SOME quality dace and grayling came to the nets when Salisbury Angling Club's matchmen visited the club's stretch of the upper Avon at South Mills, Amesbury, on Sunday.

Although the river was very low and clear, the lack of too many frosts of late meant there was still plenty of weed about, so fish had shelter and were not spooked so easily.

The club match attracted 28 anglers and weights as high as 17lb were recorded by competitors well down the table. The winning weight of 30lb 12oz of grayling and dace went to Bob Ryan with Malc Pepperill in second spot with 18lb 8oz of grayling. Colin Sellwood was third with 18lb 6oz of grayling and some big dace – all three top weights coming in adjacent pegs below Ham Hatches. Many of the anglers below the top three also landed big dace so despite the conditions, it was regarded as a successful match with the welcome sight of large dace being caught.

It was a different story downstream with anglers finding fish hard to come by, particularly on stretches where there is little weed or shelter. A few dace and grayling have been caught from London AA's Britford fishery but conditions are hard with chub and roach being absent from nets.

Silver fish are coming to the nets at Witherington Farm Fishery but there have been only a few anglers turning out so things have been quiet.

Team Barney's Blacks currently head the table in this year's Teams of Four competition, following the third round at Witherington Farm. They not only won on the day with 30 points, they are also league leaders with 91 points, five ahead of Dandy's K2. Top individual in the third match was Mark Cannings, with 75lb 6oz from the Inner Snake lake. Nick White was second with 51lb 2oz from Cottage Lake and Brett Cooper was third with 49lb 11oz from the Inner Snake.