The kinder weather has seen a terrific improvement in the fishing at Chew Valley with both boat and bank anglers enjoying some fantastic sport with fish coming to many methods and patterns from most areas of the lake.

Nunnery, Woodford, Walley and North Shore have all seen fish close in near the shore giving bank fishermen plenty to fish for.

Limit bags have come from all these areas mainly on bright lures fished fast or nymphs and buzzers fished very slowly.

Boats have found the fish in similar spots but when the conditions have been favourable the main body of the lake and around the Island has been very productive with plenty of resident fish feeding.

Last week saw more big browns being caught, the best being a fine 13 lb 7 oz fish taken by Gary Morris on a coral booby fished on the surface in Villice Bay.

Roger Hemmings also found the bigger fish taking a brown of 7 lb 14 oz and rainbow of 5 lb 12 oz in an eight fish limit bag. These fish were taken from a boat at North Bank.

It was a much better week at Blagdon. Although anglers have been seeing fish for some time they have been difficult to tempt. Last week the fish were still staying close to the shore but have been a little easier to catch.

Dries and emergers have worked well as have buzzers fished on under a bung.

The biggest fish so far this season was captured when Andrew Lyons took a fine 8 lb 4 oz rainbow fishing from the bank with a black buzzer.

Roger Meadowcroft took another large rainbow of 6 lb 12 oz fishing from a boat.

Barrows also had an excellent week. All the lakes are fishing well but No. 3 seems to be the favourite.

Many anglers have done well on nymphs and emergers but when the conditions have been more difficult the mouse has still been taking fish.

Chew produced a total catch last week of 1254 fish averaging 2 lb 3 oz topped by a brown of 13 lb 7 oz and rainbow 5 lb 12 oz with 81 limit bags. At Blagdon 819 fish averaging 2 lb 6 oz were taken topped by a brown of 4 lb 14 oz and rainbow 8 lb 4 oz with 45 limit bags.

The Barrows yielded 265 fish averaging 1 lb 8 oz topped by a brown of 3 lb 4 oz and rainbow 2 lb 4 oz.

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Weights were below their best in the Landsend Fishery Saturday Open match but were fairly even. Top honours went to local star Gary Wall with a carp catch weighing 57 lb 14 oz taken on short pole fished paste.

Martin West of Landsend took runner up spot with a carp catch weighing 46 lb 3 oz taken on pole fished pellets.

He was followed by Richard Bass of Landsend with a mixed catch of carp and silvers weighing 40 lb 10 oz taken on pole fished pellets.

Dave Sawyer of Landsend with a weight of 32 lb 6 oz of silvers clinched the silver fish award. 4. Dave Sawyer Landsend 37 lb 14 oz; 5. David Westcott Landsend 32 lb 10 oz; 6. Andy Oram Dynamite Baits 31 lb 4 oz.

The Dynamite Baits match fished at Stoneyard Fishery produced some excellent sport. Top honours went to Pete Sivell of Dynamite Baits with an all carp catch weighing 98 lb 7 oz taken on long pole fished paste.

Andy Curry of Dynamite Frys MG took second prize with another carp catch weighing 86 lb 9 oz taken alternating with pole fished paste and pellets.

Jason Bird of Dynamite Frys Mg clinched third prize with another carp catch weighing 52 lb 13 oz taken on pole fished pellets.

Other placings: 4. Chris Wills Daiwa BAC 48 lb 2 oz; 5. Dave Hodgson Dynamite Landsend 41 lb 8 oz; 6. Mike Fergusson Dynamite Frys MG 38 lb 7 oz.

Viaduct Fishery was again in tremendous form for the Open event with carp feeding ravenously. It was dream day for Mark Preston of Sensas Viaduct who had a runaway win with an excellent all carp catch weighing 212 lb 1 oz – more than double the weight of his nearest rival – taken on legered pellets.

11 year old Lewis Greenwood of Viaduct Young Guns showed a clean pair of heels to all the other competitors to take second prize with a carp catch weighing 105 lb 3 oz taken on legered pellets.

He was followed by Mark Illingworth from Southampton with a carp catch weighing 104 lb 2 oz taken on pole fished pellets.

