Drennan Acolyte Carp Pole
Never a company to do things by halves, Drennan’s new Acolyte Carp pole is set to shake up the mid- price bracket. With package prices starting at just £995, here’s what editor Alex Bones thought.
My introduction to this pole was on a morning fishing session arranged by Drennan at a local commercial. Sat on a swim offering a long margin my first foray with it was exciting – latching into a hard- fighting carp only moments after sitting on the box!
As always it’s Drennan’s meticulous attention to detail that often wins anglers over. Putting the pole itself to one side a moment, it’s this attention that, once again, I couldn’t help but be impressed by. The package that comes with the pole is comprehensive to say the least – four carp kits, two unique double-2 kits (with no loss of the pole’s fishable length) and a cupping kit, factory-fitted side-pull system as standard, roller cones for super-smooth fish playing, two reversible mini extensions, quality Drennan holdall, Visi Case packed with extras (four skid bungs, a pole pot, EVA nose cones, spare cupping kit adaptor, side- pull beads and six roller cones) extractor rod for the bungs and 30, yes 30, Super Slick Internal PTFE Bungee Bushes (two diameters of PTFE bush, each with a choice of wide and narrow internal bores, plus six elastic-centralising PTFE bushes for the No2 section).
Built on the same mandrel as Drennan’s existing Acolyte pole it’s fully interchangeable, for any existing Acolyte owners wanting a beefed-up model, but it’s also a stand-alone pole in its own right.
Well worth a special mention are a couple of superb features designed and implemented by the Drennan geniuses in Oxford. Firstly, the new roller cones, which, at this moment in time, are available only with the Drennan pole packages. They are an engineering masterpiece and the roller cone itself locks against the side-puller bush to offer a perfect, foolproof fit every time. This affords one of the smoothest, if not the smoothest, side-puller setup available.
Secondly is the design of a new narrower-diameter internal Super Slick Bungee Bush. The external diameter of these matches the existing range of bushes, but offers a greatly reduced internal diameter. This is to allow you to have all top kits cut to the same length, while giving you the option to switch bushes to cater for different elastics. For example, you may wish to use a red or pink Drennan Bungee elastic in the warmer months, but use far lighter grades of solid elastic in the winter. You can switch the bushes without any need to alter the length of the pole tips.
Incidentally, the pole is a true- length model and, if you fit the smallest bushes supplied, you don’t even need to introduce the kits to Mr Hacksaw!
The double-2 kits are a clever invention, available already with Drennan’s flagship Acolyte, and, as the name suggests, offer a two-piece No2 joint. Drennan says: “It is approximately the same 2.89m length as a standard two- piece Drennan top kit, but there is another joint in the middle of the No2 section. The clever addition of this extra joint allows you to be able to elasticate one-and-a-half sections of pole rather than just the No1 (tip) or the combined No1 and No2 sections. It is a great idea for anglers who don’t want to fit quite so much elastic in their pole. It also provides you with a slightly shorter top kit for more manoeuvrability.
“Importantly, unlike many other poles on the market that offer a ‘short kit’ option, a big advantage of Drennan’s ‘double-2’ system is the fact that you are not losing any fishable pole length when this type of kit is fitted. That means you can use a conventional Drennan top- two kit and a double-2 kit for the same swim without having to add or subtract sections or use cupping kits of different lengths.
“Also, when packing away, you can leave both parts of the No2 section assembled; fold the kit in half and it will conveniently be the same size as the normal carp kits, making everything really simple.”
So, back to the pole itself! Well, it’s certainly strong – the sort of weapon that’ll handle anything you can throw at it. As with most poles designed for power applications it’s quite heavy and, at a full 16 metres, hard work if fished for long periods. That said – show me a pole in this price bracket that isn’t.
However, it’s a model suited to any venue, including canals and rivers, if most of your fishing is done at 13 metres or less, with the occasional venture to 14.5 metres. It’s also available in 13m, 14.5m and 16m package options. And, if you buy at the shorter length but want to upgrade at a later date you can do so without it costing you any more than it would have if you’d opted for the longer package in the first place.
The top-kit package can also be tailored to individual requirements if the default package doesn’t quite suit your application.
All in all it’s a good, solid, reliable pole with an exceptionally well-thought-out package and many unique benefits; certainly one I’d strongly consider if I were looking to spend this kind of money.
