WAVENEY VALLEY: Prompt service from the Environment Agency under the control of top field officer Graham Gamble allayed fears that low dissolved oxygen levels were occuring on the stretch below Wainford Weir down to above the weir at Ellingham.

With early morning dog walkers reporting large shoals of fish congregated on the surface at both points and no water coming over the weirs it was worth investigating.

Indeed, there were to be 300-400 dace seen and in another spot 'thousands' of fry up to 2 inches congregated.

The number of roach below the weir in the pool at Wainford had to be seen to be believed, seemingly having come from up to a mile from downstream. However, by noon tests gave the waters the all clear. It is worth noting that at a number of venues on the Waveney there are shoals sitting right up at the surface, namely at the Falcon Meadow and even below Ellingham on the tidal reach. This comparatively new habit has been explained by the EA as being possibly due to massive hatches of insect food such as daphnia and water shrimp on which they are gorging.

The big shoal of large bream which had been resident for several years at the point of Three Rivers at Dunburgh appears to have turned up in new quarters. There are miles of the Waveney which hardly see a line cast over them because they are often not club controlled or are a tidy old walk to get to. Above the tidal Shipmeadow is such a place and these Marshes have produced a pair of 11lb fish to a Gt Yarmouth specimen hunter laying out his boilies for carp and what is more his estimated size of the shoal at low tide, when visibility was excellent, ranges to around 40 fish up to 14lb.

Harleston, Wortwell & District AC Club waters have been in excellent form again with the Middle Pit (available on Tackle Shop Day Tickets) producing seven bags over the 100lb mark in the week and the majority of these fish have been 12lb to 16lb although one angler's were all in the 6lb to 8lb range. Well out from pegs 11-14 with the Pellet waggler and the pole near the rushes end margins close to the Car Park have been the in spots and methods.

An unusual catch for Broome Pits was the cat fish credibly reportedly caught by a carp angler in the square D Pit. This amazingly fast and furious growing fish was reported as captured weighing 4lb on Friday, but it had grown to 5lb Saturday, and an incredible 6lb by Sunday. However more stable catches came on cat meat from the central Kidney Pit where it took eight large Common Carp weighing between 6lb and 9lb by Timothy Wade of Great Yarmouth from peg 3 and his pal had five around the same size from peg 1.