Andy Webber rounds up the latest on the local scene

There's only four days to go before the end of the coarse fishing river season, but whether any of us will get the chance to wet a line is doubtful.

Although the weather has been very mild, it hardly seems to have stopped raining since the turn of the year and some of our rivers have been over the banks.

Personally, I like to have a bit of a rest from the rivers during the close season and as I don't normally fish commercials, I will be concentrating on sorting out my fly casting over at Farmoor's Darlow Water.

Stillwaters and canals will be open for those who like to coarse-fish 12 months of the year, but for those who observe the close season, remember you will need to purchase a new Environment Agency rod licence ready for the new river season on June 16.

For those of you who are going to fish other waters like me, you will need one from April.

  • More than 100 anglers turned up at Oxford Brookes University for the Thames Fishery Consultative council seminar, according to one of the national angling papers.

There was a debate on whether carp fishing was killing off angling and the majority of those present thought it was.

Anglers also said they would like to see the proposed new reservoir between Didcot and Abingdon being used for angling.

  • Hadlow College fishery student Chris Ensor, from Surrey, has been concentrating on Linear's Hardwick Lake at Stanton Harcourt and was rewarded with a personal best in the shape of a 39.4.0 mirror carp.

Surprisingly, the fish was taken from a baited area only ten yards from the bank, and I would imagine hooking it so close meant it put up quite a fight.

Chris was using 12lb Krystonite mainline, 15lb Suffrix camo skin hooklink and a size 8 Korda wide gap hook. Attached was a Ant Bait Mighty Meat 14mm boilie.

Still on the big carp scene, Orchid Lake at Dorchester has produced its largest resident - a 37.10.0 mirror - for regular visitor Tony Hammersley, from Poole, Dorset.

He tempted the fish on a Nash Baits Monster Crab pop-up on a mono line set-up.

Tony targeted a silted area about 90 yards out from the bank and after casting his bait had a 24-hour wait before the monster took. The rig was 10lb Daiwa Sensor mono hooklength with a Korda size 10 wide gap hook.

  • If you have any news, views or photos, you can contact me on 01865 725606 or email andrew@webber01865.fsnet.co.uk