Drennan Cup champion Lee McManus reveals the tips and tactics that have helped him to bank some of the biggest fish in the land
ASSTRONG winds and rain batter the nation, many anglers are waving goodbye to those long and fish-filled days of summer. But, as one door closes, another opens, and anybody with an interest in catching specimen fish will be rubbing their hands together in anticipation of some cold weather sport.
Of course, catching big fish is far from easy, but if there’s one man who knows how to do it, it’s Leicester angler Lee McManus.
He’s the reigning Drennan Cup champion – specimen fishing’s most prestigious contest. Last season he finished with an impressive five weekly awards, for bream of 16lb 14oz and 17lb 11oz, a 4lb 12oz perch, a 16lb 6oz zander and a 17lb 14oz barbel.
Although he caught them throughout the season, all the species he targeted are viable autumn targets. So, this month, he’s running you through some essential tips to help to you bag a new PB or two yourself!
USE BOLT-RIGS FOR PERCH
Traditionally, perch fishing revolves around using ultra low-resistance running rigs. While these can be deadly at times, there was a point in Lee’s Drennan Cup campaign where he was tearing his hair out with missed bites while using the widely accepted set-up.
“I was fishing at long range on a 160-acre stillwater but was missing so many runs on low resistance rigs,” he told us.
“You just can’t strike into bites when fishing at that range, so a change of tactics was called for. Knowing how effective they were with other species, I decided to try using bolt rigs, incorporating short fluorocarbon hooklinks and 3oz leads, to create a self-hooking effect.”
Lee opted for aerodynamic one-inch segments of worm, which he mounted on size 7 hooks, and it wasn’t long before his fortunes changed.
“I ended up getting carp-like runs, as the perch tore off with the hookbaits, giving me ‘one-toners’ on the alarms!” he said.
“The rig change totally transformed my results, and I landed a string of big perch, including the 4lb 12oz specimen I won a weekly award for.
“Although the tactic probably isn’t one for the traditionalists, it really does work. I’ve tried it at short range too and had the same success.
“In my fishing, if something isn’t working, I always think it’s time to change. Even if it means going against what has been preached for decades.”
TARGET THE MARGINS FOR BARBEL AND ZANDER
The River Trent is a venue where Lee enjoyed great results late last season, with both his Drennan weekly-award winning barbel and zander coming from the wat
