Drennan Red Range Carp Feeder/Carp Waggler rod and Method Feeder/Pellet Waggler rod
Drennan's introductory Red Range rods are comfortably affordable, well-appointed and perfectly designed for the job in hand.
That said, I was somewhat perplexed when the two latest family members – the Combo Method Feeder/Pellet Waggler and Combo Carp Feeder/Carp Waggler rods – arrived on my desk. As first glance the pair, finished in Drennan’s trademark burgundy colour, looked like Tweedledum and Tweedledee – identical twins.
What’s more, it wasn’t that many years ago that combination rods only graced the sports pages of your mum’s Kays or Grattan catalogues. Such ‘one rod does it all’ tools were hideously heavy, multi-sectioned and multi-handled affairs, claimed to be suitable for everything from fly-fishing for trout to boat fishing for pike. In reality they were useless for everything.
Thankfully, such horrors are well behind us. Modern-day combo outfits are mainly well thought-out, intelligently designed and fully usable for all their stated applications. Most importantly, they are affordably angler-friendly, and all these praises can indeed be heaped on the Red Range Combo pairing.
As you’d expect from Drennan, both rods are very nicely furnished with lined guides throughout, secure screw-down reel seats, hook keeper rings, and a single push-in glass quivertip – 3oz for the Carp Feeder and 4oz for the Carp Method.
These rods are clearly targeting novice and junior anglers with limited tackle knowledge, and yet choosing between the two could be a confusing process. So, having fished with both, allow me to state the differences between them.
The Method Feeder/Pellet Waggler Combo has a bit more power, and is ideal for big fish using heavier kit. With its feeder top section fitted it will easily handle 30g-plus Methods, while with the Pellet Waggler section fitted it will cast floats weighing up to 15g.
The Carp Feeder/Carp Waggler model has a lighter action, suiting it to maggot, pellet, open-end and small flatbed feeders.
Fit its waggler top and it will cast floats upwards of 4AAA, offering a little bit more tactical flexibility.
For the live test, I decided on a joint appraisal, setting up both Combo models – the Carp Method in feeder mode and the Carp Waggler as a float rod. The chosen venue was the ever-productive Stretton Lakes just north of Peterborough, just two minutes off the A1.
The carp lake here holds decent-sized fish, and while it’s not as easy as your normal commercial day-ticket fishery, the carp here are always scale- and mouth-perfect, and fight like demons.
The Carp Method Combo with a 30g flatbed loaded with micro pellets has a maximum casting range of around 60 yards. Much further and you are going to lose some accuracy. However, once a fish is hooked the blank has a resolute flat spot-free progressive action, with enough backbone to give double-figure fish nightmares. I’d suggest reel lines from 5lb-10lb, matched to hooklengths of 0.15mm upwards.
The Carp Waggler Combo has just about enough tip flexibility and whip to cast normal straight wagglers carrying 4AAA or more.
The blank’s soft, semi-through action makes it ideal for taking on smaller carp and F1s, as well as tench, chub and big bream, using reel lines from 4lb-8lb and hooklengths of 0.14mm and beyond.
Our Verdict: These latest additions to Drennan’s Red Range are sure to be hugely popular with the solar-powered pleasure angler.
If you are reading this as a tackle shop owner, and you get a potential new customer that wants to have a go at commercial fishing, or someone on a tight budget looking to invest in new rods with commercial fishery potential, than I doubt there is anything better than this pair of beauties currently on the market.
Price: £85.95 (both models)
Drennan Acolyte 9ft feeder fishing rod
When it comes to rods, Drennan’s classy Acolyte family is right up there with the best.
The latest additions to the clan are these two delectable 9ft Feeder models that come in both Ultra (light-actioned) and the stepped-up Plus versions.
The pencil-thin, high-modulus carbon blanks come with three graded push-in quivertips, with all the furnishings and finishes you’ve come to expect to find on top-end Drennan rods.
