Roy WebsterThe fabulous River Wensum in Norwich relinquished staggering catches of bream for city anglers at the weekend. On Saturday well-known Norwich match ace Steve Borrett enjoyed five hours of terrific sport pleasure fishing from the Riverside Turning Basin where he heaved out an estimated total of 70lb of slabs from the river in ideal conditions following almost a week's rainfall.Roy Webster

The fabulous River Wensum in Norwich relinquished staggering catches of bream for city anglers at the weekend.

On Saturday well-known Norwich match ace Steve Borrett enjoyed five hours of terrific sport pleasure fishing from the Riverside Turning Basin where he heaved out an estimated total of 70lb of slabs from the river in ideal conditions following almost a week's rainfall.

"The river was perfect for bream fishing and the surface was already fizzing, a sure sign the fish were feeding.

'I made my catch on maggot and caster, I netted about 30 in all up to 5.5lb and David Roe who joined me later was still catching when I left," recalled the Earlham Silvers club member.

Those catches were made on Saturday before the rain clouds returned the following day.

Undeterred, members of the Earlham Silvers Club sat through the deluge and those same Saturday hotspots produced excellent bags to over 30lb.

On the strength of those returns Tony Gibbons is staging an open match on Saturday, 10am-3pm (01603 400973).

"I am starting later in the day so that anglers who have to travel some distance do not have to rise at some ungodly hour in the morning for the usual 8am start," he explained.

With water temperatures now on the rise match catches on the lakes are also rising.

Davis Shailes (Wisbech) bagged the best of the week with a 77lb 15oz Railway winner, while earlier in the week Jim Randell (SENSAS) won on this venue with 34lb 4oz having already won at Cobble Acre with a similar haul.

Local boatyard lagoons were on splendid form for the Stalham club members where mixed bags rose well into the teens.

On the Willow Terry Gray won the Oddchaps with 40lb 7oz and Paul Edwards headed the Wymodham card with 45lb 14oz at Abbey Water.

The final round of the North Norfolk Sea League was a grueller at Salthouse. Ricky Haywood managed top spot with 1lb 4oz of flatfish but league organiser Tony Thomas, second with 15oz, carried off the title with 117 points, one ahead of Calvin Read.

Horsey Mere re-opened on Monday for the remainder of the season and pike anglers recorded some decent catches while bathed in warm sunshine.

One of the best specimens was a 20lb 6oz fish from the Mill Dyke area with a number of others in double figures, according to bailiff Derek Applegate. After an enforced winter lay-off carp anglers returned to the water, and the best fish of three twenties for Winterton's Brian Thrower from Waveney Valley was a 28lb mirror.

Regular Barry Martin bagged a brace around 26lb and fishery warden Andrew Goldsmith pitched in with a 25lb fish.

Non-tidal reaches of rivers became unfishable and yesterday the River Wensum overtopped into the flood plains.

At Taverham Mill bailiff Darren Hardy reported the river was unfishable and only one small area of bank around the carp lake was visible.

"Providing there is no more heavy rain this week both the lake and the river will be fishable by Saturday and I expect some reasonable weekend catches," he said.