Drennan tench float rods (best model)

[tigger]

I know there are quite a few of the Fishing Majic members who have one or more of the drennan tench float rods and you all seem to be smitten with them. I am curious though which model you think is the best one. I don't know but i'm thinking there's five models now with the latest one with the strange sectional (take appart) but section. I would appreciate all your views as I am going to aquire one in due course and your views will help me decide which one to get.

 

[Tee-Cee]

tigger....I think this subject has been'done to death'on several threads recently....NOT to say someone might not have more to offer(or working knowledge of the latest Drennan TF rod-the3-piece jobbie)but a glance at the previous stuff might help you!

(Personally I think the old Mk 4 is just great-does what is says on the tin!!)

Good luck!!

 

[Keith M]

I have the Drennan 13ft MKIV Tench Float rod and I use it for trotting for Barbel & Chub on streams and small rivers as well as using it for Tench on stillwaters and it has a slim responsive blank with a fine tip which is designed to be used with Mono & braids up to 8lb.
It's a pleasure to use.

 

[tigger]

tigger....I think this subject has been'done to death'on several threads recently....NOT to say someone might not have more to offer(or working knowledge of the latest Drennan TF rod-the3-piece jobbie)but a glance at the previous stuff might help you!

(Personally I think the old Mk 4 is just great-does what is says on the tin!!)

Good luck!!

I actually posted a thread about the latest drennan tench rod but it seemed no one actually had one but it also seemed not to be a hit due to the way it breaks down. Personally I wouldn't get one as that puts me off it.
I'm just curious about the different models and the era/year that each one was produced. I think the origional was 1988 but have no idea when the second one (was it the super tench) was produced. I have read other bits about the drennan tench rods on the net and the MK III and the MK IV seem to come out favourite. From what other info I can find the super tench and the MK III are 12ft 9 inch in length (same as the origional) and are the most powerfull with a 1lb test curve and a 3lb power curve. The MK IV has a (I don't know the test curve) 2.75 power curve.
As I say i'm just curious about them so if anyone does have any info I'd be gratefull for it.


Thank's for that Keith, I know you've had some really good fishing with your mark IV, it's a toss up for me wether to go for that model or the MK III.

 

[Tee-Cee]

Tigger....I have another Drennan 'Tench Float' rod.Its a black(sort of mottled)blank with gold tips on the ring whippings,BUT it does not say Mk III,only that it is 12'9"(or 3,88m)..

In case you don't know the wording on the butt section(in an awful mauve colour!) reads"Sensitive Float Control Tip-Forward power in Middle and Top-Can bully even big carp"
It then goes on to say"Handles any reel line from 3lb to 8lb plus-also excellent for barbel and big bags of bream etc"

All of this comes under the heading 'Performance Guide'...........so make of it what you will!!
Again,its a great rod to use(for me 4/6lb bs line)and has accounted for some decent fish in dodgy conditions...I think it accounted for a carp of 14lb which I played beautifully and landed in 5mins or so.....

Perhaps this is a Mk III or possibly the one before it-perhaps you can tell me!!!

Hope this helps anyway!

 

[tigger]

Tigger....I have another Drennan 'Tench Float' rod.Its a black(sort of mottled)blank with gold tips on the ring whippings,BUT it does not say Mk III,only that it is 12'9"(or 3,88m)..

In case you don't know the wording on the butt section(in an awful mauve colour!) reads"Sensitive Float Control Tip-Forward power in Middle and Top-Can bully even big carp"
It then goes on to say"Handles any reel line from 3lb to 8lb plus-also excellent for barbel and big bags of bream etc"

All of this comes under the heading 'Performance Guide'...........so make of it what you will!!
Again,its a great rod to use(for me 4/6lb bs line)and has accounted for some decent fish in dodgy conditions...I think it accounted for a carp of 14lb which I played beautifully and landed in 5mins or so.....

Perhaps this is a Mk III or possibly the one before it-perhaps you can tell me!!!

Hope this helps anyway!

Thank's for the reply TC. I don't know m8 but I think your sounds like the super tench8 (the MKII) with it being black but it would say super tench on the blank I'd have thought. I think the MK III has a silvery coloured blank like the MKIV, well it looks it in the pic's I've seen of one.

 

[S-Kippy]

I had a MKI...it was good but not special IMO...upgraded to a Mk III which is a cracker but my mate has a MK IV which is very similar but IMO just shades my MK III. I've recently changed the reel fitting on mine to a screw down and its improved things no end.Great rod for tenching...or indeed anything sizeable on the float be that stillwater or river. I used to use my MK I for chubbing with a loafer.