Both versions are ideal for short-range straight lead and feeder work on natural and commercial fisheries.
TECH SPEC
•Best matched with reel lines from 4lb to 8lb (1.8kg to 3.6kg)
•Two-piece construction folds into a rod sleeve in seconds
•Neoprene rod socks also included
•Supplied with 1.5oz, 2oz and 2.5oz push-in carbon tips
•Extra tips also available
PAY AROUND
£169.99
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13ft Drennan Acolyte Distance Feeder rod review
This is shaping up to be the year of the long-range feeder rod.
Most major tackle companies have either launched new models or added to their existing ranges.
The growing popularity of feeder fishing has spurred rod designers and product teams into developing models that will chuck leads to the horizon on big, open UK venues such as Ferry Meadows, Meadowlands and Barston Lakes, where bream and skimmers are match fodder but carp are also likely to be present.
Enter Drennan’s latest Acolyte family member, the three-piece 13ft Distance Feeder.
Drennan doesn’t hold with new rods that each boast its own specific casting distance or weight rating. Instead, in typical ‘ticks-all-the-boxes’ fashion, the company has taken its time to produce one rod that does it all.
The 13ft Distance Feeder has a crisp, responsive parabolic action, and comes nicely furnished with braid-friendly, low-profile double and single-legged SiC ceramic-lined guides.
You get an original Fuji DPS screw-down reel seat, full-length cork handle, and three bespoke carbon quivertips with test curves of 3oz, 4oz and 5oz. These have enlarged guides for the smooth passage of shockleader knots, eliminating the friction and congestion that at best will slow down the cast and at worst can lead to crack-offs.
The rod took shape over two years, and was tested on a wide range of venues by many top international anglers. Drennan says it’s ideal for use with 6lb-10lb mono or 0.8mm-0.12mm braid. It’s said to be able to chuck feeders and bombs to a maximum of 3.5oz (100g) up to 100m, if you have the necessary casting skills, of course.
With all that information under my belt, where better to run the rule over the new Drennan Distance Feeder rod than one of the best long-range bream venues in the UK – the currently out-of-form Ferry Meadows?
I’ll tell you now, as apart from catching a few ‘wasps’ and ‘skerrets’, the exercise was a complete disaster!
The un-breamy combination of sun and lack of wind was exacerbated by the annual Peterborough school holidays, which saw gangs of kids going afloat in a dazzling array of imaginative watercraft.
Most of the little treasures ended up thrashing the water to a foam directly above my carefully fed spot… bless ’em!
I can, at least, vouch for the Acolyte’s casting clout – it will chuck a hefty feeder a very long way, with unerring accuracy. My chosen spot was slightly to the left of a marker buoy around 70 yards out into about 8ft of water.
I was using a big cage feeder packed with groundbait, chopped worm, caster and dead reds, and once I’d got used to pushing through the rod’s fairly fast action I hit the clip firmly every chuck.
The blank lived up to its maximum casting weight rating of 3.5oz (100g), and anything over 50g positively sizzled through the rings.
However, you need to adopt a flatter, carp-style overhead casting action to launch heavier feeders and leads any distance, even though the blank will take them in its stride.
What I’d say about this very well thought-out distance weapon is that it takes some getting used to.
Don’t be afraid to give it a proper whack… its fast tip recovery speed and impressive backbone will withstand all the rigours and stresses of long-distance work.
Since the live test I have given the rod another outing and can report a good ‘feel’ through the blank, matched with pleasing mid-section sensitivity – ideal for bream and skimmer work. Nor did it let me down when the inevitable carp muscled into my swim.
Our verdict: another Acolyte winner for me from Drennan. Nicely put together, it’s very classy looking, with dependable fittings, and shows all the signs of having been designed and tested by those who know what to look for in a rod. I rather fancy it would make a quite superb summer barbel feeder rod, as well as a respectable tool for long-range winter carp, too.
