Topcroft fishery towards Hempnall is still retaining a good head of silver fish worth fishing for, according to Joe Beckham, the veteran's organiser. Several of his cohorts bagged double figures through patience and skill.

Bungay President Richard Patrick enjoyed a silver fish trip too and nailed 18lbs of bream. Making a welcome change from virtually carp only dominated venues several local commercial fisheries now offer a good alternative range.

Best among the smaller venus is Bales Nursery Fishery at Ellingham, where this week bags knocking on 20lbs were taken of brilliantly coloured rudd and plump roach to the pound.

Broome Pits has also been a shining beacon for good mixed bags with the B Pit giving up some magnificent roach nearing 2lbs. These have been young, well developed fish that appear to have plenty of growth left in them by their colour and scale size as opposed to the older darker fish of D Pit.

Meanwhile, there were three carp taken over 20lbs recently with the best at 27lbs 3ozs on a maple boilie. With a bag of 10 good bream all hopes are starting to focus on A Pit near to the gate for the annual tench bonanza as soon as the weather stabilizes and the early indications of empty swan mussel shells begin to appear around the edges of the pool. This is the one day ticket fishery where the chances of a 10lb tench are extremely good with a bream to that size on the menu too.

The whole reach of the river disappointed throughout its entire length with the best catches lodged on just under 10lbs for the day.

While this may seem very acceptable it is nowhere near the last couple of weeks' boom time at Beccles and Bungay that has been seen as the norm, especially considering the heightened flow and colour of late. Even the quay played up with no bites some days or just a few ruffe but one lucky person landed two nice 5lbs tench amid the famine. Those who were lucky enough to be able to range further afield in a boat found more fish below Boater's Hills with some quality roach takling the tare. Down the river at St Nicholas Everritt Park, Oulton Broad, pole anglers fishing 11 metres, managed to get the roach and skimmers feeding on casters to bag up with 35lbs plus. A day on the feeder off the corner, with a very long cast saw proper bream decide to feed and a good 60lb bag was taken by local man John Stanton on worms with most of his fish verging on 5lbs.

Loddon Quay came good on a high tide as quality roach moved in pushing out them mini-fish shoals which have been present for weeks. The most downstream swim at the end of the boat moorings, at Pyes Mill, Loddon, on the Chet, produced 35 lbs of perch to 3 lbs 3 ozs on a day spent fishing lobworms and spinning a small green lure for Peter Walsh from Norwich with five jack pike taking the bait too.