After yet another memorable year for specimen anglers, it’s crunch time, as voting begins for the next Drennan Cup champion. The standards for the iconic contest increase year on year – bigger fish and more weekly awards than ever are needed to claim the prestigious title. Here are some of the contenders from this year's fiercely fought competition...
Anybody who has won a weekly Drennan Cup award in the past five years is eligible to cast a vote in this year’s competition. If you qualify, please email your top four choices for this year’s cup to freddie.sandford@bauermedia.co.uk or call 01733 395139. Voting ends on April 18, and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.
Lloyd Watson (record pike)
A British Record fish of any kind is special, but some species are that bit more special than others.
Pike certainly fall into that category, so when Lloyd Watson landed a fish of 47lb 5oz from Chew Valley Lake, breaking Roy Lewis’ long-held 46lb 13oz record of 1992, it was no surprise that the angling world went into meltdown.
Manchester angler Lloyd had his fish on a smelt, and hooked it just 10 minutes after positioning his bait. Initially, the fish felt small, but once it was in the net, Lloyd was blown away by the its proportions!
It didn’t take long for the British Record Fish Committee to officially ratify the pike as a new national best, and former record-holder Roy Lewis sent Lloyd his congratulations all the way from his home in New Zealand!
PIKE CAN BE CAUGHT ON A VARIETY OF LURES, OUR BUYER'S GUIDE HAS SOME OF THE BEST LURES TO TRY.
Daniel Woolcott (5 awards)
The ever-consistent Daniel Woolcott received five weekly awards... all for different species! The Kent angler kicked off with an 11lb 1oz tench (right) on maggot feeder tactics in the spring, followed by a 15lb 15oz bream that smashed his PB.
Next, he headed north to the wilds of Scotland, where he landed a gorgeous 3lb 3oz grayling in bitter conditions when temperatures dropped to minus 8 degrees! He had that fish on a trotted worm, when it was so cold the bait froze solid, “and looked like a Twiglet” in Dan’s words.
He’s had great success with roach in recent seasons, and during this campaign he landed a gorgeous stillwater fish of 3lb 1oz. Finally, he headed to the Thames to target chub. A 7lb 9oz fish taken on a boilie hookbait finished his season in fine style.
TENCH CAN BE CAUGHT ON A VARIETY OF BAITS, OUR EXPERT ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS SOME EXCELLENT CHOICES.
Duncan Hayward (5 awards)
It's no secret that the Thames is home to some of the nation’s largest fish, as Duncan Hayward proved by winning an impressive five awards, all for fish from this river system. He kicked off with a 16lb 9oz barbel in autumn, followed by an almighty fish of 19lb 4oz taken on a snowman rig a few months later.
That second fish was the culmination of hundreds of challenging hours on the bank. Predators were his next target, as he landed a 4lb 9oz perch as well as a 30lb 3oz pike from the river. Both were landmark fish for Duncan.
The curtain fell on Duncan’s season with a gorgeous 1lb 1oz dace from a Thames tributary, which he caught during darkness on feeder fished maggots.
YOU NEED TO USE THE BEST FISHING LINES IF YOU'RE GOING TO TARGET LOTS OF DIFFERENT SPECIES.
Simon Ashton (3 awards)
For anglers living in the north of England, catching Drennan Cup-worthy fish is undoubtedly harder than for those in the south. But Durham angler Simon Ashton has proved that, with hard work and dedication, exceptional results can still be had.
He kicked off with a 4lb 8oz PB stillwater perch in October, and a month later blew that fish out of the water with a 5lb 4oz giant. That fish fell to a feederfished worm hookbait, which he popped-up slightly.
Over winter, Simon targeted grayling in Scottish rivers. These are his ‘local’ specimen waters, despite being miles from his home! He had a few ‘threes’ on trotted maggots, topped by a 3lb 2oz new PB.
PERCH ARE A GREAT FISH TO TARGET YEAR-ROUND, OUR WHERE TO FISH GUIDE HAS SOME EXCELLENT VENUES TO TRY.
Adam Riches (3 awards)
Northampton Specimen Group member Adam Riches enjoyed his best run in the Drennan Cup to date, landing PB barbel and bream, along with a joint-best perch.