Price: £229
Drennan specialist tench and bream rods Mk2
Drennan Specialist Tench and Bream Rods Mk2. The pursuit of tench is the ultimate angling idyll. Imagine an early morning walk to the lake through dew-heavy meadows painted with golden shafts of sunlight.
BUY NOW for £129.99 at Amazon.co.uk
Your every step is softly placed, lest the grass underfoot snaps with thunderous disapproval.
The dawn chorus quietens for a moment, then strikes up again – if the birds don’t know you’re here, no-one does.
The lake’s lily beds, bedecked with white and red flowers, are in stark contrast to the peat-stained water. Their stems twitch and bob, revealing tell-tale signs of fish movement below...
Romantic as such images may be, the fact is that modern-day tench fishing (especially for specimen-sized fish) is more than likely to be on a large open-water gravel pit. Such a place was where lifelong tench angler Peter Drennan developed so many of the tackle items and accessories that we all take for granted today.
Yes, the enigma of tench fishing has been the mother of tackle invention and innovation for many years.
All this brings me nicely to these two new MkII Specialist Tench and Bream rods from the thoroughbred Drennan stable. The original models were built for the discerning big-fish angler way back in 2009. These new 12ft, two-piece versions come with 1.75lb and 2lb test curves, and are easy to carry ready made-up.
They boast high modulus carbon build, quality SiC guides, original Fuji DPS reel seats (which can be used with all but the very largest reels) and a stylish anti-flash matt green paint finish.
But other than sharing furnishings and fittings, these two rods are as different as Chavs from chaffinches, as I soon found when live testing them on a free-to-fish public gravel pit in the middle of a Peterborough housing estate.
On a wild, windy and cold May afternoon, the Method feeder was my only option. I had originally harboured notions of using the lighter of the two rods with a big sliding float, just as I fished Gloucestershire’s tench-prolific South Cerney pits back in the day.
However, the hoolie blowing straight down the lake put paid to that trip down memory lane.
So, with the rods set on alarms, it was time to start. My set-ups involved 2oz and 3oz E-S-P flatbed feeders, both with fake corn hookbaits. The lighter 1¾lb model coped well enough with 2oz of casting weight, but that’s pretty much the limit of its chucking abilities, in my opinion.
It’s quite soft-actioned for its test curve, and the guide spacings lend themselves better to lighter feeder and float set-ups than to hurling feeders to the horizon.
It does, though, have a delightful lightness, tactile quality and response, making it ideal for specimen tench or bream, and perfect for the old-school tench angler looking for a super reliable all-round rod.
The 2lb Specialist Distance Tench and Bream model is an altogether more savage beast. Designed for long-range casting, it copes easily with 3oz of lead, and has enough stiffness in its butt section and a high enough weight loading point to blast out a feeder a very long way.
Furnished with larger and fewer SiC guides, this is a very modern tench rod for tackling the largest gravel pits. Both models have similar progressive fish-playing actions although, as you might expect, the Distance rod doesn’t have the same softness or tactile feel. However, having said that the rod is certainly going to provide an altogether much better fish-catching experience for the avid specimen tench and bream angler than they would get from using a distance-casting carp rod.
Angling Times says:
Drennan has clearly thought long and hard about both these rods. The fact that they are basically dressed the same as the originals says much about the popularity of the concept. However, these are specialist rods aimed at the modern specimen angler.
Take your pick between an old school progressive action, with lots of feel and an all-round remit, or a superbly well-built distance casting rod capable of hitting long ranges using heavy leads, and therefore ideal for large expanses of open or weedy water – especially when targeting really big tench.
Price: £129
Drennan Acolyte Plus Compact 13ft review
TECH SPEC
Length: 13ft
Pieces: Two
Reel lines: 4lb - 6lb
Hooklengths: 3lb (0.13mm) - 5lb (0.16mm)
Supplied with: Padded rod sleeve, retaining bands and rod socks
PAY AROUND
£209
Widely considered to be the best available, Drennan’s award-winning 13ft Acolyte match rods need little introduction.
