For such an early stage in the coarse fishing season there are relatively few bookings for York waters this coming weekend.

Of the ten contests reserved, half of them are on stillwaters leaving just five matches on the whole of the river network. What this says about the future of match angling on the Ouse and Derwent I am not sure but a large pair of rose-tinted spectacles would certainly be required to summon much optimisim.

The match angler's loss is to the advantage of the pleasure angler with such previously sought after venues such as Beningbrough Park and Stamford Bridge free to all year book holders this weekend.

Some early barbel have been reported from the Park with the usual hot-spots producing to caster, corn or pellets fished over hemp. A good net of chub to 4lb was also taken from the famous roots peg with a far-bank maggot feeder doing the business.

Chub and dace are still shoaled in the shallower stretches of the Derwent where they seek out the better oxygenated water downstream of the numerous weirs.

Stamford Bridge is the current form venue with the day ticket water in the town centre particularly productive. Lower downstream the pegs between the road bridge and the viaduct are turning some nice nets of roach and dace to stick and maggot or caster with a few chub adding interest and several barbel hooked and lost.

Mayfield Grove Pond in Dringhouses was fishing well when I dropped in this week.

The fish seem to love the surface layers at this budget-priced urban oasis with a couple of anglers getting a bite with chuck fishing casters on the drop.

Small chub and roach were the main culprits but tench were also showing a liking for the upper levels too. One angler who was getting among the better quality tench had tried all the usual baits with limited success until he hit on a winning formula of mussels.

The Environment Agency has just put the finishing touches to a two-year project to restore fish habitats on the River Wharfe at Weeton, North Yorkshire.

This section of the River Wharfe has been shallow, wide and channelised with virtually no instream habitat for fish for many years and also suffers from extreme flow conditions and bankside erosion. This meant that very few fish lived in the section and angling was very difficult.

The Agency teamed up with local angling clubs and landowners to try to restore fish habitats.

As a result of the project, 30 large limestone boulders have been placed within the section of river to provide areas of refuge for fish during spate conditions, and also to provide areas of differing flow conditions to encourage fish to spawn successfully.

An upstream facing 'v'-shaped rock weir was also incorporated into the scheme to constrict the width of the river, thus increasing the flow through the section.

In addition a length of approximately 500metres of the left bank was fenced off to create a 'buffer zone' alongside the river to further encourage plant, insects and other wildlife and to help reduce bankside erosion.

Chris Wilcock, Environment Agency Fisheries Officer said: "The Wharfe is a very popular fishery with some excellent fish stocks.

"However, due to river management practices in the past this section was lacking vital habitat. By carrying out the project we hope to attract fish, such as chub, dace, grayling and trout as well as other wildlife back to this particular stretch of river. This in turn will greatly improve the angling amenity.

"We are very grateful to the landowners and angling clubs involved for their co-operation in carrying out the project, which will benefit not just this section but other sections of the Wharfe."

Weekend bookings

Saturday

Local - Fulford and Palace Ings

Shepherds - Kirkham Abbey

York CIU - Park View

York GPO - Claxton Pond

Sunday

Acomb WMC - Poppleton

BRS - Laybourne Lakes (Browns)

Clifton Hotel - Claxton Pond

Pudsey Royal - Tockwith

White Rose - Laybourne Lakes (Marley 27 to 53)

Updated: 08:43 Friday, July 02, 2004