Water temperatures are slowly moving up and there's more insect life which will increase steadily by the week now. The highlight of course if the magical mayfly hatches sometime next month - yes trout fishing is stepping up a gear as many anglers visit the region's wealth of lakes and reservoirs.

Trout Scene

Fontburn Reservoir - Best rainbow last week an impressive 13.12.0 which accepted worm presented by Mr J French. Best rainbow so far this season a colossal fish of 26.8.0.

Bait anglers scoring early season but the fly men starting to do the damage with cats whisker and orange fritz.

Top areas the Dam wall and the North bank. 549 rods landed 1191 rainbows. Venue stocked with 1200 fish averaging 1.8.0.

Hury - Anglers having to put in time for their catches but 25 visitors did manage limit bags. P Bentham grassed a specimen brown trout of 8.8.0 while R Cousins took the best rainbow of 5.0.0.

Visited by 306 anglers recording a total of 576 fish; comprising 514 rainbows and 62 brownies. Fish averaging 4 - 5.0.0. Top limit bag 8 fish for 18.4.0 by F Charlton.

Grassholme - 325 visitors recorded 484 fish - 450 rainbows and 34 browns - many fish in the 3 - 4.0.0 bracket. Heaviest rainbow of 5.8.0 went to P Dodsworth while the week's best brownie a beauty of 8.4.0 taken by R Coulson.

The best eight fish bag at 17.0.0 taken by J Musgrave. Seven limit bags recorded.

Blackton - very much hit and miss. A total of 122 rods recorded 229 fish comprising of 189 rainbows and 40 browns.

F Thompson grassed the week's heaviest rainbow 8.4.0 while the best brownie went to J Thomas at 6.0.0. Plenty of fish in the 4 - 5.0.0 bracket with a total of 8 limit bags including the best at 21.0.0 by M.A Gill.

Derwent - 439 anglers produced 1099 rainbows. Average for the week 2.5 with both multi-bait and fly giving good bags.

C Ellison returned both the best bag at 21.0.0 and a rainbow of 8.0.0. Best areas for multi bait Pow Hill and South end of the Dam wall. Methods to try legered worm or sweetcorn and float fished worm.

Millshield Bay and Cronley Bay most successful areas for fly. Deeply fished lures the key at present along with Dawsons, orange fritz and black fritz.

Leighton Reservoir Masham - an excellent week with plenty of fish showing although most taken with weighted lures or intermediate lures below the surface.

Black fritz Dawsons olive doing most damage. York's D Lee grassed a 6.0.0 rainbow while 155 rods totalled 632 trout. 91 limit bags.

Scaling Dam - Milder weather bringing fish on the feed in all areas of the reservoir.

Baits anglers enjoyed a good week with the East End of the reservoir producing most fish. Mr G Evans of Middlesbrough landed a nice rainbow of 4.0.0 best of the week.

Fly rods still relying on lures cats whisker orange fritz and Dawsons. 165 visitors totalled 399 rainbows and two brown trout.

Keilder - Hawkhope, Whickhope inlet and Tower Knowe performing well for worm anglers. Fly fishing proving more difficult small lures gold heads etc most popular. 120 visitors returned 252 rainbows.

W Beat, D Madderson and S Frizzle all took 14.0.0 plus limit bags.

S Dawson took the best rainbow of the season a fish of 4.6.0.

Jubilee Lakes at Redworth - warming up quicker than the big venues.

Damsels Dawsons olive black buzzer and bloodworm all working. 4.3 rod average. 5 doubles headed by Ken Thompson of Fencehouses who grassed an impressive fish of 17.5.0 on a pheasant tail.

Troutmasters Fish Off went to Blythe Palmer of South Shields for the third year running with 15 fish on the day. The Tyne/Wear Fly Fishing Association England Eliminator is to be held this Saturday 27 April on the River Tweed at Kelso. There are places available and anyone interested should contact Stuart Wardell on (01429) 836793 as soon as possible. The Ferryhill Bankmaster is set for this Sunday the 28 of April at Witton Castle. Further information from Austin Lowery on 01388 811768.

Carp Scene

Wednesday's Woodlands Open produced a big finale for Cleveland Angling Centre's Mark Coyne when he hauled out a massive net of 79.1.0 to wipe out the competition.

On Partridge Lake's peg 4 Mark gave a powerful performance. In the opening hour pole and pellet at 13 metres started the onslaught but a change to cat meat accelerated the catch rate made up of 90 per cent carp - largest a mirror of 6.0.0 - adding tench chub and barbel. Best of the rest: K Kotchie (Map Elton) 37.8.0 S Fearnley (Normark) 32.8.0.

Woodland Lakes Saturday Open, 101 rods - Dragonfly Kestrel Mallard Partridge Skylark Swallow & Wagtail: 1 K Ovendon (Newman Scott) 61.10.0 Mallard 2 - pole pellet & corn to 16 metres resulted in a mixed net; 2 M Calvert (Map Elton) 57.5.0; 3 D Sharp (Elton Tackle) 50.13.0. Form peg 17 on Cyprio Lake Carpvale delivered plenty of action for Armley's Mick Webb who stormed ahead during the midweek event recording a mixed bag of 60.0.0.

Incredibly Mick never fed but just fished the corn tight to the features at 16 metres. His catch consisted of 3 quality bream 5 carp in the 5 - 6.0.0 bracket small carp tench and roach to hold off teamate Dave Wright on 48.14.0.

Abu Spring Series Round 6 Carpvale Fishery Moor Monkton: 1 M Laverack (Armley) 50.12.0. peg 15 Cyprio Lake - pole corn & meat at 16 metres for 12 carp with a 10.0.0 mirror; 2 T Carlton (Acomb Tackle) 47.4.0; 3 C Wilds (Armley) 27.4.0.

In round three of the Teesside League fished on the Oaks Maple Lake at Sessay Oaks Pole Ninjas ruled supreme aided by individual winner Paul Taylor who rattled out 42.0.0. Drawing peg one pole at 11 metres alternating pellet and cat meat brought carp with commons up to 6.0.0. Team Oaks rod Gary Pawlett was relegated to second place as he shipped the long pole across off peg 20 catching small carp on both sweetcorn and pellet for 30.10.0.

Teams on the day: 1 Oaks Pole Ninjas 54 pts; 2 Team Oaks 45; Jt3 Pole Pullers & HAS 44.

Overall: 1 Oaks Pole Ninjas 158; 2 Team Oaks 156; 3 Pole Pullers 137.

Fixtures

Tomorrow: *Woodland Lakes Open 120 pegs Tickets on 01845 526110,

Sunday: *Yarm AA Juniors Oaks Sessay. *City of Sunderland Team Championships Round 2 Silksworth Lake. *Abu Spring Series Round 7 Carpvale Pool Tickets on 01904 738249. *Oaks Open Sessay Maple Lake (65 pegs) Tickets on 01132 782168. *Raker Open Horseshoe Lake Wheldrake.