I was back on the Avon this week and I returned to the same peg that threw up a varied haul of fish a week ago. For the first time this season I was faced with a river at normal level and running clear.

As with last week I kept things pretty simple, concentrating most of the feed on a inside line about 7ft deep. I mostly stuck to a single rod approach - using the long float rod and holding the float back about 6 inches over depth. I deployed a sleeper rod with a straight lead from time to time, but it didn't yield any success on the bigger baits.

I had a positive start on my first cast with a Perch of 1lb 1oz taking a liking to my 3 maggot hookbait. It didn't lead to a frenzy though and bites were noticeably harder to entice this week in the bright and clear conditions.

I persevered though and stuck to the plan of building up a bed of feed on the inside. Once again I was using the same creative mix of goodies that worked well the previous week. Eventually I connected with a better fish but it tore off at a hell of rate and caught me out slightly as I was busy changing the channel on my radio when the bite came - typical!

It darted straight into the lily pads but I managed to coax it out. Control was only maintained momentarily, as the fish then decided to resume psychotic mode again and was back into more snags. I moved it again and got a brief glimpse of a darker looking fish before things went totally wrong and the fish slipped off into the depths. It was certainly a Carp or Tench. On what was proving a trickier day, I thought my chance of landing something half respectable had gone.

I pressed on and continued to catch some fish on maggots and caster - mostly Dace and small Perch. Things then went altogether more solid as I hooked into another spirited fish that led me a merry dance around the river, but thankfully it kept out of snags. It turned out to be foul hooked, which explained the tough fight. A Tench of 4lb 5oz - my first from the river for nearly 2 years.

My final act was to put a welcome Bream on the bank - 4lb 9oz.

A tougher day, but I still slipped into double figures for the overall bag of fish. Brian had a frustrating day which wasn't helped by a couple of Pike taking the mickey. Both slipped his hook when he turned his attentions to catching them.

A change of scenery is on the cards next week, as we're heading back to the Wye. I'm crossing my fingers for better conditions this time.