The AS5 is an ideal design for fishing with pellets on commercial fisheries, as Jon Arthur explains.

The AS5 was released by Drennan towards the end of 2015 and was an instant hit. Designed by none other than Alan Scotthorne, it’s a versatile float that can be used with all sorts of baits and methods. I think the slim pencil-shaped body combined with a sensible diameter 1.5mm Glow Tip means it works particularly well with pellets. The streamlined shape ensures there is hardly any resistance when regularly lifting and lowering, plus you can easily dot the tip down to a pimple yet still see it well at distance. The carbon stem also means it is far less likely to tangle as you quickly ship in and out.

In the smaller sizes up to 0.4g I generally shot this float with No9s or No10s for pellets. These are typically spaced around 10mm to 30mm apart above the hooklength; commonly referred to as a spread bulk. In the larger sizes from 0.5g to 1g I would use a bulk of shot around 40cm from the hook with a couple of No9 or N08 droppers evenly spread below. I find this creates a positive arrangement that’s ideal with pellets, as it helps to concentrate things on the bottom where bites are much easier to hit.

During the warmer months I use durable and robust 0.16mm Supplex main line for most of my AS5 rigs. This allows me to use a hooklength from 0.10mm to 0.16mm depending on the size of fish. The hook will be either a size 18 or 16 Silverfish Pellet for F1s, skimmers and small carp, scaling up to a stronger 16 Wide Gape Pellet for big carp and bagging up. Hopefully there will be plenty of that this spring and summer!