It was a hectic time on the match circuit for the first weekend of the eagerly awaited coarse fishing season and there were plenty of fixtures to choose from.

In the York and District Open on the Ouse lack of flow and colour ruled out an early season bream bonanza and only the winner found the famous Yorkshire slabs in any numbers.

Fished on the Red House to Poppleton reaches, Armley's Phil Austin drew opposite the rough field towards Killingbeck and had a cracking good opening hour.

He slipped the landing net under 4 big bream, 3 skimmers plus roach and perch following at intervals before the groundbait feeder and worm delivered a last hour burst in the form of 5 quality bream ensuring a runaway 44.4.0.

Next best Wayne Shillito was one above the barbel hole at Red House and promptly netted 4 bream, the best a 6 pounder, on groundbait feeder and worm caster combination for 20.9.0.

Over on the River Tees at Over Dinsdale low clear conditions made a draw in the faster water swims crucial for success during the Darlington and District Individual Championships.

The pegs in the hundreds below Bowl Hole corner was the place to be with the top trio almost in a line.

Haughton's Ian Hamer came out in front returning a level 24.0.0.

Working the stickfloat through the shallow glide chub dace and perch fell to maggot corn and meat hookbaits.

Peter Rambow jnr opted for the bomb and alternated meat and worm to net 21.15.0 of chub and perch for 2nd place.

Talk of the match 4th place Mick Allen tamed two barbel totalling 16.4.0 and lost another huge fish.

Moving to the Lower Tees Hirst Tackle's Ian Bates notched a convincing early season win around Yarm beating the 72 strong field with plenty to spare when he put 20.5.0 onto the scales in the Yarm AA June Open.

On Lambs streams peg 77, the blockend feeder and maggot tempted 8 chub off farside cover.

2nd place Jimmy Messer located all bream for 12.6.0. A midriver approach on the groundbait feeder and worm caster looked promising with an early bream of 5.0.0 but Jimmy had to wait until the closing stages to add 4 skimmers, pegged opposite Whitehouse Farm.

Back to the Middle Tees Thornaby AA staged their Derek A Lea Memorial at Croft. It was left to veteran North Yorks angler George Pierce to show the rest how it's done.

George once rated by the late Trent legend Frank Barlow to be one of the finest float anglers used his expertise to grab the spoils recording 8.12.0.

For this new season opener the Tees fished very hard indeed and George at Croft bridge run off had his work cut out locating 3 chub, 2 on the maggot the other to caster backed by a few small dace.

Literally 2ozs adrift came Thornaby's Joe Longstaffe. Staked on the next peg downstream it was a mixture of dace and chublets on the stickfloat utilising both maggot and caster.

Yarm AA Summer Series (1) River Tees Harkers Farm to Wards Lane.

1 D fox (Eden Meadows) 21.4.8. 6 chub perch & roach to pole & caster.

2 R Morgan (Diawa Cleveland) 13.6.0; 3 R Bonas (Marsh Tackle) 13.0.0.

Surprisingly chub shoals on the Swale were still preoccupied with spawning and only pockets of fish responded in the Northallerton & District Non Plus up at Scruton.

Local Paul Bosomworth became the exception when the blockend feeder and maggot on the Horseshoe Top run off accounted for 17 prime chub for a cracking 56.7.0 start to the season.

Fellow rod Neil Johnson followed returning 30.12.0 of chub plus bits on the stickfloat and maggot below the top island.

At Ellerton on the Upper Swale fish were reluctant to feed and other than the first two who both broke double figures, nets were disappointing in the Darlington BT Bambridge Cup.

Shildon's Cyril Close at Killerby swapped between meat and caster on the float landing a barbel of 5.15.0 and 6 chub for an easy 24.15.0 victory from Darlington's Billy Rowell whose chub net weighed 14.10.0.

Idle & Thackley AA Open River Swale Swainby 1 D Graham (Turners Tackle) 19.11.0 9 chub legered caster 2 C Webb (Idle) 4.1.0; 3 C Hardaker (Idle) 1.1.0.

A sell out field of 70 cast off the new season on the River Nidd around Cowthorpe for Bradford No1 AA's Rosebowl.

Pulling out end peg 70 on the famous dog kennels length, Bradford's Adrian Lewis sat motionless until the final 60 minutes when an amazing turn around saw him land 3 barbel and 3 chub all to bomb and wasp grub for a sensational late bag of 23.5.0.

Club official Colin Gallagher was knocked off the top and relegated to runner up spot with 21.7.0.

TROUT ROUND UP

Leighton Reservoir: 188 rods 442 trout. 65 limit bags. Rainbows to 6.0.0.

Derwent: 516 visitors 1888 trout. Best rainbow 6.4.0.

Blackton: 134 anglers 374 trout. Best brownie 6.4.0 and rainbows to 7.8.0. 21 limit bags.

Grassholme: 294 rods 1027 trout. 58 limit bags. Brownies to 5.10.0.

Scaling Dam: 184 anglers 429 rainbows - best to 8.15.0.

Fontburn: 389 visitors 1237 trout including a magnificent rainbow scaling

21.30 caught on float fished worm by Tom Romain of Darlington.

Kielder: 191 rods 540 trout - rainbows to 7.8.0.

Tunstall: Rod average 3.8. Spennymoor's Colin Lowery caught 18 rainbows to 3.10.0. Black hoppers are most successful at present.

Jubilee Lakes Redworth: Rod average 2.4 with rainbows to 17.3.0.