FLUCTUATING temperatures by day and by night continue to make conditions difficult for anglers.

The new year has started much the same as last year ended, with sport sporadic on rivers and fairly difficult on lakes.

Some stretches of the Avon and Stour are producing quality fish including a 17lb barbel from the Stour at Manor Farm, a 7lb 4oz chub from the Avon at Lifelands and roach to 2lb from Winkton.

King's Stream, near Ringwood, is surprising anglers, who are catching good bags of roach up to 16lb a sitting, while further large chub to just over 6lb have come from Lifelands.

By far the heaviest fish so far this year is a huge 49lb 12oz carp from New Forest Water Park, between Fordingbridge and Ringwood.

A roach of 1lb 8oz and another two ounces lighter were caught from the London AA stretch of the Avon at Britford but generally anglers have struggled.

Club water-keeper, Stuart Wilson, said conditions had been hard for several weeks and what is needed is some settled weather and steady temperatures.

Salisbury Angling Club's open match on the Avon and Nadder on Sunday was not an easy one for competitors as both rivers had risen overnight and were very coloured.

Unusually, the Avon fished the better of the two, giving Eastleigh angler Brett Cooper the top spot with 23lb 2oz of chub from the Deanery Meadow. Ringwood's Gary Haskell had a nice second-place bag of roach for 12lb 12oz from a peg near Salisbury Leisure Centre, Pete Mills (Melksham) was third with 12lb 2oz from Stratford and Salisbury's Malc Pepperill came fourth from a swim nearby with 11lb 12oz.

About 30 anglers took part in a match on the Inner and Outer Snake at Witherington Farm Fishery on Sunday and, while the top few weights were reasonable, others struggled.

Kev Downer won the competition with 54lb 2oz, Ray Kelly was runner-up with 51lb 11oz and Graham Tappenden was third just an ounce behind him.