WAVENEY VALLEY: In the upper river it has been back to the deeper water of the bends for a roach bag of any size as the fish begin the shoaling process.

It is a good walk to the bottom of Bungay's Outney Common but this Cherry Tree AC water (available on day tickets from the caravan site nearby) produced the goods in two places.

First the mighty Finches Well double bender yielded a 23lb bag of roach up to 6oz on the pole before the shallow straight. Down at the Pink House, trotting did not just throw up 14lb of roach but alongside them five chub between 2lb and 4lb plus.

Caravanner Peter Riches from Northolt, landed a 2lb 3oz perch on lob worm. Returning next day to sort out the pike that had intermittently hassled him from the start tearing into fish being played, and properly equipped, he took the main offender on a jigged sprat, and returned it to the water weighing 24lb 11oz alongside two others at 13lb and 17lb.

Other good pike catches came from opposite the concrete drainage outfall on Geldeston Dyke and from the next bend up where on this free fishing live-baiting, as an increasingly unpopular process, is still permitted and is the life-blood of anti-angling organisations.

An increasing cormorant presence here indicates a substantial amount of shoal fish and amazingly anglers witnessed two cormorants endeavouring to attack a huge swimming dog otter venturing into its regular patrol area which eventually left the water for refuge.

The Beccles Quay and Marina opened on Monday, November 1, and the veterans' weekday matches may have some doubt over their future ability to take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Anglers are advised to be wise and keep a sharp eye open as dredging for deepening starts at the narrowest upstream part soon and may disrupt access to lower down.

Early results indicate there is much improvement to come with mini fish present in hordes but good quality fish still out in the mainstream of the river.

Add the colour from the works when they start and a skimmer bonanza could be on the cards.

Broome Pits continues to produce quite staggering results for day ticket visitors and the purchase on the bank has been well rewarded.

From B Pit it has been weighty bream contributing to bags in excess of 80lb on the tip, and in the Central C Kidney Pit – name the silver species and you will catch it.

Fat bellied rudd full of colour around 10oz and roach of the same stamp too feed well on the caster.

Bailiff Keith Brown has all the latest information on silver fish from his trips round.

Smaller commercials are settling down nicely with their convenient accesses and handy parking a boon for the older angler or laid back lazy-bones who can catch within a few strides of their car.

This applies too for pre-bought day tickets for Harleston Club's Middle Pit and the Cherry Tree AC Lay-by Pit.