At this time of year, when the water is starting to warm up ever so slightly, the Sonu Baits Fin Perfect and Ton Up expander pellet range really starts to make an impact on commercial fisheries.

But I like to prepare mine for the hook without pumping them. Instead, I leave them floating in a tub for a while and, once they have softened and absorbed some water, I give them a squeeze and you see one or two air bubbles.
One of these floating unpumped pellets, slipped on to a decent hook for pellet fishing, such as my personal favourites the PR24 and PR32, will get you more bites.
That’s because the unpumped pellet sinks far more slowly than a pumped pellet, and I believe that this increases your chances of a bite.
I favour the Sonu Ton Up expanders, which are a dark colour, if I am fishing off the bottom, and I use the standard Fin Perfect Expanders when fishing a bait that is presented on the bottom, so that it stands out against the mud or clay.
A lot of newcomers to expander pellet fishing forget to keep lifting and dropping the rig. You don’t have to lift the float a  foot at a time, just a gentle lift of two or three inches is enough to waft the hook-bait off the bottom.
This can trigger a fish into sucking in the pellet. If the float dips under a gentle lift is all that is required to set the hook.
Striking with the expander pellet takes some practice but once you have developed the knack it will reap dividends.