Although you can now fish for 365 days a year on stillwaters and commercial fisheries, making your way along the river-banks on the opening day of the season still holds a special place in many anglers' diaries.

At this point we should remember that the wildlife has not been disturbed very much over the past three months so do take care when creating new swims on the river bank to ensure you don't upset nesting birds.

There was a time when absenteeism from work was a real problem for employers as anglers across the country took holidays or came down with a sudden illness just to ensure they were out fishing on the first day.

Those days may be long gone now but I still expect to see a good turnout on Monday morning.

Last season we did not have the best of starts after heavy rainfall leading up to opening day, and the majority of good catches came to those fishing for bream on the River Nene.

The bright spot was the form of the river at Orton Locks where barbel were taken and I expect to see far too many anglers clambering for a spot as close to the locks as possible in the hope of bagging a double-figure fish on the first day.

Tactics will be reasonably simple here, but do ensure you have the proper gear to tackle these hard fighting fish. The best bait is a hair rigged halibut pellet but luncheon meat is an alternative.

In general the River Nene should still be holding a tinge of colour and I think we can expect bream from areas such as downstream of the Riverside Bridge at Oundle, above the Railway Bridge at Stibbington and hot-spots at Alwalton and Orton downstream.

Tactics will be similar in all areas - either a groundbait feeder approach or chopped worm and caster on the pole line.

For the brave the North Bank could well be worth a try for bream. Hot-spots in the early 200s, 280s and early 300s should be good areas to target early season.

Most anglers on this stretch of the river will rely on a feeder approach, lacing the bait with caster, squatts and a few grains of sweetcorn and fishing it at the bottom of the far shelf.

If you are looking for something a little different then I would suggest you try the Alwalton section of the river.

Poor access has resulted in very few making the effort here but the rewards can be great with early season bream in the 250s. And with chub showing throughout the 30 or so pegs there is something for everyone.

It does run a little faster on this section of the lower river so it's even worth a try on the good old- fashioned stick float approach.

The Ferry Meadows complex will see both lakes open to anglers from Monday and although it has had a poor spring, expectations are high that the bream will feed particularly when more bait is introduced.

Watch out for some big carp action this year on both Gunwade and Overton. I have a feeling both lakes could well produce some huge fish.