The new promoter of the NISA Feeder League on the River Yare, Andy Wilson-Sutter, got the second round going last Saturday after 86 competitors paid their respects to their previous match organiser Keith Ford with a minute's silence.

Even the fish seemed to be subdued and failed to feed with previous abandon in a somewhat staid river.

Morris Mobbs (Cambridge FPS), at peg 114 by the concrete bridge, lifted out a winning bream catch of 32lbs on a standard feeder rig baited with worm and maggot, his fish up to the 5lbs mark.

Will Freeman (Preston Innovations), in peg 99, put 28lbs 14oz of bream on the scales for runner-up followed by Wayne Anderson (DAIWA Angling Direct) with 25lbs 8oz of similar fish.

'On Saturday I realised how much work was involved for Keith Ford staging these events.

'However, thanks to a few helpers, my first effort went quite well and I shall be happy to carry on with the series,' Andy told grateful competitors who were invited to enter a commemorative two-day event on July 16-17.

'The sluggish river slowed down the catch rate, but more than half the field weighed in double figures so it was a fair day's fishing.'

The Suffolk teams of five league fished on the same Beauchamp Arms venue on Sunday proved hard going for the majority; not surprising, considering the angling pressure on this tidal venue has soared since the season opened.

Doug Botley (DAIWA AD Red) was the only man to break 20lbs, chalking up his second victory of the season on this popular River Yare venue with a bream net of 21lbs 8oz taken on the feeder baited with worm and red maggot.

Runner-up was Mick Bartram (DAIWA AD Black) with 19lbs 6oz then Steve Crowe (SONU AD Pink) with 18lbs 3oz.

Top team were DAIWA AD Black with 21 penalty points, but with four rounds complete DAIWA AD Blue and Gold teams are joint leaders with 14 league points.

'Although catches were not quite up to expectations, everyone accepts the venue is fair and we return there for round five next month,' said League secretary Mick Hanks.

The match lakes continued to produce three-figure returns and the top two at Colton were Ray Kent (Oddfellows) with 118lbs 10oz and Chris Cooper (Anglers World) with 116lbs 8oz.

On the club scene James Broomfield topped the Zenith card at Holly Farm with 120lbs 14oz, confirming that the low oxygen problem this venue suffered during the tropical weather has dissipated following welcome rain. Top rod of the Woodbridge club at Abbey Waters was A Whittle with 119lbs 12oz.

Meanwhile, the proposed two-day NDAA midweek festival has been postponed because the dates clashed with Keith Ford's funeral arrangements. Instead, organiser Tony Gibbons will now run a open on the River Yare on Wednesday, July 13 before announcing revised festival dates for next month or early September.

Sadly, another club stalwart has passed away.

He was Ron Gurkless, who was treasurer of the Potter Heigham Sea Angling Club for more than 20 years.

'Ron was only 63, but had been a member of our club for some 40 years and will be missed greatly,' said club chairman Terry Watson.

• Specimen carp were the high-lights of another excellent week at Woodrising Fishery where the heaviest of the year, a common carp just a few ounces short of 30lbs, was reeled in by John Thompson of Hellesdon. Swaffham rod Tom Evans netted a trio of commons on the 23lbs mark and Matthew Swayze of Norwich bagged half a dozen to 22lbs 9oz.

Heaviest fish of the week at Taswood was winched out by Norwich regular Louis Peacock, a common, which tested the scales at 36lbs 5oz.

Another city rod, Ross Leaman, recorded a mirror of 31lbs 6oz and other carp of varying pedigree in the low 20s were netted by Roy Smith (Ormesby), Julian Miller (Norwich), Martain Slatter (Long Stratton) and Geoff Greenaway of Hempnall.

At Waveney Valley, Matthew Spurling of Diss heaved out 11 carp, four of them 20s, headed by a mirror of 28lbs 8oz, and at Taverham Lake local regular Ian Stockley bagged a mirror and a common carp over 21lbs.

Hefty carp appear to be populating all of the main tidal river and main broads.

Ludham angler Mike Browne witnessed a capture of a double figure specimen from the tidal River Bure and huge fish have been spotted basking on the surface of Ranworth Broad.

Meanwhile, tench continue to feed at Bawburgh Lakes, the latest reported by Norwich all-rounder Justin Grapes turning the scales to 11lbs 6oz.

• A number of retired gentlemen practising their culinary arts on a few of the coarse fish they catch say they are not certain which fish the new bylaws allow them to take home.

Under the Water Resource Act 1991 an angler may retain per day one pike up to 65cm in length (Apx 5lbs) and 15 small fish of any species (other grayling) up to 20cm and two grayling between 30cm and 38cm, measurement from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail.

Unlimited numbers of alien zander may be taken and anglers should note that no organisation or individual may coerce or force a captor of a zander to return it alive which is an unlawful act under schedule 9 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.