Exclusive! We put Drennan’s new Acolyte Pro pole through its paces

Successor to the flagship Acolyte is even better – enter the Acolyte Pro

AFTER four successful years as Drennan’s best-selling flagship pole ever, the Acolyte hands the reins to the Acolyte Pro.

The newcomer, designed from the ground up, will handle everything from carp and F1 bagging on commercials to whipping out silverfish on natural lakes, rivers and canals.

Five-times World Champ Alan Scotthorne has been heavily involved in its development, as indeed he was with its predecessor, and with more than 12 months of rigorous field-testing on every conceivable pole venue, you can rest assured the new Pro won’t disappoint.

The changes are more significant than mere cosmetic tweaks, as can be the case with flagship models.

Like cars, poles are to some degree slaves to fashion, and some manufacturers prefer ‘go-faster stripes’ to genuine technical innovation. Not Drennan!

Advancements in carbon technology have given the Pro greater section strength and improved linear rigidity without any significant difference in overall weight at any length. The major change, though, is the use of an updated mandrel for the No5-No11 sections of this perfectly balanced powerhouse of a pole. However, owners of the original Acolyte pole wishing to upgrade need not fret, as existing top-2, top-3 and top-4 kits will all still fit.

True, the new pole’s butt sections are fractionally wider, but less than a millimetre’s increase in diameter is barely noticeable. Drennan, in fact, says the change improves tip end recovery.

This, I have to say, was quite exceptional, as I discovered while live testing the pole on Decoy’s Six Islands Lake. Having fished with the original Acolyte I feel I can cut straight to the chase.

The Pro is a very different beast from the original. It’s a hell of a lot meaner, with improved section wall strengths coupled with hexagonal patterned reinforced joint ends. And there’s little, if any, post-strike movement.

But it’s when you hook something that pulls back a bit that you really appreciate the Acolyte Pro.

It’s downright powerful, but not in a pokey, over-gunned way. Steely strength with subtlety is what it’s all about, making it bang on the money for any UK venue you care to mention. Price: £2,995