The original super-light (4.5oz) Ultra makes floatfishing on rivers and lakes a pleasurable experience. The rods have a crisp yet forgiving action teamed with a viper-fast striking speed that can still set a tiny hook without fear of snapping off gossamer-fine hooklengths.
So, with all the boxes ticked, why would Drennan even think about making changes to these rods? Well, the company has… and yet it hasn’t. Let me explain. For those who prefer the original three-piece Acolytes, these rods remain unchanged and widely available.
However, they have been joined by two new Acolyte Compact versions, the 13ft Ultra and the stepped-up 13ft Plus.
These new two-piece rods have a patented design that enables the bottom 31cm of the handle to be unscrewed, leaving you with two similar length sections that can be quickly, easily and safely broken down with your rigs in situ. That’s never before been possible with 13ft match rods, unless of course you want to risk tip breakages, or spend more time untangling your rigs than setting up again from scratch.
The Compact Acolyte’s two sections are said to actually improve the rod’s balance and action by having just one ferrule in front of the handle, rather than the usual two, and that makes perfect sense.
But rather than simply just take the manufacturer’s word for it we took the Compact Acolyte Plus to the bank to see for ourselves – already all-but convinced by Drennan’s impeccable rod-building prowess.
As with the original three-piece Acolyte Plus model, the new Compact has the power to cast large floats and subdue quality fish. Essentially it’s a stepped-up version of the Ultra, but where would you use it? Well, it’s ideal for all long-range waggler and sliding float work, but legging-up a few skimmers and roach isn’t really much of a live test.
What was needed was a venue where we could use a big float and heavy line to catch something that pulled back – and not a carp!
Waters around Nottingham available on a Scunthorpe AA club book are among the finest on the Trent. So, armed with the Compact Plus fitted with my precious Hardy Conquest centrepin reel and little more than a few top-and-bottom floats, a pocketful of accessories and some bait – not forgetting the waders – I was off to a shallow, picture- postcard stretch where the float rules.
Wading into the shallows, surrounded by white foam created by the crashing weir behind me, I found a flat crease around four rodlengths where I thought the float would pass unhindered over the rocky riverbed.
Feeding Dynamite Baits Hemp with Snails, mixed in with small pieces of the meat carried in my bait apron, I soon realised why it’s important to use a light rod and reel combination. Regular feeding, and constant casting soon take their toll, especially when you’re not used to it.
But I have to say the Drennan/Hardy combination was as light as thistledown, and I fished for several hours without need of a rest. Casting a 4g alloy-stemmed Avon float proved effortless for the Acolyte Plus, and it could have easily handled double that weight.
It also fairly snapped the line off the surface with little more than a flick of the wrist – no great sweeping arcs of strike needed here to hit the bite, as the rod has a super-fast action with virtually no recoil or tip bounce.
I must admit I feared the worst, striking at distance with a two-piece 13ft rod, but my fears were groundless – it’s just perfect.
But the rod’s crowning glory is its awe-inspiring parabolic action. Its top section has a cushioning tip that tightens further down to generate a ‘power play’ fighting curve quite capable of handling the largest of fish.
That was proved as some whacking great chub and ‘never say die’ barbel were beaten in white water – after putting up the kind of scrap that would have given most other rods one hell of a beating!
VERDICT
Well, I’ll keep this short. During the live test I did lose a few fish, all very big barbel. It had nothing at all to do with the rod, it was simply poor preparation on my part, as I hadn’t loaded my reel with a heavy enough line.
This episode played on my mind all week, so I simply had to return and have another go. Reloading the reel with something more substantial, and re-rigging the rod at home, meant I could safely carry the made-up rod in the car all ready to go.
The result was my biggest-ever barbel on a float rod, estimated at 10lb-12lb. It fought like a demon, and no wonder I shall be forever grateful to Drennan’s new Compact Acolyte Plus.