RRP:
13M £995
14.5M £1,295
16M £1,595
Visit www.drennantackle.com for instructional videos and more in-depth information on the Acolyte Carp pole.
My introduction to this pole was on a morning fishing session arranged by Drennan at a local commercial. Sat on a swim offering a long margin my first foray with it was exciting – latching into a hard- fighting carp only moments after sitting on the box!
As always it’s Drennan’s meticulous attention to detail that often wins anglers over. Putting the pole itself to one side a moment, it’s this attention that, once again, I couldn’t help but be impressed by. The package that comes with the pole is comprehensive to say the least – four carp kits, two unique double-2 kits (with no loss of the pole’s fishable length) and a cupping kit, factory-fitted side-pull system as standard, roller cones for super-smooth fish playing, two reversible mini extensions, quality Drennan holdall, Visi Case packed with extras (four skid bungs, a pole pot, EVA nose cones, spare cupping kit adaptor, side- pull beads and six roller cones) extractor rod for the bungs and 30, yes 30, Super Slick Internal PTFE Bungee Bushes (two diameters of PTFE bush, each with a choice of wide and narrow internal bores, plus six elastic-centralising PTFE bushes for the No2 section).
Built on the same mandrel as Drennan’s existing Acolyte pole it’s fully interchangeable, for any existing Acolyte owners wanting a beefed-up model, but it’s also a stand-alone pole in its own right.
Well worth a special mention are a couple of superb features designed and implemented by the Drennan geniuses in Oxford. Firstly, the new roller cones, which, at this moment in time, are available only with the Drennan pole packages. They are an engineering masterpiece and the roller cone itself locks against the side-puller bush to offer a perfect, foolproof fit every time. This affords one of the smoothest, if not the smoothest, side-puller setup available.
Secondly is the design of a new narrower-diameter internal Super Slick Bungee Bush. The external diameter of these matches the existing range of bushes, but offers a greatly reduced internal diameter. This is to allow you to have all top kits cut to the same length, while giving you the option to switch bushes to cater for different elastics. For example, you may wish to use a red or pink Drennan Bungee elastic in the warmer months, but use far lighter grades of solid elastic in the winter. You can switch the bushes without any need to alter the length of the pole tips.
Incidentally, the pole is a true- length model and, if you fit the smallest bushes supplied, you don’t even need to introduce the kits to Mr Hacksaw!
The double-2 kits are a clever invention, available already with Drennan’s flagship Acolyte, and, as the name suggests, offer a two-piece No2 joint. Drennan says: “It is approximately the same 2.89m length as a standard two- piece Drennan top kit, but there is another joint in the middle of the No2 section. The clever addition of this extra joint allows you to be able to elasticate one-and-a-half sections of pole rather than just the No1 (tip) or the combined No1 and No2 sections. It is a great idea for anglers who don’t want to fit quite so much elastic in their pole. It also provides you with a slightly shorter top kit for more manoeuvrability.
“Importantly, unlike many other poles on the market that offer a ‘short kit’ option, a big advantage of Drennan’s ‘double-2’ system is the fact that you are not losing any fishable pole length when this type of kit is fitted. That means you can use a conventional Drennan top- two kit and a double-2 kit for the same swim without having to add or subtract sections or use cupping kits of different lengths.
“Also, when packing away, you can leave both parts of the No2 section assembled; fold the kit in half and it will conveniently be the same size as the normal carp kits, making everything really simple.”
So, back to the pole itself! Well, it’s certainly strong – the sort of weapon that’ll handle anything you can throw at it. As with most poles designed for power applications it’s quite heavy and, at a full 16 metres, hard work if fished for long periods. That said – show me a pole in this price bracket that isn’t.
However, it’s a model suited to any venue, including canals and rivers, if most of your fishing is done at 13 metres or less, with the occasional venture to 14.5 metres. It’s also available in 13m, 14.5m and 16m package options. And, if you buy at the shorter length but want to upgrade at a later date you can do so without it costing you any more than it would have if you’d opted for the longer package in the first place.
The top-kit package can also be tailored to individual requirements if the default package doesn’t quite suit your application.
All in all it’s a good, solid, reliable pole with an exceptionally well-thought-out package and many unique benefits; certainly one I’d strongly consider if I were looking to spend this kind of money.
RRP:
13M £995
14.5M £1,295
16M £1,595
Visit www.drennantackle.com for instructional videos and more in-depth information on the Acolyte Carp pole.
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