There are but 12 days remaining of the coarse fishing season on our rivers and broads for anglers to achieve a stunning catch to compensate for one of the most long running dreary winters since 1962/63.

Unfortunately, unless the biting easterly winds relent, allowing water temperatures to rise a degree or so, then it is possible the great majority hoping for an explosive finish will instead be lamenting a damp squib ending to a disappointing 2010/11.

But hope springs eternal. During bitterly cold conditions tidal river fish will feed as the days lengthen to provide energy saving them from being swept into the North Sea.

It is known that thousands of silver fish such as bream, roach and perch evacuate their winter quarters in boatyards and dykes off main rivers about now.

This offers a ray of hope for making quality catches on the river Bure at St Benets, Upton and Acle and on the river Yare at Bramerton, Postwick right down to Langley.

The Norwich and District Anglers bank of the river Thurne at Cold Harbour and around the bridges at Potter Heigham can also come good after many thousands of fish that over winter in the boatyard lagoons perform a timely exit this month.

Also the roach and bream located in the Martham boat dyke will enter the river along with the giant pike that have foraged among these prey fish with barely exerting a fin.

The urban areas of the tidal river Wensum in Norwich, the river Bure at Wroxham and Horning are special cases for shoals of silver fish species live there permanently accompanied by numbers of predatory pike.

For boat anglers these areas are an excellent choice of an end of season venue.

On the non tidal rivers the remnants of flood water that affected fishing at the weekend has run off and for chub anglers the prospects are rated highly on the popular hotspots located on the rivers Wensum, Bure, Yare and Waveney.

The chance of a hefty end of season barbel is excellent from any of the recognised stretches at Lyng, Lenwade, Taverham, Drayton and Hellesdon.

Of the main Broads pike may well target Hickling where a monster of 42lbs 8oz was winched out by holiday angler Chris Humphries just a year ago.

However, the less popular Broads such as South Walsham, Ranworth, Salhouse and Wroxham are also tipped as possible hotspots.

Oulton Broad has been popular among pike anglers this winter but alas this prolific venue has hit the headlines for the wrong reason.

Last month three dead pike, one of them estimated at over 30lbs were recovered from Oulton, none of them revealing evidence of suffering from disease or pollution.

According to many caring Broads anglers the numbers of bloated carcasses of dead pike discovered in the rivers, broads and boatyards at the end of every season are unacceptable and one angler who took his boat out on a end of season survey counted more than two dozen remains in the reed margins of the rivers Thurne and lower Bure.

Because of anglers' concern over the diminishing pike populations the Environment Agency wish to assess and examine the factors that could be adversely affecting the species.