Drennan Acolyte Feeder Plus 12ft rod
PAY AROUND
£189
Tackle giant Drennan has recently added two new models to its top-end Acolyte Feeder series. The latest 10ft and 12ft Plus rods are said to be the most powerful within the family, which includes 10ft, 11ft and 12ft Ultras with lighter actions, as well as an existing 11ft Plus rod.
The 12ft Plus model I tested is constructed using the same super-slim, two-section high modulus carbon blank featured on all Acolyte Feeders. But on this rod its mid to top section areas have been substantially beefed-up, to provide the blank with a higher weight loading point.
This not only aids its casting potential, enabling feeders and leads to be propelled greater distances, it also allows heavier weights up to 60g (2oz) to be used.
Drennan claims casts up to 60m are easily achievable, with even greater distances possible if you have good technique and, having live-tested the model on a large open water venue, I wouldn’t argue.
Other notable features are its stand-off SiC lined guides that help to keep the line well away from the blank, enabling the reel line to move quickly and smoothly through its guides, again to help distance. To that you can add a high-quality original Fuji screw down reel seat, full length 23ins-plus cork handle, and three push-in carbon quivertips, which have been selected to blend in with the rod’s parabolic fish-playing action.
So when, where and how would you use this rod? It’s certainly well suited for large expanses of open water – including rivers – and for all species of big fish.
The blank’s extra backbone provides plenty of casting clout which makes it ideal for all types of feeder and straight-lead tactics, just as I experienced at Lincolnshire’s big-fish mecca Bain Valley at Tattershall Thorpe.
The fishery’s windswept and open Halifax Lake holds some very big carp, which are noted for their fighting qualities. During the warmer months when the water is coloured, these can be caught on a pole in the margins, but once the colour starts to fade away, so do the fish. And like so many big waters in clear conditions, fish tend to shoal up towards the middle of the lake, a good 70m from the bank, more than a decent cast for any type of feeder rod, let alone one with such a slim profile as the Acolyte Plus.
Bread is the key bait, as it is on so many carp lakes in the cold. But Bain Valley is deep, so the punched disks need popping-up some three feet off the bottom to find the fish.
The longer hooklength adds yet another degree of difficulty to the cast. However, a decent sized bomb soon sorted this problem out. I did feel, though, that using an ounce-and-a-half of lead at around 65m-plus, the blank was on the upper limit of its capacities. To be fair, it was a very long chuck, and the Acolyte’s tip recovery post-cast, and its responsiveness, were never found to be wanting.
The rod’s push-in quivertips are faultlessly matched to its carrier section, with the 2.5oz, 3oz, and 4oz carbon quivers ideally suited for Method feeders and all hair-rig tactics.
Once a fish is hooked the blank’s action is surprisingly robust, and enables you to pull very hard without it ever feeling as though it might fold when under pressure – perfect for all big fish, not just carp.
The 12ft length enables a quick contact to be made with fish hooked at distance, and nothing that I caught while live testing, ever felt like it could dominate proceedings, which again for such a light and slim rod is very impressive.
I wouldn’t use it with small hooks and light lines, as I feel it had a little too much stiffness toward the end of the carrier section for gossamer gear, but as it wasn’t designed for that anyway, it’s hardly a criticism. I am, though, surprised that Drennan hadn’t moved the butt guide further down the blank, even if it meant losing a guide further up (think carp rod) as this may have added even more casting prowess.
VERDICT
Another sure-fire winner from Drennan. The Acolyte Plus feeder would be every bit at home on Boddington Reservoir as on the banks of the Severn or Trent. Thanks to its same-length design, and top ‘n’ tail retaining bands it is easily transported ready made-up, and is sure to be popular with long-range feeder fishing fans.
