The Acomb Tackle York Winter League draws to a close this weekend when around 115 anglers will contest the finale on the Ouse below York.

River levels are unpredictable at present but the contest seems certain to go ahead with bream and skimmers the likely quarry.

Bradford-based Wibsey Angling look to be favourites for the coveted team title with a nine-point lead over nearest rivals Barlby Village Stores. A further point adrift are Bar Six who may have an outside chance in the event of any major slip-ups.

The latter team's Carl Pringle sits at the top of the individual league with the chasing pack having it all to do.

There are no other matches booked on York waters for the weekend which will be the final chance to tackle the rivers before the season closes.

With the rivers having been in permanent flood for the last month picking a venue is tricky, but the Derwent at Sutton is always reliable at this time of year where some quality roach and dace shoal in the deeper steadier water upstream of the weir.

On the same river the day ticket stretch at Kirkham offers some suberb fishing in spectacular surroundings. Dace are the target species with feeder or bomb outscoring pole at present in the increased flows.

On the still-water scene Tollerton Ponds are fishing well with good mixed nets to waggler, or pole if the wind permits.

Things are starting to warm up at Carpvale as the bigger carp waken from their winter slumbers.

Anglers now have a choice of quarry with all the bigger fish gradually being transferred to the recently separated Cyprio Lake. Smaller fish will remain in the old lake.

At the Willows plenty of carp around the pound mark are showing on Goldrush along with ide and orfe.

Raker continues to fish well for silver fish. Although carp are still tightly shoaled around pegs 21, 22 and 30 the smaller fish can be targeted pretty much anywhere with pole and maggot over chopped worm attracting plenty of bites from skimmers, roach and perch.

The Environment Agency is to undertake a scheme, which will help future grayling stocks throughout the country.

The project started as a request from the Agency's own national coarse fish farm at Calverton in Nottinghamshire.

They were searching for a good source of high quality grayling to use for brood stock and Yorkshire's grayling are some of the best in the country.

As a result Agency fisheries' officers from York will spend a day on the River Dove, near Helmsley, catching and selecting a total of 80 suitable fish, 40 of each sex.

These fish will then be transferred to Calverton where they will be allowed to to spawn before being returned to their home waters unharmed.

Staff at Calverton will carefully nurture the resulting eggs, which could be well over 100,000 in number.

The resulting young fish will then be used by the Agency to improve stocks throughout the country following pollution incidents, or to boost stocks following improvements in water quality or habitats.

A selected number of the fish will be stocked into the River Dove to cover the numbers that would have survived naturally, if the 80 fish had been left to spawn in the river.

Shaun McGinty, Agency Fisheries Management Officer, told the Evening Press: "We are more than happy to work with our colleagues at Calverton.

"We have known for many years that the grayling in Yorkshire's rivers are of the highest quality and by carrying out this exercise these fish can be used to benefit many other fisheries throughout the country for many years to come."

Updated: 12:06 Friday, March 08, 2002