Match Fishing Staff

Drennan KO Cup, The ultimate test? There are some fantastic events in the angling calendar year on year, but what really proves to be the ultimate test of skill and bottle? We have 130 peg one day qualifiers where ultimately it’s down to who draws well and can keep their bottle for a full five hours without cracking under the pressure of the occasion. We also have events such as White Acres Festivals and the UK Champs where consistency is key against top opposition! But in my opinion Match Fishing’s own Drennan Knockout Cup is head and shoulders above any other competition in that it’s an invited field of the very best the country has to offer, held over a number of months and equally gruelling rounds across a multitude of different venues meaning a ‘one trick pony’ is most unlikely to progress very far in the competition, if at all! In recent years I’ve concentrated on Fish’O’Mania and making two finals along the way was great, but with ticket allocation becoming more and more difficult I found myself with a lot of time on my hands to dedicate to something else this year, and having never been able to give the Knockout Cup much time with regards to practise, it became the focus of my year. The first round at Lindholme Lakes will probably go down as one of my finest wins to date, I cannot think of a better 110 peg match to win, a red letter day of the highest order. But from what to me is a ‘standard’ day at a top quality commercial fishery, we was then thrust into the world of canal fishing now this to me personally was going to be a big challenge – I used to do loads of canal fishing and really enjoyed it, but with the main events being held on commercials I hadn’t visited one for a good few years.

Grab your copy of the December issue!The December issue is on sale THIS FRIDAY - don't miss your chance to get involved with the best information, from the best anglers in the game. The final part of this year's Drennan Knockout Cup unfolds in a two-day-long epic at Docklow Pools. The four finalists battle it out in our elimination shocker. Alongside this there's top advice from Steve Ringer, Lee Kerry, Lee Edwards and many more.

Joe Carass gets out on the bank with the superb Pro Natural range from Bait-Tech. Bait-Tech somewhat bucked the trend last year when it released the original Pro Natural groundbait. In a marketplace dominated by 2kg carp mixes, producing a blend for silver fish and natural venues was a bold move. It is a move that has paid off, though, and Pro Natural has been a huge success for the brand, proving to be extremely effective for a wide range of natural-venue situations.

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.