Mark Sawyer
Drennan Series 7 Puddle Chucker 10ft Carp Feeder
PAY AROUND
£79.95
The Drennan Series 7 Puddle Chucker 10ft Carp Feeder is an excellent fish playing rod that is absolutely ideal for carp on small commercial waters.
It is the shortest in a family of three Carp Feeder rods and is the perfect tool for short-range work or fishing in tight pegs. Despite only being 10ft in length it is still more than capable of casting light bombs and small feeders accurately and will get small to medium-sized carp to the net with ease.
With a high modulus carbom blank, it has plenty of power in reserve to steer carp away from any hazards in the pegyet is still soft enough to stop hook pulls or line breakages.
It has been designed to break down in to two equal lengths with one of the quivertip sections in place, making it really convenient to set-up and pack away quickly. A nice touch is that it comes supplied with a padded rod sleeve and neoprene straps.
Drennan Acolyte 11ft Carp Waggler Rod
PAY AROUND
£149.99
Drennan International first applied the Acolyte name just over a year ago to its 13ft and 14ft Acolyte Ultra match rods. So popular were these that it was inevitable more in the same vein would follow, and sure enough, the Oxford-based company has just extended the range with 11ft and 12ft Acolyte Carp Waggler rods.
These are built with the same high modulus carbon fibre cloth which gives them an exquisite lightness and balance. You get blink-of-an-eye tip speed and a progressive fish-playing action that never locks up. The rods bend, then bend a bit more, and continue in that vein no matter how much pressure you apply, or what angle you care to apply it from.
These super slim two-piece blanks weigh in at just 128g (11ft) and 135g (12ft). Both rods feature crisply sharp line pick-up and cast a reasonable distance – although I certainly wouldn’t class either of them as out-and-out pellet waggler chuckers. Rather than being one-trip ponies they are quite versatile, with super-flexible top sections suited to propelling smaller wagglers to their mark.
Fans of big waggler tactics should note that Drennan claims the 12ft Acolyte Carp waggler is capable of handling 20g loaded floats with reel lines of up to 7lb, which puts it right up there in the power pellet waggler bracket. But not having had the chance to use the rod I can’t confirm this.
I did take the 11ft version to the carp-crammed Lakeside fishery near Towcester for a workout, however, and boy, is this a good rod! It’s the epitome of what a commercial carp waggler rod should be all about. It casts wagglers from around 2AAA up to 10g-plus with unerring accuracy, and its jaw-dropping parabolic action allows you to play the fishas hard as you want, without ever feeling you might pull the hook or break the line. It absorbs every lunge of a hooked fish quite effortlessly, right up to the point where it’s ready to net.
During the live test my confidence in the rod grew to the extent that I even started locking up the reel and allowing the blank to take all the strain. To my amazement, most of the carp just popped up to the surface and waved a fin in surrender, much the same as bream and skimmers do.
Its ridiculous lightness – the rod tips the scales at just 4.5oz – makes constant casting and feeding with a catapult a painless operation. If I were to be realty pedantic I would shave a couple of inches off the handle to make the rod more manoeuvrable in tight corners, but other than that the Drennan Acolyte 11ft Carp Waggler is without fault.
Drennan Series 7 12ft Puddle Chucker Pellet Waggler Rod
PAY AROUND
£79.95
The last time I asked Drennan director Gary Barclay how many rods the company had in its best-selling Series 7 range it came to 23. Together these cover just about every known match and pleasure fishing scenario, and this situation poses an obvious question – why would Drennan introduce yet another rod?
The answer lies in the meteoric rise in the use of the long-range pellet waggler on big open-water commercials such as Larford, Boddington, Meadowlands and Clattercote.
Such is the popularity of this style of floatfishing that it wasn’t all that long ago that Drennan introduced its own range of Crystal XL Pellet Wagglers. These floats not only cast a very long way, but help to iron out problems such as surface drift, casting accuracy and visibility which are the downside (indeed the pain in the backside) of floatfishing at distance.
