All posts by John Cheyne

News

Tidefest Angling Champs 2020 announced !

The Angling Trust is pleased to confirm the details for the 7th Tidefest Angling Championship to take place on the tidal Thames in London on Sunday, September 6th. A donation from the ticket monies will once again be made to the children’s angling charity Get Hooked on Fishing.

The 40-peg match, which is sponsored by Thames Water, has generous payouts with a first prize of £500, three other main prizes of £400, £200 and £100 plus eight £50 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 with the exception of eels can be weighed in.

The match is being held over two areas of gravel foreshore from Kew Bridge down to Barnes. The eight sections will be spread across two zones at Strand on the Green, which has produced bream to over 7lb in previous matches, and at Barnes, an area known for both bream and quality roach. To ensure a fairer match a continental payout system will be applied with the first and third and second and fourth places split across the two zones.

Will Barnard of Thames Water with one of last years competitors.

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 Policy Chief and Tidefest Chairman Martin Salter said:

“The Angling Trust is pleased that the Thames Tidefest Angling Championship is able to attract great support from both sponsors and anglers. This is more than a fishing match for it showcases the health of the Thames right in the heart of our capital city. We are keen to encourage a resurgence in river match fishing and events such as Riverfest and Tidefest show that there is still an appetite for these types of competitions.

2019 winner Michael Dalziel with Angling Legend Keith Arthur and Martin Salter of Angling Trust

“We are especially grateful to Thames Water for their generous sponsorship which means that once again all 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 and you never know what the river will turn up or which methods will work best on the day. The heavy flows this winter could well make for a better match this year as they will have moved more fish down river and hopefully into the match sections. In the right conditions the winner could have 40 or 50lb of bream but there will be plenty of prizes to be won by those who can get amongst the shoals of roach and big skimmers. I’ve already bought my ticket as this is one match I never want to miss.”

Will Barnard, Angling Development Manager at Thames Water, added:

“Thames Water is again proud to be sponsoring Thames Tidefest, including this now well established angling competition. The upgrades to our large sewage treatment works at Mogden have already delivered big improvements to the 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 good fishery even better.”

Match Details:

Draw: 7.00am Brentford Boating Arch, Kew Bridge, Strand on the Green, W4 3RE

Tides: High – 6am 6.9m.  Low – 1.30pm 0.8m

Fishing: Five hours from 8.30am – 1.30pm (depending on tide height)

Rules: Thigh wading only permitted, all fish except eels can be weighed in

Zones: A) Strand on the Green. B) Barnes foreshore

Prize monies: 1st place – £500; 2nd – £400; 3rd – £200; 4th – £100 plus £50 per 5 peg section. (overall match winners excluded).  Winners cheques available on the day.

Continental Payout: Top Four prizes alternating by zone

Tickets: £20 in advance with £5 to the angling charity Get Hooked on Fishing

Booking Details:
Book tickets online at  www.anglingtrust.net/events  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

News

Tidefest 2020 set to be bigger and better yet !

Now in it’s 6th year, Thames Tidefest 2020 is set to be the bigger and better than ever before. Dubbed “London’s Family River Festival”, Tidefest offers an eclectic mix of free and low cost events centred around the River Thames in London.

Live music, paddlesports, river cruises, riverside pubs, secret island adventures, historical walks, guided photography sessions, Rock ‘n Roll history, stalls, fishing, river dipping, Film events and much, much more and all with an environmental feel, Tidefest is an event for the whole family and one that won’t put a dent in your pocket.

Much of the Festival is absolutely free, just come along to Strand On The Green  in Chiswick on September 6th and join in the fun.

We’d love to meet you at Thames Tidefest, so get September 6th in your diary and please come along and let’s all enjoy the river together !

News

THames Tidefest Angling Championship 2019 Results

Thames Tidefest Angling Championship 2019

40 anglers fished the sixth Thames Tidefest Angling Championship 2019 on the tidal river at Strand on the Green, Chiswick and Barnes foreshores on Sunday September 8th.

A low river, cold over night temperatures and bright sunshine delivered tricky fishing conditions and for once the shoals of big bream that have dominated the event in previous years failed to put in an appearance. Whilst the match was a struggle for many there were a good number of decent roach and skimmer bream caught.

The winner was Drennan backed Michael Dalziel with an 18lb 8oz bag of skimmers caught on the feeder with worm and maggot. Michael collected £600 in prize money, courtesy of the sponsors Thames Water, and a handsome silver plate from Angling Trust Ambassador Keith Arthur. In second place was Ritchie Tomala who did well to weigh in 17.08 of roach on feeder and maggot. Both the top two came from the favoured Strand on the Green section. Third place was venue regular Gordon Bullock with a pole caught bag of 10.14 from Barnes.

