The Angling Trust is pleased to confirm the details for a fifth TideFest Angling Championship to take place on the tidal Thames in London on September 2nd. All the ticket monies will once again be donated to the children’s angling charity Get Hooked on Fishing.

The 50-peg match, which is sponsored by Thames Water once again, has generous pay outs with a first prize of £600. It is expected to attract some of the top river anglers in the area as previous matches have thrown up 30lb-plus bags of bream along with some quality roach and dace. On the right day, far larger weights are possible. All fish with the exception of eels can be weighed in.

The match is being held on three areas of gravel foreshore from Kew Bridge down to Barnes. Two sections will be at Strand on the Green – which produced bream to over 7lb last year, two at Barnes – known for both bream and roach and one section below Chiswick Bridge by the Ship Inn where TideFest Organiser Martin Salter caught a 2.02lb roach amongst a bag of skimmer bream in a practice session.

TideFest is a celebration of the recreational importance of London’s river and will involve a range of other activities designed to get people out and enjoying what the Thames Tideway has to offer. The groups involved in organising this year’s event include the London Wildlife Trust, Thames Anglers’ Conservancy, Thames 21, The River Thames Society, ZSL and the Angling Trust. Other activities planned include foreshore walks, river dipping, seine netting, paddleboarding, sailing, kayaking and historical walks along the Thames Path.

Angling columnist and Thames specialist Keith Arthur welcomed the news, saying: “I’ve fished the tidal sections of River Thames for well over 50 years and it has continually evolved. The TideFest Angling Championship is a proper celebration of that and is a unique match fishing experience. It’s something all river anglers should try at least once…and I guarantee that the quality of fish to be caught means that they WILL be back for more!”

Martin Salter with 2lb roach from River Thames x550px

Martin Salter with his 2lb roach from the tidal Thames

Angling Trust Campaign Chief Martin Salter added: “The Angling Trust is pleased that the TideFest Angling Championship has become a popular and regular event in the match fishing calendar. Now in its fifth year, the match showcases what great fishing there is to be had right in the heart of London. We are committed to continuing to attract match anglers back to river fishing whilst at the same time highlighting the importance of cleaning up our urban rivers through schemes such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

“We are especially grateful to Thames Water for their generous sponsorship which means that once again all the ticket money will be going to support the fantastic work of the charity Get Hooked on Fishing that does so much to help youngsters get into our sport.”

Will Barnard, Angling Development Manager at Thames Water, added: “Thames Water is once again proud to be sponsoring TideFest and this great angling competition which, as well as providing an exciting contest, will also be helpful in assessing the health of the river. Our large sewage treatment works upstream at Mogden has had a multi million pound upgrade which is already delivering big improvements to the general water quality and with the Tideway Tunnel we will see an end to the damaging storm water incidents. The tidal Thames is already a good fishery but is set to get even better.”

Match Details:
50 peg Thames Tideway Angling Championship with £600 First Prize plus pools and trophy

Date and Time:
Sunday September 2nd. Fishing 9.30am – 2.30pm (depending on tide)

Draw:
7.30am Strand on the Green, Kew Bridge London W4 3RE

Booking:
Ron’s Tackle, 465 Upper Richmond Rd West, London SW14 7PU tel: 020 8876 4897.
Tackle Up – 151 Fleet Road, Fleet GU51 3PD. tel 01252 616129
Or email: sandra.johnson@anglingtrust.net or tel: 0115 822 4519

Tickets:
£20 all in – £15 pools plus £5 ticket – proceeds to Get Hooked on Fishing

Prizes:
1st place – £600; 2nd – £350; 3rd – £200; 4th – £100. Plus £50 per 5 peg section.