Subtle enough but with bags in reserve when you need it. In all its guises a fine rod.

Tee-Cee : That sounds like a MK 1 to me...sort of grey/black chequered blank ? Not a Mk III because that clearly says MK III [which is a bit of a give away] and the whippings are tipped purple. Silver grey blank.

If I were starting over I'd have the MK IV...I just dont buy into this "compact" half detachable butt lark. Its a gimmick.

Skippy

 

[tigger]

I had a MKI...it was good but not special IMO...upgraded to a Mk III which is a cracker but my mate has a MK IV which is very similar but IMO just shades my MK III. I've recently changed the reel fitting on mine to a screw down and its improved things no end.Great rod for tenching...or indeed anything sizeable on the float be that stillwater or river. I used to use my MK I for chubbing with a loafer.

Subtle enough but with bags in reserve when you need it. In all its guises a fine rod.

Tee-Cee : That sounds like a MK 1 to me...sort of grey/black chequered blank ? Not a Mk III because that clearly says MK III [which is a bit of a give away] and the whippings are tipped purple. Silver grey blank.

If I were starting over I'd have the MK IV...I just dont buy into this "compact" half detachable butt lark. Its a gimmick.

Skippy

Yeah Skippy I've no intensions of getting the latest tench rod I really don't like how a peice of the butt screws off. What happens if you loose the bag or it get nacked, what would you put such a strange set up in to store or carry it round, narrh not for me.
Skippy, can you tell me the year when the MK III was in production and till when approx ? I'm just curious about it.

 

[S-Kippy]

Wooo...sorry mate I can't say exactly when the MK III was introduced but the MK IV came out around 4 years ago I guess....not earlier than 2006 I dont think. I got my MK III second hand 4 years ago and the MK IV was just available then...I know because I nearly had one.

The MK III I think was around for quite a while. It was a bit of a classic in that it was rated a much better rod than the Mk II or SuperTench. It was the rave reviews of the MK III [plus a really good deal] that prompted me to have that rather than a MK IV. But,having had a waggle and go of my mate's MK IV, I can only say that Mr Drennan has got that one right as well. Not much between the two really...MK IV is 13 ft with a slightly finer tip which allows lighter bottoms. The difference is not so marked that I feel the need to upgrade though....especially now I've changed the reel fitting.

If you search around there are quite a lot of "hits" on the MK III. Nobody has a bad word to say about them which is why I got one.

 

[michaels]

I`ll chuck my pennyworth in and I can only relate to what I`ve collected, I have at least one of each and what I was told years ago by a Drennan rep. It may be a crock of whats`it, so please be gentle. After the various proto types slight differences in performance,colour etc, I was told that the MK1 was the original tench float this is obvious, they all had a black fabric type weave, with the gold edged whippings on the butt section and ring, full cork handle, but it had three incarnations.

1)The Basic standard Drennan Float, with the statement on the underside of the rod, in gold lettering, with coloured stripes - Drennan-Tench Float-12`9” 3-6Ib reel lines specialist power action. Nothing on the topside of the rod

2)The second version , now written on the top side of the rod, Drennan - Tench Float 12ft 9” (all coloured), On the underside , 3.88m performance guide, sensitive float control 3-8Ib plus etc etc.

3)Same as the second, but had single legged rings. Same line rating & performance

I was told that the Drennan Super tench was the MK11, this was the black/grey blank, with a slight move colour at the edge of the whippings. As for the rest I don’t know, I`ve only seen them in the rack.
If this is wrong, could someone enlighten me, its a bit confusing!

 

[tigger]

Michaels, i think this one on ebay is the first one they made...

DRENNAN TENCH FLOAT 12' 9" ROD on eBay (end time 21-Nov-10 13:10:36 GMT)

 

[michaels]

Yes Tigger, I agree with you, thats the MkI, as in my speil.
So does the MKIII onwards, specify which mark it is and how many incarnations have there been to date. I gave up after the MKII or Super Tench or whatever mark that was.
Confused of Berkshire

 

[S-Kippy]

Yep...certainly on my Mk III it clearly says Mk III on the blank. The Super Tench Float was [I guess] intended to be effectively an upgraded Tench Float. That firmly established the Tench Float as a "brand" so from then on each Mark is simply Mr Drennan saying here is the latest version of my classic rod. The STF was, in effect, the TF Mk II.

