The summer is here and it won’t be long before Thames Tidefest is underway once again on September 4th. Book Your tickets NOW before they are all snapped up !
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Thames Tidefest
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Dr David Solomon will be signing copies of his new book A History of Fish and Fisheries of the River Thames at Thames Tidefest on September 12th. You can come and meet the author and not only will he personally sign your copy of the book, but David is giving a £5 discount to every purchase made at the event. So come along to Strand On The Green on September 12th to get your copy and have a chat with the author.
The book itself describes the fascinating history of fish in the Thames, and the development of fisheries to catch them both for food and sport. It is lavishly illustrated with old engravings, maps and photographs, and contains a wealth of anecdotes and stories that will delight the angler, natural historian, historian and fishery professional alike. The author is both a lifelong angler and a fishery scientist, and he draws on his long experience in these fields for the background and material for this book.
Interesting stories include:-
· the numbers and price of each species of local freshwater fish used to feed Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury, in the days leading up to his execution in Oxford in 1556 (pike were the most expensive);
· the long history of attempts to re-introduce salmon to the river (it held good numbers until the early 19th century);
· a thriving fishery for roach at London Bridge in the 18th century, and the interesting methods used to catch them;
· huge catches of barbel in Victorian times, made by groundbaiting with thousands of worms;
· the decline of the fishery for eels using traps and weirs
· the man with a lifetime catch of more than 800 Thames trout over 3 lb (including several of more than 10 lb). Details of availability will be found at www.fluvialbooks.com
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
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
50 peg Open – £1000 prize money plus pools and trophy
Sunday September 8th. 11.30am to 4.30pm – draw 8.30am
Strand on the Green, Kew Bridge London W4 3RE
We will be fishing three zones; the gravel foreshore downstream of Kew Bridge on the north bank, and below Chiswick road bridge and Barnes railway bridge on the south. In all sections there are large shoals of roach, dace and bream. Waders are essential and wading up to thigh depth is allowed within the confines of your peg. All species can be weighed in except eels.
The Thames Tideway Angling Championship has been a huge success in recent years with weights of 30lb plus winning the match and over 30 anglers competing. 2017 looks like being the biggest and best yet so get yourself booked in !
We will be fishing three zones this year; the gravel foreshore downstream of Kew Bridge on the north bank, and below Chiswick road bridge and Barnes railway bridge on the south, where there are large shoals of roach, dace and bream. Waders are essential and wading up to thigh depth is allowed within the confines of your peg. All species can be weighed in except eels. The use of an easily moveable platform or tripod is advised as you will be following the tide down. The details are below and further information will be circulated nearer the time. Good luck!
Date and Time: Sunday September 10th – Fishing 9.00 am – 2.00 pm (depending on tides)
Draw: 7.00 am Strand on the Green, Kew Bridge, London W4 3RE
Tides at Kew Bridge: High – 6.06 am. Low – 1.52 pm
THIS MATCH IS NOW SOLD OUT
For a round-up of last years event click the link below
Do you fancy a day out with the family with lots of different fun activities ?
Would you like to introduce a member of your family or a friend to fishing ?
Maybe you are a beginner or an existing angler looking to brush up on your skills ?
The get along to the Thames Water Family Fishing Day run in collaboration with Get Hooked on Fishing and The Angling Trust. All sessions are Free with fishing tackle provided and instruction from our friendly licensed coaches, plus loads of other activities for anglers and non anglers alike.
