears. It is a recurring problem over the past 30 years and one clearly not yet solved just these few miles down from its source at Redgrave and Lopham Fen.

Few roach dwell where once the big boys thrived and gone too are the small dace below the bridge on the shallows.

The fleece annual meeting was a full house affair where all officers were re-elected and at their head 85-year-old chairman Charlie Burwood was active and businesslike. With all waters retained but some access points changed, a new set of directions and map are being prepared for members.

Footpath access at Dunburgh is temporarily blocked for walkers due to the BESL flood control work and an update will be issued regarding the fishing but the good news is a widened and levelled path.

Lottery funded opal water survey packs were offered this weekend when on Sunday a most worthwhile two-hour presentation took place at the Whitlingham Flint Barn.

This very well produced effort is directed towards ponds principally to establish nationally the water quality level and record which insects are present. It is an updated and developed advance from childhood pond dipping, but the same magic of what lies beneath the water to interest children is still alive and well.