ANGLING access to the Great Yarmouth control bank of the prolific tidal River Yare between Rockland and Langley is to be extended and strengthened.The Environment Agency (EA) has announced funding has been allocated to upgrade these tidal embankments where low-lying margins that are often flooded are to built up and made safe for anglers to fish from, writes Roy Webster.

ANGLING access to the Great Yarmouth control bank of the prolific tidal River Yare between Rockland and Langley is to be extended and strengthened.

The Environment Agency (EA) has announced funding has been allocated to upgrade these tidal embankments where low-lying margins that are often flooded are to built up and made safe for anglers to fish from, writes Roy Webster.

On completion, another 20 or more fishing spaces will have been created to accommodate an ever-rising number of anglers returning to the rivers. Last week the EA's local fisheries officer Graham Gamble and Yarmouth's secretary and match organiser Keith Ford met on the bank to hammer out the final blueprint.

This will secure the future of this important fresh water club and the popular angling tournaments Ford organises on a venue that many competitors describe as the best in the country.

This season attendances at Ford's Saturday League series are well up on last year. And with more bank coming on line next season the first class fishing that has produced for nominal catches of bream and roach is certain to expand interest.

Since the season started in June, bream returns have averaged between 30 to 40lb. The new roach match record for the River Yare was 58lb 4oz, heaved out by Malcolm Runacres last month which made banner headlines in the national angling publications.

Great Yarmouth's former international angler Dave Docwra spoke for many local tidal river enthusiasts last week when he described the River Yare development plan as “marvellous news”.

He commented: “Keith Ford is rightly excited by the EA's initiative. The River Yare ether side of the Beauchamp Arms without doubt is a credit to all those who have made this river bank available,” he declared.

That analysis was clearly ratified last Saturday when the league winner Will Freeman weighed in 35lb 5oz of bream and roach. Runner-up rod Finch put an all roach catch of 31lb 5oz on the scales followed by Chris Kelly with 29lb 15oz.

Elsewhere local anglers wrote an indelible mark of success on the results sheets. One of Yarmouth' top women anglers, Marion Mancini, won at Mill Farm on Thursday with 62lb 12 oz and Gorleston jolly boy Ray Kent chalked up a 91lb winner there on Monday.

Other results: Browning/Pownalls (Cobleacre): C Gladding 45lb 2oz, W Anderson 36lb, G Jones 25lb 7oz.

Sportsmans open (Burgh Castle): M Bunn 34lb 2oz, R Silverwood 32lb 12oz, L Arnold 18lb 6oz.

Paul Day memorial (River Bure) C Cooper 12lb 3oz, D Bryden 12lb 1oz, M Brown 8lb 10 oz (�360 raised for air ambulance)

Sportsmans (Burgh Castle): J Hammond 19lb 12 oz, C Leonard 14lb 8oz, R Silverwood 13lb 4oz.

Bank holiday catches of carp were excellent at Hall Farm Lake, Burgh Castle. Top fish was a 26lb common among an 11 fish hall for Yarmouth's Vince Seago, Kevin Steward of Belton had an eight fish bag including a 25lb 6oz common while Gorleston rods Steve Aldous and Shaun Geary landed 61 fish between them for a joint aggregate of nearly 400lb.