Since moving back to the UK, I’ve really gone back to my fishing roots and taken up all the styles of fishing which I lost touch with while in Spain. Everything over there was big; the fish, the tackle and the bait all needed to be over the top to stand a chance of landing them, so it’s been a real breath of fresh air to stock up on light kit and start to enjoy my fishing again.
I am an 100% all rounder. I don’t think there’s one style of fishing which suits me best. One day I wake up and feel the urge to go float fishing and then the next I fancy a few hours spinning, but one of the methods which I really do enjoy is feeder fishing.
I was in the market for a new rod and reel so, as normal, I trawled the internet for independent reviews, much like the one I’m about to do I guess! Personally, I’m not a fan of the reviews done by the brand themselves or by guys who are sponsored by the brand. They will always be very biased and I don’t really see how this would help me choose a particular product. I’m also a great believer that each brand has its own gems for each different angler. For instance, I might really like a product and my mate can’t stand it; that doesn’t mean it’s not good, but that it’s suited more to my style of fishing than his.
With all that in mind, I found a few guys who had written about the new Drennan front drag reel range. I’ll be honest, put it down to total ignorance, but I didn’t even know Drennan made reels! They looked the part, so I went down to my local tackle shop to have a feel.
At first glance, they are a really small, compact reel and the thing that stood out to me straight away when opening the box was the push button quick fold handle. I have the same idea on my Daiwa XBR big pits which when new were close to £400! It’s a great idea and just adds that little bit of extra convenience when packing away, a really nice touch on a small reel.
Each reel comes with 3 spools, all of which are alloy. The spools are shallow and take between 90 & 100 metres of slightly different line diameters. No plastic spare spools and no more need for bulk line to fill up your spools, what a bonus!
There are other small additions to the spools which are nice touch like the small depression in the spool to take the loop knot when you first tie on to spool up. It means the line lay is spot on with no lumps or bumps which can only aid casting, or the small interchangeable buttons which have either line diameter or breaking strains printed on them … things that didn’t need to be done but have been and when you think about it will both aid your fishing. I’m all for aid, in any shape or form!
It looked and felt the part, so I bit the bullet and bought myself one of the smaller FD3000’s. I have been using the Drennan Supplex mono for a few months now and the stuff is in a class of its own, so it was a no-brainer that I would fill the new spools with it. As the name suggests, it is very supple and is also very smooth to the touch. The first time I used it, I put my float up a tree on the far bank. I was so used to using other ropey mono that I gave it a really good flick and it flew off the spool so well that the whole rig was up the tree before I knew it! Unlike a lot of other mono I have used it doesn’t seem to kink or curl once it’s been on the spool for a few weeks.
I loaded 4lb, 5lb and 6lb on each spare spool and, with the shallowness, spared not a drop. I can’t remember how many times I have thrown away perfectly good mono because it’s been sat in the shed for months or even years after spooling up and there being excess, such a waste.
I have coupled the new reel with my Preston Innovations C Series 12ft Feeder rod and it’s a match made in heaven. I really can’t stand an unbalanced set up. It bugs me when I’m playing a fish, so when I set up I was really chuffed with how well balanced everything felt. I could barely feel the weight of the reel and it was all really comfortable in hand. I love the Preston rods; they are a bit pricey but, as with a lot in life, you get what you pay for.
The first outing with the whole set up was a local one. I didn’t want to go too crazy and sit out for too long without a bite, just a short session with plenty of fish to give the all important clutch a once over was on the cards. My local park lake at Stanbrough held some good Bream and Roach, with the odd Carp thrown in, so it was perfect for the test run.
With a 15g feeder full of groundbait and freebies and a nice long hooklength, I was hitting distances of 60+ yards no problem and without too much effort or stress on any of the tackle. After half an hour, I was constantly bagging Bream up to 5lbs on a light bottom of 2lb8oz and, thanks to the super smooth clutch, I could set it just right to that breaking strain and it didn’t stick or slip once which gave me a lot more confidence when playing the fish. I would go as far to say that, for the price, it is the nicest small reel and clutch system I have used for a long time.
I’m 100% sold and happy in knowing that I’ve found my new feeder set up for the foreseeable future! The Preston C series feeder + Drennan FD300 loaded with 4lb Drennan Supplex are highly recommended.
All the best and wet nets !!
Dan Sales