Come the float, come the rod – enter the Drennan Puddle Chucker 12ft Pellet Waggler, claimed to offer a slightly more powerful option in its Series 7 range. However, I think Drennan is under-selling the rod with such an obvious comment.
Yes, it clearly has more casting clout than the standard two-piece 11ft Puddle Chucker. The 12-footer will throw a fairly hefty float of up to 20g a very long way. This is made possible by its high forward loading characteristics in which the last 18ins or so of the hollow carbon tip absorb the weight of the float while the rest of the blank pushes its stiffish backbone through the cast. It’s the same basic casting action you find in most good feeder rods.
It doesn’t stop there, though. The 12ft Puddle Chucker, which is in two equal lengths and can be carried ready made-up, has a forgiving parabolic fish-playing action which kicks in when a bigger carp takes the bait.
During the live test it handled floats of up to 14g with consummate ease, although I wouldn’t fancy using it with anything under around 6g.
I can see this rod quickly becoming a firm favourite with club anglers who have matches booked on big-fish venues that respond well to the pellet waggler. My single criticism is that the 23ins all-cork handle needs to be an inch or so shorter (at least it does for me). Pass the hacksaw!
Drennan Acolyte Ultra 15ft Float Rod
TECH SPEC
Length: 15ft (4.75m)
Weight: 5.75oz (163g)
Recommended reel lines: 3lb-5lb
Recommended hooklengths: From 1.5lb
Other rods in the Acolyte Ultra range: 13ft, 14ft
PAY AROUND
£199
There have been one or two rather unfortunate instances involving long rods and me. Like the time a 17-footer exploded in my hands as I cast a Bolo float into the River Severn, or when the top six inches of another snapped off as I bent it a little to bait a hook. Long rods and I were definitely not a marriage made in heaven.
So you can perhaps imagine my reservations when I first set eyes on Drennan’s new Acolyte Ultra 15ft float rod. The rod looked and felt fantastic. Slimmer at the butt than any other 15footer I’d picked up, it was also unbelievably light. It tips the scales at just 163g (5.75oz). All well and good, but would my long-rod jinx continue to haunt me?
Longest in a range of three, slightly beefier Acolyte rods which have been added to the original range, the 15ft Ultra is designed primarily for rivers. The extra length improves float control no end when trotting sticks, Avons and Bolos along flowing water.
But it has other uses, and one of these is as a margin rod on lakes for good-sized fish – perfect for a test right in the middle of the river closed season. And 10 minutes into the session at Northamptonshire’s beautiful Ryson Lake, my long-rod demons were beginning to be exorcised as a 3lb tench lay in the landing net.
Rest assured, this is a very special rod. Despite its extra length, there’s no top-heavy feel and there’s no extra weight added to the rod butt, which has been an easy fix to such problems in previous long rods, not from Drennan I might add.
It was perfectly balanced with the 3000-size reel I used and the rod’s action remains fast and crisp at the tip, with the middle section coming into play when required.
My chance to test this last comment came towards the end of the session. After that first tench, and few decent roach and skimmers, something much more substantial took my waggler-fished sweetcorn on a size 16 hook to 0.14mm hooklength and 5lb Supplex main line.
I didn’t hold out much hope of landing what was clearly a big tench as it ploughed under the tree to my right. In fact I piled on more pressure than I probably should, but after one particularly scary moment when I felt the line scraping against a unseen underwater branch, I eventually netted what was certainly my biggest tench ever.
I loved using the Acolyte Ultra 15ft. How many will Drennan sell? Well, the company deserves to sell a lot and with the resurgence of river floatfishing thanks to events like RiverFest, I sincerely hope they will. Britain’s anglers deserve the chance to use this most impressive of rods. Now to give it an outing on the rivers - June 16 can’t come soon enough.
