New champ reveals his secrets
New champion Iain McDonald reveals his simple steps to success
NEWLY crowned Drennan Cup Champion Iain McDonald reckons that much of his success is down to watercraft rather than complex rigs and set-ups. Pure dedication, time on the bank and detailed knowledge of just a handful of venues played a huge part in what was a glorious summer for Iain. He won five weekly awards, putting him top of the pile when it came to the end-of-season voting.
This week we exclusively bring you the rigs, tips and tactics which helped write the Canterbury angler’s name into the history books…starting with tench.
“You don’t need to have lots of end tackle on your line to catch big tench,” said Iain. “Unless I’m fishing over a lot of weed, in which case I’d use a helicopter rig, my standard tench set-up is a simple semi-fixed inline maggot feeder rig which anyone can tie. It rarely tangles and acts a bit like a bolt rig, but with no danger of harming fish. For hookbaits I prefer live maggots to fakes. The fish are less wary of them and you can’t beat the attraction of movement, particularly in clear water.
“My sessions are often short due to work commitments. I rarely get to do a bait-and-wait approach, so I have learnt that to catch I need to be fishing the right area at the right time and with the right baits.
“Knowing the lake and where the fish will be is essential, as you don’t want to be wasting those precious hours on the bank.”
FISHING in the margins was key to Iain banking a 4lb 3oz perch that helped him to victory in the Drennan Cup.
“Most gravel pits like Mid Kent Fisheries are only fished by carp anglers so the perch aren’t afraid to come in close to the bank where a lot of their natural food can be found” said Iain. “I like to fish a simple waggler rig set to just touch bottom. Few specimen anglers like to fish for big perch with the float but I think it offers far less resistance to shy-biting fish and has less chance of spooking them in the often shallow margins.
“I have as little shot on the line as possible so my worm hookbait falls slowly through the water. Sometimes I have no shot on the line at all. Don’t be afraid of letting the tow and wind move your rig around as it will make the hookbait look more natural and often encourage a take.”
“I have as little shot on the line as possible so my worm hookbait falls slowly through the water”