The Angling Trust is pleased to confirm the details for a sixth Tidefest Angling Championship to take place on the tidal Thames in London on Sunday, September 8th. 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, has generous pay outs with a first prize of £600, three other main prizes and 10 section places up for grabs. It is expected to attract some of the top river anglers in the area as previous matches have thrown up 40lb bags of bream along with some quality roach and dace. All fish except 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 Chairman 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, Institute of Fisheries Management, 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 Trust’s Martin Salter added: “The Angling Trust is delighted that the Tidefest Angling Championship continues to attract the support of both sponsors and anglers. Now in its sixth year, the match showcases what great fishing there is to be had right in the heart of our capital city. With the success of Riverfest we are seeing something of a resurgence in river match fishing which is great news. We are especially grateful to Thames Water for their generous sponsorship which means that once again the ticket monies 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.”
Angling columnist and Trustee of Get Hooked on Fishing, Keith Arthur, welcomed the news, saying: “Tidefest is such a great event. The Thames’ massive tides change the character of the fishing twice daily so nothing is predictable. We can guess where the fish will be but no better than that. Last year’s event was won on the feeder, second on the pole and fourth place using the Bolognese style. If you love river fishing you really should have a go.”
Will Barnard, Angling Development Manager at Thames Water, added: “Thames Water is again proud to be sponsoring Tidefest, including this now well established angling competition, which always provides a useful assessment of the health of the river. The upgrades to our large sewage treatment works at Mogden have already delivered big improvements to the general water quality in the tidal Thames and once the Tideway Tunnel is completed we will see an end to those potentially damaging storm water overflows which will make an already a good fishery even better.”
Match Details:
50-peg Thames Tideway Angling Championship with £600 First Prize plus pools and trophy
Date and Time:
Sunday September 8th
Fishing:
Five hours 11.30-4.30pm (depending on tide height)
Draw:
8.30am at Kew Bridge Arches, Strand on the Green, Kew Bridge, London W4 3RE
Tides at Kew Bridge:
High – 10.11am 5.8m, Low – 16.50pm 1.6m
Prizes:
1st place – £600; 2nd – £350; 3rd – £200; 4th – £100 plus £50 per 5-peg section.
Tickets:
£20 in advance – including £15 pools with £5 to the angling charity Get Hooked on Fishing
Booking Details:
Email sandra.johnson@anglingtrust.net to book tickets or contact:
Ron’s Tackle – 465 Upper Richmond Rd West, London SW14 7PU. 020 8876 4897
Tackle Up – 151 Fleet Road, Fleet GU51 3PD. 01252 616129