The silver fish prize went to John Greenwood of Thatchers Tackle with a weight of 32 lb 10 oz. Other placings: 4. Clive Davies Frampton RBL 91 lb 1 oz; 5. Roland Lucas Frome Haines AC 86 lb 6 oz; 6. Lee Moore Bath 70 lb 11 oz.

The Wilts Angling Open match fished at Viaduct Fishery produced some excellent sport with carp again feeding well.

Top honours on the day went to Tony Gilbert from Melksham with an all carp catch weighing 177 lb 1 oz taken on pole fished pellets.

Jamie Smith from Frome pushed him all the way to finish a close runner up with a carp catch weighing 170 lb 7 oz taken on pole fished paste.

He was followed by Matt Skyrme of Trowbridge with a carp catch weighing 117 lb 7 oz taken on pole fished pellets. Other placings: 4. Dave Luke Frome 105 lb 10 oz; 5. Robin Guy Melksham 97 lb 13 oz; 6. Sean Rhodes Trowbridge 91 lb 9 oz.

The Wednesday Open match at Viaduct Fishery again produced big weights with carp again feeding well.

Top honours with to Tony Gilbert of Wiltshire Angling with a carp catch weighing 161 lb 14 oz taken on pole fished pellets. Steve Jackson of Garbolino took runner spot with a carp catch weighing 145 lb 7 oz taken on pole fished pellets.

He was followed by Lee Moore of Bath with another carp catch weighing 105 lb 10 oz also taken on pole fished pellets.

Competitors enjoyed good sport in the Wilts Angling Open evening match fished on Thursday at Rood Ashton.

Gary Etheridge from Devizes carried off top prize with a carp catch weighing 90 lb 5 oz taken on pole fished paste for a narrow win. John Atkins from Trowbridge was a close runner up with a carp catch weighing 88 lb 13 oz also taken on pole fished paste.

Jamie Smith from Frome took third prize with a carp catch weighing 75 lb 0 oz taken on pole fished paste. Other placings: 4. Sean Rhodes Trowbridge 47 lb 12 oz; 5. Darren Fordham Devizes 30 lb 0 oz; 6. Tony Gilbert Melksham 28 lb 0 oz.

Competitors found mixed sport in the Airsprung evening match fished at Rood Ashton on Friday.

In form Dean Adams of Bradford chalked up another fine win with a carp catch weighing 101 lb 13 oz taken on pole fished pellets for a runaway win.

Mark Poppleton from Trowbridge took second spot with another carp catch weighing 64 lb 4 oz taken on pole fished paste.

He was followed by Bill Turner from Trowbridge with a carp catch weighing 40 lb 14 oz taken on pole fished pellets. Other placings: 4. Richard Whitmarsh Frome 33 lb 12 oz; 5. Kevin Hanson Trowbridge 27 lb 10 oz; 6. Paul Veal Trowbridge 12 lb 0 oz.

Competitors also found mixed sport in the Frome Victorians match fished at Landsend Fishery on Saturday, Top honours on the day went to Jamie Stevens from Street with a carp catch weighing 59 lb 0 oz taken on pole fished pellets.

John Ogden from Glastonbury clinched second prize with a carp catch weighing 47 lb 2 oz also taken on pole fished pellets.

Steve King from Frome took third prize with a carp catch weighing 46 lb 6 oz taken on pole fished paste. Other placings: 4. Jerry Miller Frome 24 lb 12 oz; 5. Pete Kirby Frome 20 lb 0 oz; 6. Phil Baskerville Frome 14 lb 12 oz.

Weights were fairly even in the Wilts Angling Open match fished at Todber manor on Sunday. Top honours on the day went to Mark Lesley of Blandford with a carp catch weighing 94 lb 4 oz taken on pole fished paste.

Nick Johns from Trowbridge clinched second prize with a carp catch weighing 91 lb 0 oz taken on pole fished pellets. Terry Fell from Devizes took third prize with a carp catch weighing 82 lb 0 oz also taken on pole fished pellets.

Other placings: 4. Pete Neate Holt 72 lb 0 oz; 5. Sean Rhodes Trowbridge 71 lb 2 oz; 6. Jason Mills Gillingham 63 lb 0 oz.

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Future events:

Friday June 5: Airsprung match K & A Canal Avoncliffe

Thursday June 11: Bathampton Over 55s/Disabled match at Hunstrete Lake

Friday June 12: Airsprung match at Rood Ashton