Drennan Acolyte Plus 13ft Match Rod
PAY AROUND
£179 (13ft), £189 (14ft)
The original three-piece Drennan Acolyte Match rod, launched last June, must rank among the best lightweight silverfish rods ever. Its seamless, progressive action combines with a top section forgiving enough to be used with gossamer hooklengths and tiny hooks, and of course the finish of the quality carbon blank is impeccable.
If this rod has any faults (or, more properly speaking, limitations) it’s that it struggles to cast heavy floats long distances, and is at the limits of its power when dealing with really big fish.
In true Drennan style, and in response to positive criticism, Drennan has duly released this a stepped-up version of this masterpiece – the Acolyte Plus. Just like the original, it has been designed in consultation with five times World Champ Alan Scotthorne and comes in 13ft and 14ft versions. The real difference lies in the engine room – this will cast bigger floats further and fight specimen fish harder. Drennan suggests it will be at its best with with reellines from 4lb-6lb (1.8kg- 3kg) and hooklengths from 3lb-5lb (0.13mm-0.16mm).
This extra power has been made possible by subtle changes to the blank. As well as being a bit faster and stiffer, the top two sections have been designed to load up higher along the blank when it’s under stress. This way the classic softly progressive action is retained, but with a bit more grunt when it’s needed.
Where would you use a rod like this? The Acoloyte Plus is ideally suited to deep-water slider fishing for bream, skimmers or big roach, but will appeal equally to the big-river enthusiast using top and bottom floats on the Severn, Wye, or Trent, where a steel fist in a velvet glove is a requirement in the fast currents. I see it selling best of all to the purist natural venue float fisherman targeting decent-sized tench and bream, and these were just what I had in my sights for the live test at Northamptonshire’s peaceful and pretty day-ticket Rysons Lake. This venue lends itself well to waggler tactics, and my set-up was simple enough – 5lb (0.18mm) reel line attached to a 3lb (0.12mm) hooklength. My 3AAA waggler was shotted shirt-button style with a series of No8s culminating in a size14 hook baited with a lobworm tail.
The casting potential of the Acolyte Plus was barely stretched by this standard waggler set-up, and the rod could have easily handled something much heavier. I am not sure, though, that I entirely agree with the Drennan claim for it being ideal for pellet waggler and missile fishing on commercials. The finesse of the tip section would eventually lead to – let’s say – a ‘disappointment.’
That minuscule criticism aside, what a fabulous big fish playing action the rod has. Every lunge is met with an instant response, the transmission of ‘feel’ along the blank is simply astounding, and when you pile on the side-strain the progressive curve takes it all in its stride.
Drennan 13ft Tench and Specimen Float
PAY AROUND
£94.95
Drennan is probably the first name many anglers think of when you mention float rods for tench.
The Oxfordshire company has an illustrious history of selling some of the best tench waggler rods of all time and its current offering is another cracker.
The semi-through-actioned rod is a traditional 13ft long but an unusual design means the blank splits into two equal 6ft sections, plus a 12-inch screw-in butt end- piece, making it easy to carry made-up in the sleeve that comes with the rod.
Suitable for use with reel lines of 3lb to 7lb and hooklengths down to 2.5lb the rod has a wide range of big-fish uses, right through to trotting a stick float for chub and barbel.
We think this one is destined to become another Drennan tench classic.
Drennan Series 7 Specialist Avon Quiver
This delightful twin-top rod has a multitude of uses on commercial pools, rivers and lakes, and makes a brilliant, close and medium range tool for targeting tench and bream.
Perfect for reel lines in the 5lb to 10lb range, the rod is capable of casting feeders weighing from 0.5oz to 3oz with the quiver section, or fishing a close-range float with the Avon top.
You get two glass, push-in quiver tops rated at 3oz and 4oz that offer excellent bite registration and both sport high-viz white tops.
The rod has a comfortable progressive action that’s good for keeping small hooks in place but is not designed for long casts, so it’s best fished from in the margins to around 35 yards.
There’s a host of useful rod information on the underside of the butt section.
RRP £99.95