INTERVIEW: DAI GRIBBLE
AT: How do you go about selecting the waters to fish? Is it through word of mouth that you learn the big-fish potential of some of the venues you fish, or through past experience and discovery? DG: Word of mouth is the main one. Over the years I have met a lot of really great anglers on the bank that I stay in touch with. Potential venues are always one of the first subjects to be discussed. to cast out to see if there were any signs of activity. I made one cast in the evening, wound in and then made one at first light that produced the 10lb 5oz tench. Essentially I was just going fishing and hoping to catch big fish. After I caught the big fish I carried on fishing the same waters, knowing another tench would be very unlikely to win a Weekly Award.
AT: What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in pursuit of big fish this year? DG: Traffic congestion! I travel a long way to many of the venues I fish, and sitting stationary on motorways strains your enthusiasm. I’d also advise anyone to avoid breaking a shoulder blade!
AT: What was your dedication like in terms of travelling to venues to catch a specimen, then? Did you rack up the miles?
DG: Living in Stafford, there’s no option but to travel to catch big fish. I think it is better if I don’t add up the miles I travelled last year, though I do try to fish for a couple of days each trip. While piking at Farmoor I stayed overnight in my bivvy at a nearby lake to get two days’ fishing out of one journey.
AT: You said that there’s always an element of luck in fishing – did you experience your fair share this season? DG: It’s fair to say I had my share – and some! Three of my fish came on my first visit to the venue, in fact they all came on my second cast, proving location is nearly as important as being lucky.
AT: Were there any funny moments along the way? Sessions where you simply couldn’t score a bite? Fell into the lake? DG: I had plenty of blanks, but generally after I’d caught a big fish. I returned to Farmoor about eight times and blanked every trip. After I caught the roach I fished six more nights in December and January and caught one small roach and a couple of perch. The funniest moment was knocking a rod over the side of the boat at Farmoor while fishing with Alan Stagg. We had to grab the float
and pull it back up. Unfortunately the Baitrunner was on, so I had to pull well over 200 yards of braid up before the rod surfaced. When I was playing the bream I thought it was a small tench before its tail broke the surface, so I jumped in and waded out to avoid having to bring it to the bank across 10 yards of very shallow water. I was glad I had spare socks and trousers!
AT: There must be one catch this season that stands out as your favourite? What was it, and why? DG: The pike was special, as it was a personal best and from a venue with a reputation for being extremely hard.
AT: Big fish are your passion, but do you ever get the urge on some days to take the float rod out and catch some tiddlers?
DG: I really enjoy floatfishing, and after I won the Cup in 2016 I vowed I’d do more of it, though preferably for something bigger than a tiddler. I certainly do not only fish for personal bests, as some anglers do. One of my most enjoyable trips last summer was floatfishing off the rocks in Wales for pollack, wrasse and mackerel. For me, not knowing what will take the bait next increases the fun of any kind of fishing.
AT: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a go at competing in the Drennan Cup? DG: Just go fishing for big fish. By all means have some venues lined up but, more importantly, fish to catch fish – not to win prizes. Catch enough big fish and you have a real chance of winning.
AT: If there was only one species of fish you could target for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? DG: Probably chub, because they feed well all year round and can be caught on so many methods. The reality is, I love the variety of targeting lots of species and that keeps me motivated. The thought of only fishing for one species is quite depressing!
AT: Is there a species you’ve not particularly targeted before, but would like the chance of catching one of specimen size? If so, how would you go about doing it? DG: I would love to catch a big eel. As with any species, I would find one or two venues to target and try a variety of methods until I found one I had confidence in. With any species I am happy to increase my pb a step at a time, so an eel over 4lb 6oz would be my starting point. Any eel bigger than that would be a huge bonus.
AT: What will the next season hold in store for Drennan Cup Champion Dai Gribble? Do you have any targets? DG: A big tench is always welcome, and while a pb is almost impossible I think any spring campaign when I catch a double is a success, and a ‘twelve’ to fill a gap would be fantastic. After that, I may have a go for eels, but the beauty of being an all-round angler is that there is always something to target. Later in the year it could be barbel off the Trent, grayling off the Severn or a big perch from Farmoor. I also hope to get out with mates that I haven’t fished with for a long time, and if I can combine the two, that would be perfect.