“Winning the Drennan Cup shows my non-fishing friends and family that I am actually not a bad angler”

Newly-crowned Drennan Cup Champion Dai Gribble reveals just what it means to win it twice...

WINNING the Drennan Cup is seen by specimen anglers as the achievement of a lifetime, so to do it twice is surely the stuff of dreams. That dream has just become a reality for Dai Gribble.

In the competition’s 34-year history only four anglers have been crowned champion more than once, and the Staffordshire ace can now proudly count himself among them.

Looking back at Dai’s season, it’s clear to see that it was just as extraordinary as his 2016 winning campaign, claiming five Weekly Awards including tench to 11lb 6oz, a 15lb 13oz bream, a 32lb 4oz pike and a 3lb 3oz roach.

The world of specimen fishing can certainly be hard to get your head around. It’s full of secrets, challenges and single-minded determination to catch a monster – but for Dai it’s simply all about his love for big fish.

Angling Times caught up with the Korum-backed champ to quiz him on his fishing and pick his brains on what it takes to become the holder of the Drennan Cup…

AT: Drennan Cup Champion for the second time in three years! Congratulations! Are there any words to describe how you’re feeling? DG: I feel very privileged to have gained enough votes to win. The Drennan Cup is widely acknowledged to be THE prize to win in specimen fishing. I never imagined I’d win it once, so to win it a second time is taking a while to register. It might sound odd, but winning the Drennan Cup shows my non-fishing friends and family that I am actually not a bad angler – they are more impressed by a big shiny cup than a photograph of a big tench, although the 32lb pike impressed most of them!

AT: Only four anglers have achieved the accolade of more than one Drennan Cup win – Terry Lampard, Alan Wilson, Martin Hooper and now you! How does it feel to see your name alongside these incredible anglers? Do you consider yourself their equal? DG: When the Drennan Cup began I hoped I’d catch a fish big enough to win a Weekly Award, but never imagined I would win the Cup once, let alone twice. It is very nice to be in such company. Terry Lampard was in a different class and I definitely don’t consider myself in the same league. I think I can most relate to Alan Wilson, who just loved catching big fish and happened to catch enough to win the Cup three times. I think the nature of big-fish angling makes comparisons very difficult and almost irrelevant. My aim is to keep enjoying my fishing and catching big fish – and sharing the catches with others is a huge part of that enjoyment.

AT: When did your passion for catching specimen fish start? DG: In my late teens I started to fish a lake known as Copmere, which at the time held the British record bream. Initially I really wanted to catch a big tench from there. Ever since then my fishing has focused on catching big fish, but not exclusively.

AT: How was this season’s challenge different to last year’s? After catching a 20lb-plus bream and several tench to 14lb 13oz, did you adopt a different approach for the remainder of your campaign? DG: It wasn’t a challenge as such as I had plans to fish all but one of the waters where I caught Weekly Award-winning fish prior to the season starting. The exception was the first award (a 10lb 5oz tench), which I caught while preparing for a guiding session. The anglers were due to arrive at 8am so I arrived the day before, baited two swims and decided