Great times on the tidal Waveney around Beccles have replaced some droll days on a picky Yare around Loddon where fish consistently refused to feed on the up-tide.

Consequently, with anglers changing venue to bag up the river has responded to the extra bait at Puddingmoor and in the Scores, but the Suffolk Bank down to Boaters has been of the best.

Typical was Nigel Scarle's report: 'Excellent half day yesterday, after work, set up at 2.30 and fished until sun went down over Gillingham, approx 6.15-30. Fished on bend before yacht station, caster and sweet corn for quality roach to 1lb and some about 1�. Some skimmers to mix up the bag to approx 15lb, nice in the sun on the pole 6 to 8 metres and as tide out to 11 metres in centre deep channel.'

Some of the fish now being taken are so heavily black-spotted with the normally harmless parasite (likely resulting from a heron/snail eating cycle) they look almost like a separate species, but this has not affected either their appetite nor fighting quality.

Sunday after 10am the Upper River was a nightmare to try and fish right up to Diss with canoeists descending on the river in droves from Essex, and at times more than 30 craft in a swim at the same time.

Few roach fed and even the hungry perch sought cover under the watercress. At Shipmeadow and Dunburgh it was all action for two to three hours giving good sport from fine fat fish, but they remained almost impossible to get to feed again.

Commercials have zoomed back into popularity with the return of the good weather and plenty of impressive carp catches. Marsh Trail Lakes tench took advantage of the warmer water temperature to feed well in B Pit with five between 4lbs and 7lbs in one float-fished bag on the pole close in to the margins.

Quiet Sports Halesworth lakes' middle lake continues to provide carp to 18lb as demonstrated by local angler Gary Harvey, who amassed a 12-fish catch on flake.