THERE has been a slight improvement in sport as rivers started to slow down and clear after a few days without torrential rain.

A brief cold snap midweek gave anglers a brief respite from hordes of hungry minnows but, by the mild weekend, they had returned.

Roach enthusiast, Charlie Kemmett, spent a few days fishing the navigation carrier on the London AA fishery at Britford, catching several roach from four ounces up to 1lb with the best a larger specimen weighing 2lb 1oz. The main carrier is plagued by shoals of minnows again but get through those and small roach, dace and the occasional chub are being banked.

The fishery's main Avon stretch is fishing fairly well from the top island for chub and dace but downstream only a few swims are fishable as the current remains fast.

Salisbury Angling Club members may well have to change the name of one of their stretches of river following Sunday's club match on the Avon from Stratford down to the city centre.

A length of the river near Fisherton recreation ground, commonly called the “dead stretch” has for the second time this month, produced good bags of fish. Cliff Carbus was pegged on it and he landed a mixed bag of chub, roach and dace weighing a match-winning 18lb – his second victory this month. Pegged nearby was John Nuttall and he was second with 16lb 8oz of mainly roach. There was a tie for third place between Colin Sellwood, fishing a swim on the top field at Stratford and John Burt, fishing near the city centre, both of them with 16lb 6oz. The river had good colour and had slowed down a lot leading to most of the competitors catching fish all along its length.

A 2lb 4oz roach and a specimen 3lb 12oz perch are among good catches from the King's Stream at Ringwood along with decent bags of dace. The Manor Farm stretch on the Stour produced a bream of 8lb.

Fourteen brave anglers turned out for a Silver Match on the Outer Snake lake at Witherington Farm Fishery on Wednesday last week after a night which saw temperatures plummet to minus nine. They had to break the ice to fish, but all 14 caught something. The match was won by Johnny Gray with 4lb 9oz.