A top tournament angler has heaved out the heaviest match catch of the year so far from one of Norfolk's most popular venues.Retired waterworks rodman Stephen Rouse chalked up a total of 124lb 12oz of carp from the Mill Farm Lake, Great Ellingham, on Monday, writes Roy Webster.

A top tournament angler has heaved out the heaviest match catch of the year so far from one of Norfolk's most popular venues.

Retired waterworks rodman Stephen Rouse chalked up a total of 124lb 12oz of carp from the Mill Farm Lake, Great Ellingham, on Monday, writes Roy Webster.

He winched out fish to 8lbs tempted on a variety of hook baits including sweetcorn, pellet paste and luncheon meat.

“It did not seem to matter what I put on the hook, the fish kept coming,” he told fishery boss Derek Beales who said he expected more heavyweight catches now that the carp had finished spawning.

At the Barford Fishery Belton-based Bob Bradford fishing under Yarmouth Pownalls banner won the midweek Barford open with 119lbs of carp, beating by just 8oz his nearest challenger Stuart Bracey of the Dynamite Baits squad who totalled 118lb 12oz after one of the most tense duels on this popular match water.

The Sam Hook League match fished in the river estuary on the Gorleston Bend was won by Geoff Stannard of Harleston with 3lb 3oz of mainly eels, the runner-up Gorleston's Paul Tovell with 3lb 1oz.

At club level Stephen Rouse hit top spot again with 89lb 15oz to win the Wagglers outing to Melton Ponds and other local club results were: Stalham (Willow Lake): Pete Warren 56lb 8oz, Paul Gardiner 27lb 9oz, Rodney Patrick 24lb 2oz. Yarmouth Sportsmen (Weybread): Dave Docwra 18lb 14oz, Mick Bunn 16lb 10oz, Sid Huggins 15lb 9oz. Lacons (Railway): Kelvan Brown 39lb 3oz, P Nicholls 38lb 2oz, J De'ath 24lb 3oz. Caister Ship (Colton Lake): Nick Page 73lb 14oz, Alan Waldron 42lb 12oz, Michelle Page 26lb 14oz.

At Sandy Riches' Hall Farm Lake, Burgh Castle, excellent carp catches were reported with Gorleston anglers enjoying terrific sport Steve Aldous netted a dozen specimens to 17lb 1oz, Daniel Gracey bagged a quartet to 22lb 4oz and Paul Wright reeled in half a dozen to 21lb 7oz.

Following a crackdown by the Environment Agency on licence dodgers last year permit sales showed a healthy increase for the 12 months ending March 31, 2008. Licences issued for full adults, pensioners and disabled, juniors, eight-day and one-day for the Eastern Area of the Anglia Region which includes the Broads, totalled 97,398 - an increase of 5,419 over the previous financial period.