Following last Sunday's successful start to Acomb Tackle Winter League anglers will be hoping for similar fortunes on the Ouse below York on Sunday.

The Xmas Cheer match has been sold out for several weeks, bucking the recent trend of falling attendances, and extra water had to be sought to accommodate the eager competitors.

Bishopthorpe and Acaster club stepped in and their water at the Bridge Field will be included.

With a vast array of prizes up for grabs only a modest bag will be needed to secure some festive goodies.

The river is in its normal winter condition, carrying around three feet of flood water!, and should ensure that catches of bream and skimmers will bag the spoils.

The bream were well distributed, if a little sparce, last week. The top three places went to anglers who were fishing at the Pumper at Fulford.

The only other match this weekend on York waters should provide a curtain-raiser for the big event as Local AC tackle the Palace Ings tomorrow.

The lack of matches provides the pleasure angler with the ideal opportunity to take advantage of an end to foot and mouth disease restrictions. All restrictions have been lifted and all waters are once again open.

The Wharfe at Healaugh could be worth a visit, with plenty of dace and roach being taken on the opposite bank in recent Tadcaster opens.

The deeper pegs towards the weir are favoured with stick float and maggot the best method.

The Derwent at Sutton is also worth a visit, with plenty of roach showing in the deeper water upstream of the weir.

Try a small groundbait feeder with maggot or bread. The fish are also starting to shoal up in the deeper steadier stretch upstream of Kirkham weir.

For the modest price of a day ticket there is excellent sport available, with possible 20lb bags of roach and dace falling to stick or pole with maggot over small helpings of groundbait.

On the stillwater circuit the Oaks at Sessay is still in fine form, with match catches well over 50lb still falling to pole and maggot.

Normans Pond at the Poole Bridge Farm, Wheldrake, complex has seen several bags approaching three figures.

Meat-based baits, especially cat food, are sorting out the better fish, which run well into double figures.

Down the road at Raker Lakes the silver fish in Horseshoe Lake are really going for it, with 20 to 30 lb of skimmers, roach and perch possible. Red maggot fished over caster and chopped worm should soon have the fish queuing up.

Target the deeper water at the bottom of the far ledge for best results.

Updated: 12:45 Friday, December 07, 2001