Tidefest organiser Martin Salter said:

“This was our toughest match yet as the shoals of bigger bream looked to have moved upstream towards the fresher water. However, it was encouraging to see the number of skimmers and roach this far down the stretch. Once the Tideway ‘Super Sewer’ is built the river will be even cleaner I’m sure we will see the fishing improve as a result.”

2019 winner Michael Dalziel with Angling Legend Keith Arthur and Martin Salter of Angling Trust

Results

1st – Michael Daziel – 18lb 8oz. Strand on the Green
2nd – Ritchie Tomala – 17lb 8oz. Strand on the Green
3rd – Gordon Bullock – 10lb 14oz. Barnes
4th. – Mark Brush – 8lb 10oz. Strand on the Green

News

Tidefest 2020 announced !

The Tidefest Steering Committee have secured sufficient funds to deliver a seventh festival celebrating all the River Thames has to offer. Thanks to generous sponsorship from Thames Water, Tidefest 2020 will take place on Sunday September 6th. Bigger crowds than ever came out to enjoy the river at this year’s Thames Tidefest held at Strand-on-the-Green in Chiswick and other locations along the Thames Tideway including Richmond, Twickenham, Brentford, Barnes and Kempton.

The organisers estimated attendance at well over two thousand people with many of the advertised events and trips sold out well in advance.  There were great activities for all the family including an angling competition, river dipping, kayaking, London Wildlife Trust’s wildlife walk to Syon Park, Kempton nature reserve visits, stalls and displays, circus workshop, bouncy castle, children’s games, live fish tanks, local artists, food, music and generous discounts off admissions to the London Museum of Water and Steam and the Musical Museum.


Tidefest chairman Martin Salter said:

“What started as a fishing match and a bright idea back in 2014 has grown in size every year and has now become an established event enjoyed and supported by thousands of Londoners. We are now looking forward to another great Tidefest next September and will be inviting local groups to get involved early in the New Year “

News

Tidefest 2019 Was The Best Ever !

Bigger crowds than ever came out to enjoy the river at this year’s Thames Tidefest held at Strand-on-the-Green in Chiswick and other locations along the Thames Tideway including Richmond, Twickenham, Brentford, Barnes and Kempton.

Local MP Ruth Cadbury joined Hounslow Council Leader Steve Curran and Deputy Mayor Raghwinder Siddhu along with the Mayor of Richmond Nancy Baldwin  at the annual celebration of all the River Thames has to offer.

The organisers estimated attendance at well over two thousand people with many of the advertised events and trips sold out well in advance.

 

There were great activities for all the family including foreshore and photographic walks, angling competition, paddle-boarding, river dipping, kayaking, London Wildlife Trust’s wildlife walk to Syon Park, Kempton nature reserve visits, stalls and displays, circus workshop, bouncy castle, children’s games, live fish tanks, local artists, food, music and generous discounts off admissions to the London Museum of Water and Steam and the Musical Museum. There were special guided tours of Eel Pie Island Museum in Twickenham – the place which helped launch the careers of Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and many others in the 1960s

There were great activities for all the family including an angling competition, river dipping, kayaking, London Wildlife Trust’s wildlife walk to Syon Park, Kempton nature reserve visits, stalls and displays, circus workshop, bouncy castle, children’s games, live fish tanks, local artists, food, music and generous discounts off admissions to the London Museum of Water and Steam and the Musical Museum. There were special guided tours of Eel Pie Island Museum in Twickenham – the place which helped launch the careers of Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and many others in the 1960s
Other activities included:

• Boat trips around the Thames Tideway islands and to Chiswick Pier on the historic Thames launches Windrush and The Discoverer.

• Paddleboarding – supervised taster sessions for newcomers by Active 360 at Kew Bridge plus a guided family paddle trip

• Tour and exhibition on Thames Boatbuilding at the Lot’s Ait boatyard in Brentford – venue for the filming of the African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn

• Taster sessions for those new to kayaking organised from the Boating Arch at Kew Bridge by Edge Paddling

* Photography and Bird Walks led by local experts and two Foreshore Walks led by the well known ‘London Mudlark’ Lara Maiklem whose new book is proving something of a hit.

Once again plenty of fish were caught both by anglers fishing the annual Tidefest Championship and by fishery officers carrying out seine netting to show the wide variety of species that now live in the Thames in London. The competition winner was RAF instructor Michael Dalziel with an 18lb 8oz bag of skimmers caught on the swimfeeder with worm and maggot. Michael collected £600 in prize money and a handsome silver plate from Angling Trust Ambassador Keith Arthur.

