Drennan Soft Feed Groundbait Catapult

How well is it built?

The heart of this catapult is the cup. It's a moulded mesh design that wraps around a ball of groundbait and supports it rather than squeezing it, and it has a firm tab to hold as you draw back.

That's what lets you fire soft, lightly squeezed balls without them falling apart on release.

The cup is mesh rather than solid, which keeps it light. The frame is a straightforward moulded design with a long handle, and the elastic is latex.

Spare pouches and spare latex are both available, which matters because latex wears and perishes over time and a groundbait cup takes plenty of abuse.

So, why an 8.0? It's a solid, simple catapult rather than an especially refined one, and the latex will need replacing now and then. For a dedicated groundbait pult, though, the build does exactly what it needs to.

Accuracy & Range

Each version has its own most accurate range. The Soft elastic is for 20 to 30 metres, the Strong for 30 to 40 metres and the X Strong for 40 to 50 metres, so you can match the catapult to the line you're feeding rather than over-powering a short line.

Why does that matter? Groundbait is all about building a tight area of feed, and balls landing in the same spot will hold bream and skimmers far better than balls scattered across the swim, and that matters most on big lakes and wide rivers where bream feed well out.

The cradling cup should help each ball leave cleanly, which is key to repeating the same shot.

To be fair, accuracy with balls at 40 metres and more still takes practice, and one catapult only covers one band of range. Within its own band, though, the 8.0 feels right.

Ease of Use

How easy is it to use? Very, because the cup does most of the work. You drop a ball in and the cup cradles it, so you don't need to squeeze your groundbait rock hard just to survive the shot, which is a real help with soft mixes for skimmers.

It's also versatile. As well as groundbait balls, it'll put out larger quantities of pellets and sweetcorn, so it can double up as a bulk-feeding pult when you want to get a lot of bait in at the start of a session.

The long handle gives a firm hold too, which helps when your hands are wet and sticky from mixing groundbait.

For me, that simplicity is why it scores 8.5. Choosing the right strength is pretty much the only real decision, and once that's done it's a very easy catapult to get on with.

Is it good value for money?

It costs a little more than the Drennan Match Catapults and the Drennan Pole Line Pellet Pult, which makes sense for a bigger, more specialised catapult. Next to a carp pult such as the Trakker Mega Pult, it's a little cheaper and far better suited to soft balls of feed.

The thing to budget for is range. If you fish lines anywhere from 20 to 50 metres, you may want two strengths, and the latex will need replacing from time to time. For a bream angler who balls in at the start of every session, though, it's money well spent.

I'd recommend the Soft Feed Groundbait Catapult to match and pleasure anglers who feed groundbait balls for bream and skimmers at waggler range and beyond, on lines too far to throw by hand. If you only loose feed small baits, the Drennan Match Catapults will do the job for less.