Drennan Hooks To Nylon Barbless Wide Gape Pellet

Method moulds have been a bit of a revelation for many anglers %u2013 and not just match anglers %u2013 because they make moulding the bait round the feeder correctly each and every time such a simple process. One downside of a mould was that you had to have your mix spot on for them to work correctly, or else the moulded feeder didn%u2019t always come out intact. Preston seems to have completely eliminated this problem with the help of a nifty push-button release mechanism and it%u2019s something I%u2019m extremely impressed with. I first used the smallest mould (together with Preston%u2019s excellent 1oz inline Method feeders) on the Sunday before the Dynamite Baits Festival at White Acres, and to say it was effective was an understatement. From the very first cast the tip kept banging round and it gave me complete confidence in the gadget. The next day I used the same tactics and went on to catch around 30 carp for 118lb to get my festival off to a great start! I only had the chance to use the tactics one more time during the week, but a hard-earned section win on the last day to give me sixth overall in the festival cemented my faith in this great little gizmo. It works equally well with softened pellets as it does with groundbait and I found myself taking a leaf out of Darren Cox%u2019s book and using a mixture of the two for much of the time. The feeders also deserve a mention and I think the little inline versions are absolutely perfect, especially with the heavier, 1oz weight. They are nice and compact and fly extremely well. One problem with some other feeders I%u2019ve used is that the plastic rivets that join the lead weight to the frame can come apart mid-session, so Preston has done away with them completely. Instead, the lead weight is actually moulded onto the frame resulting in a much more reliable product. So far neither the feeders nor the mould have let me down and I can%u2019t wait to start using them even more over the coming months!

The best feed pellets are those that are very regular in size and cleanly cut. Open a bag of the Swim Stim Naturals and you%u2019ll find these pellets are simply perfect. I mainly use the 1mm, 3mm and 8mm versions on venues where there%u2019s no pellet restriction in place. The 1mms are combined in a 20/80 ratio with the 3mms for use in a pellet-Method feeder. The 3mms can be used on their own when you%u2019re feeding for small carp or F1s on the pole, while the 8mms get most use with the pellet waggler. I%u2019d like to see a 4mm pellet brought out because there%u2019s a big difference between the 3mm and 6mm size (3mm, obviously!) and there are certainly times when a 4mm version is needed. The reason that these pellets are so good is that the smaller sizes don%u2019t break down into a mush once you%u2019ve softened them in water. This is vital when you%u2019re fishing the pellet-Method feeder as you want the pellets to break off individually rather than in a pastelike lump. To get the perfect pellets for the pellet-Method feeder I cover one pint of pellets in water for two minutes, then drain off the pellets and seal them in a bag. When I get to my peg I open the bag into a bait box and check the consistency; normally they%u2019re about right but sometimes I may have to add a little extra water to make them bind together. Don%u2019t worry about squeezing the pellets too hard around the feeder, because no matter how much pressure you apply to the pellets they will break down very quickly once immersed in water. For pellet-waggler fishing, the 8mms are used straight from the bag. There are loads of other bait products in the Swim Stim Natural range, including prepared hookers, groundbait and a liquid to boost other baits.

Anglers who don%u2019t enjoy tying their own hooks but have had to, simply because what they wanted wasn%u2019t available, will definitely be interested in this new range from Drennan. The hooks, which come in booklets of eight, have been carefully selected from the company%u2019s recently launched ranges of spade-end barbed and barbless hooks, that have already proved to be massively popular with commercial and natural-fishery anglers. In total there are 12 patterns %u2013 six barbless and six microbarbed %u2013 with several sizes in each matched to appropriate line, depending on wire strength and hook type. The microbarbed patterns are all tied to 35cm hooklengths as the vast majority will be used on rivers or natural venues, on the feeder or running line. If shorter lengths are required for pole fishing situations they can of course be cut down to suit. The barbless hooks are tied to line lengths of either 20 or 25 centimetres, which makes them perfect for the pole or running-line on commercial fisheries. Drennan has paid careful attention to the knots to ensure that they are tight and won%u2019t slip up and onto the spades. The line strengths are carefully matched to the size and width of spades, and equally important is how tightly they are tied. All are whipped perfectly with between 11 and 13 turns, which is spot on, and tensioned correctly. In the two weeks that we%u2019ve had them we%u2019ve tried most of the patterns between us and every one has been perfect. Long nights at home tying hooks are now set to become a thing of the past! MF Verdict This is the best range of commercially available hooks to nylon that we have ever seen.