That's my take on it anyway....and this rod does actually seem to have improved over the years. IMO the MK IV is a better rod than the Mk I...though that is still a very good rod.

The IM8 Specimen Float is a belter too though long discontinued. I've got one and wouldn't part with it.

 

[tigger]

Yep...certainly on my Mk III it clearly says Mk III on the blank. The Super Tench Float was [I guess] intended to be effectively an upgraded Tench Float. That firmly established the Tench Float as a "brand" so from then on each Mark is simply Mr Drennan saying here is the latest version of my classic rod. The STF was, in effect, the TF Mk II.

That's my take on it anyway....and this rod does actually seem to have improved over the years. IMO the MK IV is a better rod than the Mk I...though that is still a very good rod.

The IM8 Specimen Float is a belter too though long discontinued. I've got one and wouldn't part with it.

I have two of the im8 specimine float rods but according to the descriptions of the rods the MK III has a 3lb power curve and up to 8lb mono, the MK IV has a 2.75 power curve and up to 8lb mono and the im8 has a 2lb power curve and up to 6lb mono so the tench rods have a slight power advantage which if it's correct it will come in handy for me in some situations. How would you rate the im8 against the tench rod for power Skippy ?

 

[Tee-Cee]

michaels....very good thread-for me at least-because it confirms my rod with the black(fabric type weave)blank and gold edgings on the butt rings only is in fact a Mk I as the description you give fits perfectly!

The wording(on the underside of the butt section)is as stated in my previous post......

Still a great rod though and I use it with much pleasure!

....its why FM is such a great site!!

 

[the indifferent crucian]

Isn't there yet another Drennan Tench rod? A Tench and Bream specialist???

 

[Fred Blake]

Isn't there yet another Drennan Tench rod? A Tench and Bream specialist???

There is, but it's a totally different animal. In fact, there are two; a cork-handled 12' 1.75lb test model and a duplon-handled 12' 2lb stepped-up version. Neither are designed as float rods; they're aimed at the angler who fishes for big tench and bream at long range with method feeders or bolt rigs. The 2lb version would make a lovely light carp rod.

 

[S-Kippy]

How would you rate the im8 against the tench rod for power Skippy ?

The TF is more powerful than the IM8. I actually bought the IM8 as a beefy trotting rod and used it as such quite successfuly before the market suddenly became awash with "power" float rods. Both pull lovely curves but I can go a bit lighter with the IM8 I think. I liked the IM8 so much that I hunted down a replacement when I broke the top joint of my original one.

If I'm on a lake after tench with the chance of a carp then its the TF every time but if I need to fish a bit finer then the IM8. I never felt the IM8 was as powerful as the blurb suggested but the TF is.

 

[tigger]

The TF is more powerful than the IM8. I actually bought the IM8 as a beefy trotting rod and used it as such quite successfuly before the market suddenly became awash with "power" float rods. Both pull lovely curves but I can go a bit lighter with the IM8 I think. I liked the IM8 so much that I hunted down a replacement when I broke the top joint of my original one.

If I'm on a lake after tench with the chance of a carp then its the TF every time but if I need to fish a bit finer then the IM8. I never felt the IM8 was as powerful as the blurb suggested but the TF is.

Right, thank's for that Skippy. I've used my im8 specimine for trotting for barbel and have had them to 8lb whilst using it but there where times when i'd like to have put a bit more pressure on to get the fish in that bit quicker so going off your info the tench rod sounds spot on. Looking at the spec on the latest tench rod from drennan it's been made less powerfull than the MK III and MK IV so even if it was a normal three peice I think i'd still be on the look out for one of the earlier models. In fact I think i've located two older models to choose from so I may well have one soon...maybe even two :wh

 

[michaels]

And to add another point of view kindly supplied by Messer Drennan from the swing tag supplied with the Drennan Super Float, I quote...

"The original Tench Float rod proved so popular that literally thousands have been sold. They get used not only for Tench, but for Barbel, Carp and even prawn and worm for Salmon.
The new model is, however a geniune improvement, being lighter in hand, equally sensative in the tip and with even greater reserves of power!
Quite honestly you could fish from 2Ib to 12Ib reel line and this wonderful blank would handle it.
Constructed in IM9 Carbon and equipped with full sic`s"

Mere puff aside, One could use either, as a trotting Barbel rod!