His campaign got underway with a 17lb 3oz ‘slab’ caught in November from a large stillwater. He was fishing in good conditions – wet with low air pressure – and had the fish just before first light on a homemade boilie.
Next up was a 4lb 14oz reservoir perch, taken on a lure. As he’s used to targeting the species on the Great Ouse, fishing the large venue was a challenge he enjoyed. Finally, Adam managed a 17lb 8oz barbel in February from the River Lea.
FANCY CATCHING A SPECIMEN BREAM? OUR WHERE TO FISH GUIDE HAS SOME AMAZING VENUES TO TRY.
Dave Robinson (3 awards)
In an area when many anglers publicise their catches far and wide, it’s comforting to know that some anglers keep captures confined to just a close group of friends.
Dave Robinson wasn’t someone we’d had reports of specimen fish from in the past, but after his friends had convinced him to have a crack at the Drennan Cup, he did so in spectacular style. Kicking off with an incredible brace of perch, weighing 5lb 4oz and 5lb 1oz, it was clear he meant business.
Next up he was on the trail of rudd, landing a pair of 3lb 4oz fish in a hectic session. Then, in the floods of autumn, he extracted an 18lb 4oz barbel from the River Lea on a big piece of luncheon meat.
Paul Scowen (3 awards)
A blistering late-season run of form with perch and pike put Oxford angler Paul Scowen right in the mix. Last month, he had three awards in as many weeks, starting with a stunning 37lb 1oz Chew Valley Lake pike. That fish fell to a smelt deadbait, which Paul positioned off the back of a weedbed.
As soon as he tightened into it, he knew it was a good fish, as it repeatedly took line before it was safely cradled in the net. Next up, he enjoyed a superb spell on a reservoir, where he landed a string of huge perchover several sessions, winning awards for fish of 4lb 10oz and 4lb 15oz.
Taking advantage of modern fish-finding equipment was key to his success, although the perch were far from easy to catch. Paul would endure long spells when the fish couldn’t be stirred, punctuated by brief and chaotic feeding sprees.
PERCH ARE GREAT FUN TO TARGET ON LURES, OUR GUIDE HAS THE BEST PERCH LURES TO TRY RIGHT NOW.
Mark Hewett (3 awards)
Location is everything in fishing, and that can come down to where you live. Mark Hewett moved to Dorset in the autumn and wasted no time in making the most of the hotbed of rivers near his new home. He kicked off with a 30lb 7oz pike from the Hampshire Avon, taken on a small livebait.
Next, he targeted the river’s stocks of roach, taking a fish of 3lb 1oz on trotted maggots. Interestingly, he had it up in the water, having seen the shoal taking his feed on the drop.
Not long before Christmas, Mark headed to the Dorset Stour, where he targeted its famous chub. Rather than trot maggots, as most anglers do there, he presented a paste-wrapped boilie in a slack behind a tree and managed a chub of 7lb 10oz.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE BEST FLOAT RODS FOR SILVERS WHEN FISHING FOR ROACH.
Other contenders
Kevin Sanders – 3lb rudd + 3lb 5oz rudd, Daniel Bouskila –6lb 4oz eel + 1lb dace, Stephen Gibbons – 3lb rudd + 3lb 8dr roach, Andy Oxley – 2lb 15oz 8dr roach + 3lb 12oz roach, Luke Jordan – 4lb 10oz perch + 17lb 5oz zander, James Champkin – 15lb 13oz bream + 3lb 10oz roach, Mark Woodage – 7lb 13oz chub + 2lb 14oz roach, Lee McManus –16lb 1oz bream + 3lb 5oz roach, James Benfield – 17lb 6oz barbel + 18lb 15oz barbel, George Cornwell – 17lb 2oz barbel + 17lb 12oz barbel, Alan Stagg – 16lb 2oz barbel + 5lb 1oz perch, Dean Macey –16lb 14oz bream + 16lb 4oz bream.
Anybody who has won a weekly Drennan Cup award in the past five years is eligible to cast a vote in this year’s competition. If you qualify, please email your top four choices for this year’s cup to freddie.sandford@bauermedia.co.uk or call 01733 395139. Voting ends on April 18, and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.
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