Top billing this weekend is taken by the Acomb Tackle York Winter League which should see a healthy field contest the first major match of the year on the Ouse below York.

Recent weather conditions will hopefully not lead to a repeat of the last round cancellation when flood waters raged through the vale of York.

A change from Arctic conditions to a milder, wet and windy picture brought an influx of icy melt water last weekend that heralded some dire returns with ounces winning a number of contests.

Warmer water should prevail this week and I predict a good contest for the 100 or so eager competitors.

The likely state of the river means that bream and skimmers will undoubtedly have a major part to play in the outcome of round four of the perennially popular series.

Pegs below the Donkeywoods sand have fished well for skimmers of late with the pumper and paddock on the Fulford bank also proving consistent.

At the mid-point of the League, York Tackle top the standings with 30 points after two consistent performances ahead of their nearest rivals Cochranes Shipyard on 26 and Bar Six on 25.

At Paradise Fishery, Melbourne Simon advises that plenty of fish are still on the move despite the conditions. On Pond One catches comprised largely of rudd and skimmers but with a smattering of tench and crucians thrown in for good measure.

Fine lines, small hooks and sparing loose feed over maggot or pinkie on the hook are the tactics that have been providing the best catches.

Pond Two has also fished well given the awful weather we have had.

Two nice carp have been netted this week, the best being a cracking common carp that nudged double figures. The 9lb 12oz beauty was banked by Osbaldwick youngster Nicholas Metcalfe and is the biggest fish of the 15-year-old's short angling career.

Both this fish and another of 9lb 6oz taken the same day fell to maggot fished fairly close to the bank on light pole rigs. The same tactics are also accounting for fair numbers of silver fish.

Pegs on the jointly administered Aire and Calder Canal around Pollington are in top form this week now the thaw has set in.

Roach in particular are tightly shoaled in the area between the lock and the bridge and a pleasure catch of 20lb or more is a real prospect this weekend.

Another recently de-frosted hot spot is Rawcliffe Lake which made it into the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week. Now the ice that nearly claimed the life of a local schoolboy has disappeared the anglers are back on the banks and are reaping the rewards of the fishes enforced New Year fast. Bread is, as usual, the top performing bait. A midweek visit revealed good numbers of chub in the 12oz to 1b 4oz class adding a pleasing variety to otherwise roach dominated catches. The water level is very low at present and anglers targeting the deeper water with waggler tactics seem to be taking the biggest bags.

Updated: 10:07 Friday, January 17, 2003