2019 winner Michael Dalziel with Angling Legend Keith Arthur and Martin Salter of Angling Trust

Tidefest is now in its sixth year and aims to highlight the recreational importance of the Thames to Londoners and to encourage people to ‘enjoy the river’. It is part of the month long Totally Thames Festival and is sponsored by Thames Water, Fullers Smith & Turner

TideFest chairman, Martin Salter from the Angling Trust, said:

“We had a great programme of activities this year and were lucky with the weather which saw us  attract our biggest ever Tidefest crowd. It was fabulous to see so many people enjoying the river and all it has to offer. We had a great reaction to the work that many of the Tidefest groups are doing to highlight the importance of the river and once again we are grateful for the excellent support we received from our local MPs, from our sponsors – Thames Water and Fullers and from and Hounslow Council.

Tidefest is all about helping Londoners to ‘reconnect with their river’ and that’s certainly what happened on Sunday.”

News

Tidefest 2019 Angling Champs Results

Thames Tidefest Angling Championship 2019

40 anglers fished the sixth Thames Tidefest Angling Championship 2019 on the tidal river at Strand on the Green, Chiswick and Barnes foreshores on Sunday September 8th.

 

A low river, cold over night temperatures and bright sunshine delivered tricky fishing conditions and for once the shoals of big bream that have dominated the event in previous years failed to put in an appearance. Whilst the match was a struggle for many there were a good number of decent roach and skimmer bream caught.

The winner was Drennan backed Michael Dalziel with an 18lb 8oz bag of skimmers caught on the feeder with worm and maggot. Michael collected £600 in prize money, courtesy of the sponsors Thames Water, and a handsome silver plate from Angling Trust Ambassador Keith Arthur. In second place was Ritchie Tomala who did well to weigh in 17.08 of roach on feeder and maggot. Both the top two came from the favoured Strand on the Green section. Third place was venue regular Gordon Bullock with a pole caught bag of 10.14 from Barnes.

Tidefest organiser Martin Salter said:

“This was our toughest match yet as the shoals of bigger bream looked to have moved upstream towards the fresher water. However, it was encouraging to see the number of skimmers and roach this far down the stretch. Once the Tideway ‘Super Sewer’ is built the river will be even cleaner I’m sure we will see the fishing improve as a result.”

2019 winner Michael Dalziel with Angling Legend Keith Arthur and Martin Salter of Angling Trust

 Results

1st – Michael Daziel     – 18lb 8oz.  Strand on the Green

2nd – Ritchie Tomala    – 17lb 8oz.  Strand on the Green

3rd  – Gordon Bullock  – 10lb 14oz. Barnes

4th. – Mark Brush         –  8lb 10oz.  Strand on the Green

Sections

Strand on the Green

1 – John Wilkinson (Snr) -2lb 10oz

2 – Stephen Rees            – 3lb

3 – Michael Scanlon       – 4lb 14oz

4 – Steve Edwards          – 4lb

Chiswick

5 – Ali Atlwater               – 5lb 14oz

Barnes

6 – Clive Westwood      – 5lb

7 – Michael Bindloss    – 2lb 4oz

8 – Tony Rice                 – 3lb 2oz

9 – Steve Payne            – 5lb 8oz

 

What's On

“Mudlark” Lara will be signing books at Tidefest.

What a few weeks it’s been for “London Mudlark” Lara Maiklem !

Her new book Mudlarking was chosen as Radio 4’s Book of The Week, was featured on Stanley Tucci’s Instagram and has gone straight into the Sunday Times Best Sellers Top 10. She has been a guest on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and BBC Breakfast and just about every radio station that could book her ! Social media loves her, the press are all writing about her and the Thames Tidefest Mudlark Walks  sold out in a day.

But fear not ! you can still meet the woman herself, and buy yourself a signed copy of the book everyone is raving about at Thames Tidefest on September 8th. Lara will be signing books and chatting between 12.30pm and 1.30pm at Strand On The Green. To make the whole thing even more fabulous, we have managed to secure a discount on the cover price, so the books will be priced at £15.99 instead of the RRP of £18.99 ! So come along to the festival get yourself a bargain and get your chance to meet the most famous Mudlark in the world !

What's On

Film Screening Set To Show The Amazing History of Thames Boatmen

THE WEEKEND MILLIONAIRES – FILM

Tales from the Thames: An oral history of the Thames Lightermen.

As part of Thames Tidefest 2019 there will be a screening of “The Weekend Millionaires”. On September 8th. This fascinating 45 minute Documentary Film tells of the lives of the Thames Lightermen have operated the boats carrying cargo on the Thames with a history going back hundreds of years.

Listen to some of their stories as they reminisce and see amazing archive film of how the Thames looked in times gone by and about the work they did and how it’s changed.

Tickets cost Just £2 for adults and £1 for under 16’s

The film will be screened in The Babcock Room inside the London Museum of Water & Steam, just round the corner from Strand On The Green where the main Festival is located.

Book yours by clicking the button below