Of late, the Lower reaches of the Tees have been running low and clear and good numbers of small silver fish are showing from the deeper sections around Stricklands Farm.

Consequently the attendance was much improved for Sunday's Yarm AA RAFA Annual Charity Open, 68 anglers.

It was down to Shimano Quaker rods Chris Gowling and Peter Close who battled it out for the honours but Chris just nicked the result.

Chris fishing from peg 77 on Lambs streams, adopted a pole and maggot approach landing a mixed bag of chublets dace and roach for 14.12.0 to head five double figured weights.

Meanwhile further upstream on the opposite bank at Wards Lane Peter replied off peg 30 with 14.9.0.

Peter's approach differed for his catch deciding to 'ball' it in with groundbait at 11 metres and then fished maggot over the top for a succession of dace and roach.

Others to frame: Bill Blythe (Newman Scott) 13.2.0; Peter Rambow Jnr (Diawa Cleveland) 12.4.0.

Elsewhere on the Tees, the middle reaches between Croft and Hurworth, chub dominate during the Thornaby AA Festival Cup.

Graham Ellison of Thornaby enjoyed a comfortable winning margin in this 59 pegger taking an impressive chub bag of 19.15.0 off a venue six inches up but fining off.

Drawn on the plantation fence end peg 43, not a noted flyer, Graham located 11 small chub from a shallow gravel glide on the bomb - nine falling to cheese and the other two to bread.

Runner up Barry Stephenson of Darlington on peg 51 in the buffs section opted for the cage feeder and liquidised bread picking up six chub along the farbank cover for 9.10.0.

Best of the rest: Dave Firth (Darlington) 9.6.0; Joe Longstaff (Thornaby) 8.8.8.

A brace of magnificent perch 3.6.0 and 3.1.0 respectively steered RSPS Tek Neek Trabucco's Steve Hodson to yet another Ripon Piscatorials victory during Sunday's 80 peg sellout open match on the River Ure around Ripon.

Staked opposite the stones at the top of Simpsons field Steve then added five chub alternating red maggot and caster on a waggler rig over to the other bank for 20.8.0 at the conclusion.

Adrian Lewis of Waterline Wibsey just missed out netting 19.14.0.

Pulling out the famous Leatham's run off peg waggler and caster brought five small chub before a switch to bomb in conjunction with caster and wasp grub accounted for another 11 samples and a single grayling.

A much improved Ouse resulted in small roach feeding all along the Fulford and Middlethorpe match length below the City for the York & District Tower Trophy and 3.0.0 was required to win the poorest section.

Venue regular Mick Potter decided to try a mid river slider approach from his peg at the Palace bend and it paid off as he got among the roach with fish in the 2-8 oz bracket all to caster for 6.1.0.

It was specimen redfins for second man Richard Darling of Tang Hall MG who was pegged in donkey wood and put five roach onto the scales for 5.7.0 marked by a real beauty of 1.10.0. He tempted 3 on the caster and two on the bread with groundbait feeder down the middle.

Other Results

Idle & Thackley Open River Swale, Swainby: 1 Dave Matthews (RSPS Tek Neek Trabucco) 12.2.0 - 4 chub legered lobworm; 2 Dave Walker (Darlington) 6.4.0; Owen Handlin (Darlington) 5.11.0.

Northallerton & DAC Grayling Cup River Swale, Scruton: 1 Nigel Menel (Northallerton) 4.7.0; 2 Tom Atkinson (Darlington) 3.9.0.

Tadcaster APA Open River Wharfe Smaws Ings: Jt 1 Alistair Wilkes (Tadcaster) & Chris Burton (Anglers World York) 6.8.0; 2 Bob Barker (Tadcaster) 6.1.0.

Carp Scene

At the Oaks on Thursday Dean Smith bounced back to form wrapping up their match on Maple Lake with 34.4.0.

A good draw on the consistent peg 62A soon had Dean in carping mode and utilising the pole at 13 metres he accumulated all carp to 4.0.0 on maggot.

Pastie sized carp under 2.0.0 made up Selby's Keith Mitchell's net of 27.13.0 as the maggot across off peg 55 produced.

Oaks Sunday - Maple Lake: 1 P Eastwood (Spenborough) 38.12.0; 2 M Sykes (West Park) 36.15.0; 3 S Armitage (Bob Co) 28.0.0.

Woodland Lakes (Wed) 67 rods: 1 Steve Fearnley (Elton Tackle) 84.3.0. Carp to pole & bomb and corn and maggot off Wagtail 2; 2 Gareth Smith (Northallerton) 60.6.0; 3 Dave Pimlott (Drennan Elton) 56.5.0.

Dean Smith, fresh from his midweek success at the Oaks, put together 54.8.0 to stay on top of the 81 competitors at the Woodlands for their Saturday slot.

On Dragonfly 21, Dean fished literally under his feet on the pole and corn and was into quality fish.

Five big carp the best a common of 10.0.0 proved the mainstay of his catch boosted by small skimmers.

Over on Skylark peg 30, Drennan's John Chapman chose a maggot feeder attack and located carp between two to three pounds for 46.8.0 and next best.

Fixtures

Tomorrow: Middlesbrough AC Anglers Choice Rosebowl River Swale Gatenby to Baldersby. Tickets on 01642 / 899288.

Woodland Lakes Open (71 pegs) Partridge & Skylark Lakes. Tickets on (01845) 526110.

Sunday: DBT AA Coarse Cup River Tees at Coniscliffe.

NEWL (4) Lower Tees Yarm.

Bradford No1 AA W Backhouse Cup River Aire.

Black Ox AC Bedale Beck.

East End WMC visit the Tees at Over Dinsdale.

Oaks Sessay Open Maple Lake.

Hammond Trophy River Ouse above York.

Bradford City AA JDI Trophy River Ure. Tickets on (01423) 547537.

Knaresborough Pisc Open (60 pegs) River Nidd. Tickets on (01423) 889679.