New Drennan Rod

[Philip]

Grommet issues to one side there is one aspect I do like about twist lock over older style nets with collers you unscrew and thats with twistlock
you can -at a push - operate it one handed.

I can think of at least one occasion where this has got me out of trouble were I was playing a fish and needed to extend the handle and managed to do it by holding the rod in one hand & jamming the net head with my foot and extending and relocking it with the other hand. This would be alot more difficult with a coller locking net.

Ok it wont be often & being well prepared, having the net already extended to the right length for the swim etc etc all helps but there are odd occasions where its a nice option to have e.g playing a fish you had to follow downstream to a different landing spot.

 

[@Clive]

I use the Drennan twist lock and haven't had any problems with it. After reading this thread though I might look at stripping it down and cleaning the mechanism.

To look into Steve's opened can of worms; a lot of my fishing involves lifting fish with the handle straight up. I have tied a length of parachute cord to the landing net head and use the cord to take the weight as I lift it. I also have a quick change adapter beweeen the net and handle so I can split the two easily in tight swims.

 

[Keith M]

I have several landing net handles; from a super slim one that I usually use when fishing canals after Roach, Rudd, Dace and Perch etc. Plus my Drennan Polemaster Carp Pole handle which I use for my Barbel, Smallish Carp, Tench and Chub etc. and also a foldable ‘Wychwood’ Roving landing handle & net; which can be attached when folded to the back of my fishing waistcoat. I also have a one piece Carp landing net handle; and non of my extending landing net handles have a twistlock but they still work fine even after quite a few years of use.

I do have a couple of older landing net handles which are fairly worn but I’ve passed these on to my son who still manages to get use out of them.

I also still have my very first home made 44” landing net which I used to use when Piking back in the late 70s; the arms of which I made from two boat rod tips; with a spreader block and large knitted mesh that I got from Watford Tackle carrier back in the day.

I haven’t needed to try a twist lock handle yet; but no doubt I may need to at sometime in the future; that’s if I’m still here of course .

Keith

 

[Aknib]

Historically the best handle I've ever owned was a Daiwa, I can't remember whether it's three or four piece but it's long.

I still have it and use it regularly but not for its intended purpose

Nope it's definitely three piece...

 

[Alan Whitty]

I use the Drennan twist lock and haven't had any problems with it. After reading this thread though I might look at stripping it down and cleaning the mechanism.

To look into Steve's opened can of worms; a lot of my fishing involves lifting fish with the handle straight up. I have tied a length of parachute cord to the landing net head and use the cord to take the weight as I lift it. I also have a quick change adapter beweeen the net and handle so I can split the two easily in tight swims.

Be careful how and with what you clean it with Clive, I cut a flannel down and split a long piece of dowel with a sawcut in the end to push the dampened flannel through, the amount of grime is amazing, but you can overdo it and the new grommet solves it instantly, as for the straight lift, yes, they can defo pull out, still a brilliant pole and all you have to do is get a bend in the pole to create more friction...

 

[Ray Roberts]

y

Years ago I had a three section aluminium handle that I bought for fishing some really steep banks. I also had an angled adaptor that angled the net in relation to the handle it worked pretty good. Well, up until I decided to screw a blade into the handle to prune some overhanging branches that is. One particular branch was tougher than the rest, so I tried to pull it down in order to grab it and snap it off. Just as it was almost within reach the knurled locking ring gave out and the top section came out and was catapulted about forty feet to the lake. I still remember that oh ffffffff moment like it happened yesterday.

 

[markcw]

Also remember the size and style of the net head can make the handle feel heavy or unbalanced

 

[Alan Whitty]

Absolutely Mark, I have a 30in net that is a brilliant design, but when wet it became ridiculously awkward to handle with the twistlock....

 

[Philip]

. I also had an angled adaptor that angled the net in relation to the handle

Hallelujah ! ....a potential use for the Gardner triad adapter I purchased literally 30 years ago as it looked like a good idea at the time but has since sat totally unused in the tackle mountain waiting for the day I could actually find a use for it

....& for anyone wondering what a Gardner Triad adapter is ...

 

[The Sogster]

I'm still using this for my bigger fish. It was my first proper net handle from when I was a kid in the 70's.
But I also have and love the drennan.

 

[S-Kippy]

Hallelujah ! ....a potential use for the Gardner triad adapter I purchased literally 30 years ago as it looked like a good idea at the time but has since sat totally unused in the tackle mountain waiting for the day I could actually find a use for it

....& for anyone wondering what a Gardner Triad adapter is ...
View attachment 29086

I’ve got one of those too and I also cannot think why I bought it or what I thought I was going to use it for

 

[mikench]

Gordon certainly and myself quite often setup the Drennan with a large net(60cm) for hoped for lumps plus a smaller and shallower net on a shorther handle (2m) for the smaller fish meriting the net. We like the option.

 

[Alan Whitty]

When you watch well known match anglers netting twenty pound carp in silly little nets you wonder why you need big ones, apart from fish care...

 

[Steve Arnold]

When you watch well known match anglers netting twenty pound carp in silly little nets you wonder why you need big ones, apart from fish care...

Even a 26" net can take a 40 lb carp. You need firm control achieved, then keep the carps head up as best possible. Pray for a good hook hold at that point and that your hook-length is not frayed!

As far as carp care is concerned, what is more important is the capacity and depth of the net is adequate not to double the fish up on itself when lifting......

That's a Korum folding net, the net sack is baggy enough that this 42 lb carp could lay straight when laid on the unhooking mat. OK, not perfect.....but as a barbel angler I am not roaming with a 42"+ net around our wooded river swims, just on the off-chance of the occasional big carp!

I think my twist'lock net handle is the Gardner XL. It can be used at three lengths, don't know how I coped with the steep river banks here before buying it. Not as safely I know!

 

[markcw]

When you watch well known match anglers netting twenty pound carp in silly little nets you wonder why you need big ones, apart from fish care...

You will probably notice they are unhooked in the landing net and straight back in the water

 

[Alan Whitty]

Or placed in a keepnet???

 

[Alan Whitty]

I had a 30lbs 8ozs catfish in a 24in pan, don't ask me how, it curled up like a python luckily, phew, the pulse rate went up a bit....

 

[Philip]

I got that in a 36 inch Korum net. Tail and head sticking out each side & net totally trashed but it did technically "fit" in there

 

[Alan Whitty]

They are a bloody nightmare, when mine surfaced it looked the size of a surfboard and equally as stiff...

 

[Philip]

...& what about your Catfish Alan ? ;-)