Weed growth hampering upper river swims

WAVENEY VALLEY: Upper river swims are still more like fishing a lake than a river with little movement and increasing weed growth.

With a mirror-like surface beautiful reflections make a picturesque setting to ease the struggle for more than a few fish. Casters have found a few better specimens, but quality and quantity were the order of the week.

Groundbait has been the kiss of death, with the best bags falling to loose feed and a predominance of chublets and dace. There has been insufficient flow to run off willow flock leading to blocked rod rings, but this has been largely overcome by the use of a pole.

The colour is dropping out rapidly and only the finest of presentations have been anywhere near successful.

July has been a great month for river tench in the past and with the enormous bloom of water snails it is anticipated they will be feeding off the bottom, working their way up stems of weed, tough mouths crushing the young shells. With this bloom of insect life with its water crustaceans it is a fair guess that large hemp seed on the hook will soon come in to its own for the quality roach albeit a month early.

Commercials have had fair results with Marsh Trail and Hedenham producing carp regularly. Bales Nursery Fishery at Ellingham gives settled results.