EVENTUALLY there has been an improvement in sport as the River Avon has started to provide some decent fishing.

The river has by no means reached its potential, but the last week has seen a huge improvement in catches.

Roach expert, Charlie Kemmett, bagged 75lb of mixed species - including some quality roach - from the London AA stretch at Britford and Salisbury Angling Club's match at Downton was won with 25lb, featuring a specimen perch and a few heavier chub.

Kemmett's big bag of roach, dace and chub, came from the carrier stretch at Britford and included roach to 1lb 8oz.

The carrier is fishing far better than the main river now, producing roach up to 2lb 1oz. One stretch of the main river that is fishing quite well, though, is the island at the top end of the fishery and from here anglers have been banking decent bags of dace and small chub. The lower end of the fishery has produced some bigger chub up to 5lb 4oz from slack areas of water.

Salisbury club's match anglers don't often visit the club's fishery at Downton, known as the White Horse stretch, so the weekend's competition was of interest. At least the Avon had started to improve and the match produced a specimen perch at 2lb 8oz and a 5lb 2oz chub. Chub made up the majority of catches and there was a noticeable lack of roach and dace.

Steve Brown won the match, taking nine chub for 25lb 5oz from the lower end of the fishery. Second and third places came from the top end with Mick Keynes landing seven chub for 18lb 3oz and Cliff Carbus four chub for 12lb 2oz. The only other species caught was one roach of 14 ounces and a small grayling.

The carriers off the main river are also fishing well in the Ringwood area with the King's Stream producing bags of around 15lb of dace and roach.

Other carriers are fishing well for dace. Some hefty pike have also been caught, a 21lb specimen from Winkton and another of 18lb from Horseport.

Fishing has been hard and slow on the lakes, however, and there have been few pleasure anglers out at Witherington Farm Fishery. But, one angler had a couple of doublefigure carp from Barnmoor Lake. A weekend match on Sellwood lake was won by Pete Newman with 62lb.