WAVENEY VALLEY: Still waters are out fishing the upper river with some fine catches.

Both Harleston Wortwell & District AC's smaller pits and the Bungay Cherry Tree's Common Pond have produced dazzling crucian carp looking absolutely perfect and like bars of shimmering gold in the late summer sun.

Small baits laid just an inch on the bottom with a light waggler to detect their delicate bites and a small bait with light groundbaiting so as not to sate their miniscule appetites have been the order of the day.

Sometimes reaching two pounds these pure-bred species, without any mouth barbules, are becoming harder to find as they consistently cross breed with the glut of common carp. Whilst creating a hard-fighting handy hybrid, the imperfect scale pattern looking rather like it is cracked in its even distribution is an indicator of the cross, besides loss of the brilliance in colour.

Apart from the tidal waters, roach are still hard to get to feed in any number around Bungay as the river is still denuded from a reasonable flow and substantial rainfall with a lot of dying debris on top. As much of the streamer weed begins to drop off and sink lower in the water the lack of colour has meant the latest part of the day has been best giving a premium hour or so on the caster, but light tackle rigs have been best.

Bales Nursery fishery continues to satisfy its ardent local admirers with Rodney Rayner taking carp to 8lb regularly on simple baits and several of the caravanners returning to bag up on sweetcorn. This pretty and well-maintained fishery with reasonable depths consistently provides reasonably priced sport with day tickets available at the sheltered lake and has become a dads and lads favourite.

Beccles and below continue to produce good float bags with the dace ever increasing in numbers. For those venturing down into the reeded wastelands with big bags and mighty fish in mind, St Olaves Bridge opens up the path as shoals start to move up from the heavier, wider and deeper wilderness below. First indications of the quality fish available in these little-fished areas, mainly unfishable from miles of the Norfolk-reeded banks, came from the boat of Peter Tallow from Great Yarmouth. Caught near to the Waveney River Centre a 28lb 4oz striking green mottled pike took on an eel section worked across the bottom and stunned his eager eyes. Later in the day a second fish just short of the 20lb mark fell to the same method half a mile down on the stronger run but again hard against the Norfolk reed drawing it along just a few feet from the edge.