8th Thames Tidefest Championship to be dedicated to the late Mike Martin-Davies

Following the government’s announcement of a roadmap out of lockdown and the resumption of outdoor events later in the year, the Angling Trust is pleased to confirm that the 2021 Thames Tidefest Angling Championship to take place on the tidal Thames in London on Sunday, September 12th.

All the ticket monies will once again be donated to the kids angling charity Get Hooked on Fishing and the tickets are on sale from March 11th. This year’s trophy will be dedicated to the memory of Mike Martin-Davies, the talented Welsh match angler and three times Tidefest winner who sadly died of Coronavirus in January. It will be engraved with his name.

Now in its eighth year, the 40 peg match, which is sponsored by Thames Water, once again has generous pay outs with a first prize of £500. It is expected to attract some of the region’s top river anglers as previous matches have thrown up big bags of bream. Last year’s match was notable for the number of quality roach caught in the latter stages of the tide. All fish, with the exception of eels, can be weighed in.

The match is being held on two areas of gravel foreshore from Kew Bridge down to Barnes. Two sections will be on the left bank at Strand on the Green and two on the right at Barnes. The four main prizes will spread across the two zones to make for the fairest possible outcome.

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 Angler’s 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:

“This year’s Tidefest Angling Championship, Covid permitting, looks like being the fairest yet. With shoals of roach catching contestants by surprise last year, 2021 could see the match won with redfins instead of the perennial bream. We will miss the angling brilliance of Mike, stolen from us by the vile disease, but with the match in his honour we will all be able to reflect on his loss and remember him how he would have wished.”

Angling Trust’s Martin Salter added:

“The Angling Trust is pleased that the lifting of lockdown restrictions will allow the Tidefest Angling Championship to take place again this year and it is appropriate that we honour the memory of Mike Martin-Davies at the same time.

“The competition is now firmly established as a popular event in the match fishing calendar and 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 delighted to be sponsoring the 2021Tidefest including the much anticipated annual angling competition which is helpful in assessing the health of the river. In recent years our large sewage treatment works upstream at Mogden has benefitted from a multi-million pound upgrade which has delivered big improvements to the general water quality and with the Tideway Tunnel we will see an end to the damaging storm water incidents.”

Match Details:
40 peg Thames Tideway Angling Championship with £500 First Prize plus pools and trophy
Date and Time:
Sunday September 12th. Fishing 9.00am – 2.00pm (depending on tide)
Draw:
7.00am Strand on the Green, Kew Bridge London W4 3RE
Tickets on sale from March 11th from:
Tackle Up – 151 Fleet Road, Fleet GU51 3PD. Tel 01252 616129
To book tickets online go to – anglingtrust.net/competitions/tidefest-2021/ or tel: 0115 822 4519
Tickets:
£20 all in – £15 pools plus £5 ticket – proceeds to Get Hooked on Fishing
Prizes:
1st place – £500; 2nd – £400; 3rd – £200; 4th – £100. (Spread over two zones)
Plus £50 per 5 peg section.

The late Mike Martin-Davies in 2016 with one of his three winner’s trophies from the Thames Tidefest Championship, and (below) in 2020 with a match winning bream.