THE Yorkshire Winter League draws to a finale this Sunday on the Ouse below York.

The unsettled and eclectic weather experienced this week with gales, snow and record high temperatures for January will, I fear, see the venue carrying an abundance of flood water.

Anglers World hold a four-point advantage over nearest rivals Hirst Tackle and will need to finish lower than fifth of the seven teams not to secure victory.

Winning is everything this year. The league's reduction to the minimum number of sides means only one semi-final qualification place.

Sunday's deciding encounter aside there are no other waters under York control booked for matches.

Top of my pleasure fishing list would be the Aire and Calder Navigation at Pollington where huge numbers of roach continue to shoal in the wides below Pollington Lock.

Last week saw a Selby Open with several 20lb-plus nets and 10lb taken by most of the field.

Not bad when it is available to York book holders. Try to get on pegs 405 to 425 but get their early. If a peg is secured pole and caster at 8-10m is all you need to get those nets bulging.

Fulford Road WMC Icebreakers AC enjoyed a good contest on the canal recently topped by R Walker's 11lb 7oz with roach to nearly a pound.

Mrs A Walker took second place with 6lb 14oz ahead of G Kilvington on 5lb 12oz on P Spaven and P Freed who both had 4lb 1oz.

New rod licence price increases have been kept to the minimum, it has been announced this week. From 1 April, the price of a full licence will increase by £1 and the price of a concessionary licence for senior and eligible disabled anglers will rise by 50 pence.

Full non-migratory trout and coarse licences will increase to £21 and a concessionary licence for senior and eligible disabled anglers to £10.50. Full salmon and migratory trout licences will increase to £60 and concessionary licences to £30.

There is no increase in the cost of one-day and eight-day short-term licences, or the junior coarse and trout licence introduced last year. In 2001, the first year of the junior licence, the number sold to 12 to 16-year-olds has risen by 30,000 to more than 110,000.

Updated: 11:37 Friday, January 25, 2002